Results tagged “advantage making” from stevenfeinberg.com

1-800 Contacts: a great example of advantage-making that pays off instantly

By Steven Feinberg on August 10, 2010 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

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.

Have you been overlooking opportunity right in front of you?

By Steven Feinberg on July 30, 2010 1:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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?

What advantages does your leadership really provide?

By Steven Feinberg on July 23, 2010 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"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

Accelerate your performance in these uncertain times

By Steven Feinberg on July 3, 2010 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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!

Health Care Reform was Framed

By Steven Feinberg on August 23, 2009 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What are the facts of the health care debate?

With all the coverage we should know by now. But most of what we know is government takeover, death panels, and bureaucrats rationing care. Of course, there has been the Democratic effort to refute this as falsifying the facts. And reality, in my opinion, is that the facts have been falsified.

But reality, and the facts, are not what is driving the debate.

Perception is.

Whatever your political persuasion, it is persuasion and how the facts are framed that is determining voters perception. The efforts of both sides are to frame the issue. Our purpose is to look at how frames determine decisions.

Imagine for a moment an actual frame around a picture. Not any frame but an ornate expensive frame. That picture will seem more significant and of more value.

Now imagine the picture sitting in the Museum of Modern Art. This picture is now important indeed, and deserves commentary and appreciation. If however, we took that picture and placed it on a street vendors table as if it were a poster or copy, it would now have been 'framed' to seem cheaper and certainly less expensive. The frame determines how we perceive the facts.

Some frames are physical, but most of what we will deal with are mental constructs. Let's consider how different frames might play out.

The Democratic argument may be valid, that costs will be doubling in a few years, that people are already being denied service and that rationing is occurring etc. However, Death panels for grandma, in contrast, is certainly more vivid (even if not true). Nevertheless, research shows that vivid arguments win more often over valid arguments. And certainly, the Republicans have mobilized their troops better for now around their framing of the argument. We are beginning to see a shift as President Obama frames the argument more powerfully and vividly. Whoever wins the framing war wins the perception game.

It may be sad that democracy and progress may be determined by bungling frames rather than the truth and what is good for the people. Dissent is part of our American tradition and it is good for us to argue Healthcare reform in the marketplace of ideas.

The Democrats could have framed the issue as America's Competitive Health plan. Another frame they can still use is the Patient-Doctor Choice Plan, or better still, The Patient Care program. We can shorten these to be Competition, Choice or Patient Care program. Any of these are far better than the public option or even single payer. It would be hard to argue against The Competition Plan. It's American to value competition. Moderates couldn't be accused of socialism. This could combat the socialism claim of every argument by Republicans. Who would be against driving down costs with America's Competitive Health Plan.

Or consider the Patient Care program vs. The Insurance Industry Profiting program.

Every decision is for the patient rather than by an industry bureaucrat and their profit.

This really is a framing battle going on. You be the judge.

Examining the facts of the cost of healthcare through the frame of Patient Care will influence how you interpret the facts. Money for patients or money for industry profits. The same is true for, 'the Government is bad frame' that Republicans use to run all their information through. As Americans we have a cultural disposition to not trust the government, this sentiment goes back to the American Revolution. So that frame works. These aren't complex frames. They are quick to understand, which makes these frames even more powerful.

From a framing and influence strategy, we must always endeavor to portray the truth, while understanding the mindsets of the people we are speaking with. What I have stated, in Advantage-Makers is to 'Make your valid argument vivid.' Your frames should be easy to understand, simple to think about, and fast to grasp.

The most vivid frame most often wins the argument. A powerful frame inoculates you against the other sides argument. For instance, Doctor-Patient Choice vs. Private Insurance Company determines your medical care. As Americans we prefer choice. When the private insurance company program is being pushed, you can simply say I prefer my physician and I choosing what's right for me rather than the insurance company deciding. This is a pre-inoculation to equip your side for the counter argument that is coming. On an issue as contentious and important as the healthcare debate, framing is pivotal. In the midst of the noise and falsehoods, the facts are viewed through the lens of the frame you have established.

For your own business, professional or political efforts, before you argue a point, establish a frame within which you then offer the facts. As long as facts are not being falsified, this is a powerful and ethical way of increasing the likelihood of people saying yes to your presentation. (in a later blog we will discuss the degrees of latitude you have before you start alienating your listeners)

While I endeavor to see reality as it truly is, and to portray the facts accurately, whoever wins the framing battle will win the argument.

Are you influencing?

By Steven Feinberg on August 19, 2009 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are five pivotal platforms of perception. Each of these platforms provides an opportunity for you to get your point across skillfully. I've found that most of us, moi included, inadvertently bungle opportunity, or don't see possibilities that skillful eyes spot almost immediately. This is especially true when it comes to influencing others.

First, Product Influence: nuances in messaging can turn customers on – or inadvertently turn them off. This applies to your Point of Purchase, new product introductions, or similar activities. One message shift achieved a 545% increase in sales, and reduced mistakes that were driving away customers. The company wasn't placing the product in the right context for the customer to consider. First establish the context before you make a request.

Second, Promotion influence: tapping naturally occurring ‘decision triggers’ motivate customers to buy now, not later. One easy shift, based upon seeing what was missing, produced an immediate 45% increase in sales. This had been overlooked in plain sight.

Third, Program influence: manage customer touch-points so that each “influence-ready moment” builds upon the last. This applies to your in-store merchandising, sampling programs, etc. One specific campaign we ran achieved a 33% response rate when the industry standard was only 3%. This was to C level executives in New York City's Financial District, one month after 9/11 when no one was supposed to be buying. Kind of like now. We questioned the business as usual mode and applied simple, easy, fast influence levers.

If you would like the full report send me an email at steven@stevenfeinberg.com It is an 8 page step-by-step of how we did more with less, achieving unexpected results, and how you might also.

Fourth, Perpetual influence: targeting the “moments of truth” that influence your customer experience and drive brand perception every single day. This is where customer decision triggers impact in-store experience and customer facing interactions in most any industry, online and brick and mortar. We performed an influence audit and recommend ways to manage the customers experience.

Fifth, Personal Influence: your professional ability to influence others shouldn't be overlooked. You must know how to influence people. Are you perceived as influential? Your leadership is at stake. You probably weren't born with the complete tool set although you were born equipped to learn it fast. Acquiring the Advantage-Makers secret tactics to instant influence will change you from loser to winner.

I'm just finishing up the new book on The Secrets to Instant Influence: Revealing the Advantage-Makers Influence Tactics.

Board of Directors - Do you have the right folks running the business?

By Steven Feinberg on March 9, 2009 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Board members -

Do you have the right folks running the business?

While working with a Director of Marketing the question arose, not about their immediate boss but the management team. It's a fair question. We are placing our bets and our livelihoods on their know how and good judgment.

Consider the Big 3 Automakers. We certainly can't have more of the same expecting different results.

There are on doubt competent people in management and it may not be their fault for this crisis.

However, the same managers will unfortunately make similar decisions, unless they are Advantage-Makers.

Let's not pretend Advantage-Makers never make a mistakes. It's simply that the are profound learners.

They learn faster, make mistakes quicker, engage more fully in unexpected solutions, work the probabilities and the possibilities and rearrange the scope to create value. Their thought process systematically leads to game changing decisions.

Do you know if your management team are Advantage-Makers?

Assess their ability to shift time:

Does the executive know how to shift rapidly in these trying times or are they using the same words doing the same old same old. Are they acting like Eeyore, woe is me. We all feel it but how are they acting. These folks are not strategic, nor are they using tactical ingenuity. They are duck and covering. Survival is at stake. Defensive moves are important. But if they are only driving defensively you will be at an even bigger disadvantage. Time shifters are able to rapidly adjust to the circumstances, resolve issues early, and shift time horizons. For Advantage-Makers, 'there is no time like the present to create the future'.

Assess their ability to shift interactions:

Does the executive know who to change the game. Do they know how to uncover viable options in the midst of all the cost cutting. Are they just cutting across the board or are they focused on specific strategic interactions and spectific tactical decisions that they adjust to move with the winds of change. This is no time for platitudes, like stay the course. But it is time for rapid adaptation and knowing how to uncover viable options.

Assess their ability to shift perception to influence outcomes:

Does the executive know how to persuade the remaining employees to reengage? Do they know how to make the case compelling for your products and services. Are they leading? Have they differentiated your brand in the minds of the prospects? If your company is not differentiated your company is failing now. Everyone is paying attention to your leaders command presence in this time of crisis. Both the advantage they create in products as well as their non-verbal, their tone of voice, and the language of influential leaderships.

Assess their ability to shift structure to shape behavior:

Does the executive know how to create structures that succeed? I'm not speaking about the org chart. I'm speaking about the forces at play that drive behavior, make decisions, produce momentum, align the teams and generate movement. Has the executive made command decisions that root out structural conflict, that is, competing objectives between teams and departments that are causing delay. If your executives are not determining the hierarchy of importance and making the hard decisions they are contributing to a structure that will fail.

If they are Advantage-Makers, keep them, endorse them, support them.

If not, change them or get them help now.

Now is the time for the Board to act, for the executives to perform, for the leaders to lead.

Obama's Inaugural Speech: A Game Changing Message

By Steven Feinberg on January 22, 2009 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Obama's speech was not soaring rhetoric, rather it had a more profound, game changing message.

He said, "What cynics fail to understand is the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. It's not whether government is too big or too small, it's whether it works."

These are not just word tricks crafted to distract us, these reveal a fundamental observation and core message that encourages and requires all of us to shift to 'higher order functioning', instead of more of the same.

You will see Obama's decisions based upon this higher order functioning in the weeks, months and years to come. The tendency in times of stress is to go back to basics. While some of this is necessary, a defensive posture is not a strategic approach that will actually get us our next edge. Back to basics is not making a fundamental shift.

Translating higher order functioning for kitchen table issues is what matters.

This will not be left wing nor right wing, nor moderates for that matter. Higher order functioning is moving from horses to cars, from typewriters to word processors to computers. We will see the shift to green/alternative energy investments as an example.

Higher order functioning means employing the social psychology of influence, transforming a typical 3% response rate to become 33%, Higher order functioning means employing the psychology of shifting, that turned an airline from $84 million dollar in the red to $30 million dollar in the black by managing interactions. Higher order functioning requires thinking in dimensions that finds real leverage in small actions and decisions, for example, shifting the typical 3 year bank integration to only 9 months. Urgency overruled bureaucracy.

Our country's Declaration of Independence is itself is a form calling for higher order functioning. The U.S. experiment began with a new world, with a new philosophy of governing. We must again shift the game to higher order functioning, we must shift or the existing house of cards will collapse.

While the language of responsibility and accountability makes a difference on a practical level, in itself it doesn't achieve higher order functioning. It is the thought process that leaders must cultivate to change the game and provide us with the new responsibilities and accountabilities.

Creating this higher order of functioning is the first order of business.

Strategy 1 for Keeping Your Job

By Steven Feinberg on December 12, 2008 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Is your boss hungry? If your job is on the line you must make the decision makers hungry. What do hungry people do? They eat. Dinner is served. And you better be serving something they want or you will be sent back or in these times, sent packing.

For Star Trek fans, the analogy is to be Scotty, the Enterprise spaceships’ chief engineer. Whenever the ship was about to blow up, Captain Kirk would ask for, "More shields (or power), Scotty."

Scotty’s reply was never ‘no problem.’ Rather,

Scotty would say, “I dunnot (Scottish accent) know if I can do it Captain.”

Captain Kirk: "We need this up in 10 minutes."

Scotty: "It will take at least 30 minutes."

Next scene we see, the ship is saved, once again. Scotty is a hero and lives (keeps his job) for another day.

Just a movie and TV show? Of course, but survivors make themselves indispensable. When your boss discusses issues this is not the time to say ‘no problem’. That may sound strange since most advice would be to think you should say, “Yes, sir/ma’am.” You certainly don’t want to alienate anyone, but your contribution should be positioned as key to the survival of the organization, now and in the future. You must make them hungry (without being obnoxious or foolish) and you are the only one who can feed them. If it really is no problem you are expendable sooner rather than later.

To make them hungry, you must now be adaptable, you must be the one who allays their fears of failure.

Your Advantage-Maker skills must be exercised and refined.

Shift time to produce urgency for your contribution.

Shift interaction to change the game from your need to the company’s need.

Shift perception to take on a winning mindset and influence perceptions to see you as the go to player who can multiply your value to the company.

Shift structure to shape behavior, reducing wasteful inefficiency and cumbersome conflict, this will align and advance the organization for speed, simplicity and ease.

Your talent and contribution matter. Don't forget about quenching their thirst and giving them a dessert as well. Anyone who doesn't think that people aren't spending on sweets in the recession hasn't looked at how waistlines grow in times of stress.

I wonder if you are hungry for knowing how to influence your boss, if so that should confirm that creating desire is most important for you to learn now.

Advantage making for college students

By Steven Feinberg on December 1, 2008 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

If you are a college student preparing for the real world what do you do when you encounter boulders in your life?

Once upon a time there was a king who placed a huge boulder in a roadway. The King hid and watched to see how people acted. Most avoided it, some blamed the King for not taking care of the roads, but none tried to get rid of the boulder.

Until a young shepherd came along with his oxen. The young peasant saw the boulder, laid down his pack and figured out how to move the boulder off the road. After much pushing and leveraging his oxen, he succeeded. And then, under the boulder he found a purse with gold and a note from the King saying the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the road.

We all have boulders, what do we do when we are up against a rock. Here are 5 ways to prepare yourself to create advantages, enabling you to deal with your boulders in college and looking for and finding jobs.

The 5 factors of advantage making

1) Find a horse to ride that is profitable.

Now is the time to create the future by finding a horse to ride. You have a dream, find a horse that will help you live your dream. Trout wrote a book about finding a horse to ride for your career. It could be an idea but that's a big challenge, if you have it, go for it. It could be a specific business or industry, perhaps tech or international business, or it could be an industry that will do fine during the recession. If you have professional interests and a career make sure you pick a horse that can go the distance. In a recession cash is king, so finding a horse to ride will get you to your destination. You don’t have to find one horse for you entire life. Pick one and ride.

2) Adaptability. Shift.

You must be able to shift your behavior. The people who succeed are the fastest and best adapters. The worse thing that could happen is if you are successful in your first set of interactions. Why? Because you will become overconfident, and it will be a false confidence. You will think you know what you are doing, and the likelihood is that you have only a partial understanding, but you were good enough and lucky enough this time to make it work. Your adaptability should be based upon thinking your don’t know, rather than your certainty that you do. Therefore use doubt to your advantage rather than certainty to your disadvantage. Persisting in what doesn’t work thinking it does will get your fired.

3) Influence. Yes.

Whatever your field, if you want people to say yes to your request you need to be able to influence them. And no matter how much you think people will be reasonable, they make their decisions emotionally. Think about times when you spent money on something you couldn’t quite afford. Why? Because it made you feel good. Unless you are the brightest person in the room, and even if you are, if you can’t persuade people to your way of seeing things you may continue to be the brightest person in the room, only you’ll be all by yourself. Hard to make a living, even over the internet that way.

4) Networking. Connections count.

Yes it is who you know, your connections that will get you in a position for that first interview you actually want. There is an old saying, “Build your well, before you need the water.” Its better to build your connections over time and cherish those connections. Your college friendships are worth more than future jobs, they are a wealth of memories that you will cherish always, especially the one’s that you will laugh about, and are glad are way in your past. So be the first to help others. When I see a little old lady cross a street I’m the first to offer her a hand if she wants it. My thought is someone is doing the same for my family members. We are in this together. Help someone. Doors will open you didn’t think possible. Recall the 6 degrees of separation. It’s not just an interesting idea. Your connections and your network are more valuable than anyone can realize. Help your friends and their parents will appreciate you. And when you need it most there will be hands to help you across the river. Ask yourself, how does this person feel about themselves in my presence? Not do they like you, but do they feel they can do their best, be their best, do what is most meaningful. If you can do that for people you will have a rich deep connection and network.

5) Leverage. Be an Advantage Maker

Act as if you can create advantages for yourself and others. Look for leverage. Take on a job and do it better than anyone expected. Use your creativity and people will notice. Market your ability to create advantages, people will want to know what and how. Develop your ability to shift your perspectives. Shifting time creates possibilities. TIVO is a product that shifts time, watch it when you want to. Knowing how to shift time to create urgency is most marketers specialty. Shifting interactions changes the game. Managing your interactions will determine how fast you move up the ladder. Facebook and MySpace are services that shift interactions. Shifting perceptions influences outcomes. You can’t be a leader unless you can influence perceptions. L’oreal perfume, ‘expensive but worth it’, is a product that influences the perception of women across the land. Shifting structure changes behavior. The internet shifted the structure of business online. Be an advantage maker now.

These five factors are what the most effective leaders use. Now its your turn to 1) find a horse to ride that is profitable, 2) expand your adaptability 3) Influence others 4) build a network and 5) create advantages through leverage. These skills will travel with you not only in the remainder of your classes but also in your job search and interviews. They may not teach you in school, but this is what works in life. As you live these 5 advantage making actions, putting them into practice, doors will open you didn’t think imaginable.

We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are. The Talmud

Between a pebble and a hard place

By Steven Feinberg on November 25, 2008 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, was old and ugly and fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.

The cunning money-lender suggested that they let Providence decide the matter. He would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.

2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.

3) If she refused, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Under careful analysis we can see there are three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.

2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.

3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

What would you recommend to the girl to do? Well, here is what she did ....

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. 'Oh, how clumsy of me,' she said. 'But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.' Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed she had picked the white one.

The girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.

As we approach Thanksgiving, with our economic turmoil that seem to place us between a rock and a hard place remember it might only require a pebble game to win.

The Disadvantge(s) of Across the Board Cost Cutting

By Steven Feinberg on November 24, 2008 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cost savings is sound business. We shouldn't argue that point. But executive cost cutting may be going overboard and it may not be their fault.

Every executive I've partnered with has consistently said there is always fat, and on an ongoing basis we should find ways to do more with less. No brainer. The economic shock has managers cutting across the board. Is that wise or otherwise?

Throwing good money after bad practices is what you want to cut. But you don't want to let the GM finance people design the cars. They've actually done that in the past, cut costs and no one bought the cars. Saving money is not the game. Making cars that make money is the game winner.

Our economy works because of cash flow. If everyone or enough people take their money out of the flow it not only reduces the existing cash flow, it makes it harder to rebound. Fear takes hold and accentuates the original problem.

Structurally there are some fundamental shifts that must be made. I think the new Obama administration has an economic team that is sharp enough (pragmatists rather than ideologues) to reduce the rate of the fall and build confidence to get people and companies into the game again. That's step one. The next step is the time frame. How long will it take and how will you respond in the meantime?

20% cuts across the board will provide expense controls. Even in academia, department heads and program heads are being asked to simply cut. But from where? If you want to drive more business, cutting marketing and sales seems like a counterproductive practice, unless you don't think you have new customers. The innovators will create value, the Advantage-Makes will spot the opportunities.

CFO's are the keeper of the cost control levers. They know their job, and the great ones are particularly skilled at managing the ROI. The problems is short term controls that manage cash flow now, but reduce or worse miss opportunities that pay for themselves over time.

Too many company executives are inadvertently contributing to their own pain by playing duck and cover. Again this might not be there fault given that they won't get beat up for following orders. Take for example a client who typically get a 3% response rate from a marketing campaign to the Fortune 100 CEO's. If they took the usual route they'd play duck and cover, and be glad they achieved the 3%, who could fault them. But on the other hand, working with the Advantage-Making principles we devised a campaign that actually achieved a 30% response rate.

From 3% to 30%. Which result would you pay for? And more importantly you must invest in your people who are Advantage-Makers. Not all people operate the same. This is akin to the old 80/20 rule. Your stars will shine now.

The disadvantage of cost cutting with Advantage-Makers is treating everyone equally. It's really important to consider what is an expense that can be cut and what looks like an expense that is actually an investment and will keep both the Advantage-Makers in your company and your company in the money.

Getting rid of 'dead wood' whether people who aren't rowing with you, or processes that are logjams, or organizational practices that are redundant or create role conflict, or products and services that don't produce are all solid cost cutting practices. But please be careful of playing duck and cover, rather than creating advantages that generate cash flow and revenue.

Why do some leaders win and some lose in tough times?

By Steven Feinberg on November 17, 2008 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In these recessionary times there are leaders who always meet their numbers, do more with less, and despite this crazy economy are able to compete and come out on top. There are a few key reasons why the big winners are consistently successful, and its worth knowing how the big winners do it.

I've been studying these people, Advantage-Makers, for decades, and have figured out that they do it by asking a few simple questions that no one else asks. I’ve began the discussion of questions in the previous blog, let’s take it another step forward.

The first question for Advantage-Makers is that they question the givens.

For example, FedEx CEO Fred Smith's, hub and spoke system questioned the routine of how packages should be transported. How did he think that sending packages in the middle of the night to Tennessee and then distributing to the rest of the country would work? It earned him a "C" grade in his graduate school class. The professor never consulted for him. But FedEx is guaranteed overnight delivery and as we know a huge success.

Any of you play golf? Jack Nicklaus, renown golf legend, was asked to design a golf course for the Caymen Islands. One catch. The Island is too small for standard golf courses. He didn’t ask golfers to change there swing, the given he questioned was the ball. He changed the ball so it wouldn’t travel as far. Just the opposite of what was expected. Maybe they just yell 2 when they hit it awry. Never the less, they play golf on the Caymen Islands.

Which brings us to the next question. George Prince, CEO of Synectics, an innovation firm, asked, “What is the anomaly here?” That is, what is unexpected that seems to be pushing forth. This attention to what isn’t expected has earned the company millions and produced millions more for their clientele including many in the Fortune 500.

A national Science foundation code breaker and scientist, asks,

“What am I not supposed to notice here?” As we talked at a restaurant he pointed to a series of ceiling chandeliers that were hanging above us. He described his thought process beginning with the notion, “What is attempting to distract my attention.” He pointed out that the chandeliers were attached about 30 feet above, and we weren’t supposed to notice how high the real ceiling was. Our attention was drawn to the light fixture and light, not the ceiling height. If most patrons had looked at the ceiling the restaurant would not have much clientele.

My friend and colleague, George Silverman, Word-of-Mouth Marketer, asks, “What is obvious that is missing here?” It is his contention that in this information-overloaded marketplace, the product with the easiest decision path tends to win. He works with companies to make their customers decisions easier. His question, “What is obvious that is missing here?” leads him to systematically eliminate the most important bottlenecks and provide customers with exactly what they need when they need it.

My advantage-making question is, “How am I taking this ‘situation’ and making it what it could be? It drives counterintuitive solutions that have generated millions of dollars of profitability, created advantages that to others don’t even appear to exist and consistently enabled leaders and their teams to compete more effectively than others and gain credibility others lack. The key is to look for possibility, and shift your vantage point, rather than follow the expected procedure.

Other advantage-Makers have asked, “What is the real driving force, the leverage in this situation? By using this question the path of least resistance was found in a major negotiation that had been overlooked.

Once you ask the question you sort for answers, if you are doing it right the usual answers will be background while foreground will be the new unexpected solution. Just as Fred Smith’s hub and spoke delivery system and JacK Nicklaus’s golf ball for the Cayman Island sized golf course demonstrated. Real world unexpected advantages.

The difference between the managers who survive and those who fail is their ability to create advantages every day with employees, customers and vendors.  60% of daily advantage opportunities are overlooked and missed by struggling managers, who, surprisingly, seldom ask, "What else should I do?", or "What am I missing".  

Are you providing the daily advantages to employees, customers and vendors that are that are hidden in plain sight? If not, you might want to start paying attention to both what is given, the anomalies and then questioning the givens.

In times of recession, not knowing how to shift will lead to failure

By Steven Feinberg on November 16, 2008 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not all leaders are Advantage-Makers. Leaders with the penetrating insight and sound judgment of an Advantage-Maker are able to turn situations to their best possible advantage, create superior outcomes in the face of constraints, and guard against the designs of their competitors.

Are you ready to take your Advantage-Making ability to the next level?

Many managers wait too long or in this recession play duck and cover. And worse, they repeat what they know instead of shifting. This is a surprising and unfortunate conclusion about failing companies and failing executives. In times of disruption, they rely upon the same strategy they used to succeed in the past.

In my book, The Advantage-Makers, I point out that Advantage-Makers are originators. Their impulse is original. To originate requires a shift. In a practical sense, new products and services aren't introduced every day, but your capacity for fresh thinking exists every day.

Advantage-Making is not as much creativity, as it is Shifting

Will you engage in strategic shifts when you encounter challenges? In essence, the code of the Advantage-Makers is based upon shifts ---- more specifically shifting time, interactions, perceptions and structures. Therefore, at your core, have you deliberately cultivated the capacity to shift?

Advantage-Making is a Craft

This is not a once-you-read-it-now-you're-done type of talent. Professional actors think of acting as a craft. Excelling in their craft requires learning specific distinctions to get into character. Musicians work on scales to keep their skills honed. Similarly, advantage-making is a craft that improves with practice.

Do the most with the hand dealt to you

While working with George Prince, CEO, of Synectics, we engaged in a research project to understand how to 'manage innovation with others.' One of the profound insights we discovered was each winning innovator had a p private question that drove their success. In George's case, his hidden question was, "Am I making this 'situation' what it could be?"

This questions orients and reveals an internal drive - an ambitious curiosity. George's strong intent and his way of operating had two tendencies. He would shift to different vantage points to view the issues - close up, helicopter view, people view, tech view etc, and he would imagine what those situations could be. In other words, he was generating a world of possibility. George's ongoing sensibilities was to make these possibilities practical, workable realities. Increasing the chances of spotting an opportunity begins with you exercising the craft.

Contrast George's approach with a CEO who made money on a single business proposition that he implemented. It worked---until the market changed and he couldn't change with it. A difference exists between those who are guided by an Advantage-Making question and those who have a one-time win. The CEO stopped looking for vantage points; his personal question was something like, "Is this working?" Similar to a thermostat, he wasn't thinking or considering anything that could be done.

So consider which approach will win more often

"How am I making this 'situation' what it could be?"

vs.

"Is this working?"

Furthermore, if your internal question is, "How will they use this against me?" it will narrow your focus, and make Advantage-Making more difficult for you. Each of us has a question, find out yours, it's determining your level of success. You may be repeating the same old strategy without knowing it.

Don't wait. Use the Advantage-Making question today (there are others, but try this one now). You have to do more with less. You can cut, and should, where you are not getting value. But across the board cutting is a 'duck and cover' strategy. The real problem with duck and cover is eventually you've ducked and covered so much you missed the fact that you are now the cut back.

Ask the wrong question, you'll get an answer, but the recession could turn into a personal depression.

If you absolutely had to make get more revenue, not just cut expenses, would you duck and cover?

The first step to your success in this recession is a question away.

Your future is on the line, ask the right questions.

President Obama is an Advantage-Maker Leader

By Steven Feinberg on November 6, 2008 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Obama wins. Transforms the election process, and the country. Change has won.

Not just words. Obama is a game changer.

Hope took action, let's take an Advantage-Makers (the code of Advantage-Maker is non-partisan)

view of how he did it. Dreams have come true, but this is no ordinary dreamer, he's practical.

First, financing his campaign through small internet donors

Second, generating a huge grass roots movement, incredible word of mouth interactions from the bottom-up

Third, a 50 state campaign to expand the map, not the usual 18 states. This in itself changed the game.

Fourth, his command presence demonstrated during the economic melt down; steady, command over the issues

Fifth, ground game during the actual election, momentum management moving the voters:early voting and Nov 4th

Sixth, language. Obama's command over language enables him to influence perception, inspiring hope

Seventh, he got ahead, shifting time, anticipated the Iraq war mistake.

Eighth, economic meltdown is met w/Obama structural programs to get America to work, stabilizing the economy

Obama demonstrated all the elements of Advantage-Makers during the election.

Now we will see him apply it during his administration

Shifting time creates possibilities

Shifting interactions changes the game

Shifting perception influences outcomes

Shifting structures shapes behavior.

Keep your eye on how he shifts time, interactions, perceptions, and structures.

Recession Headwinds. Can you find a tailwind?

By Steven Feinberg on October 27, 2008 5:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Headwinds. That’s what you are up against. It stresses you and your people. It would be great if in the midst of all this chaos you could find a tailwind.

Many motivational speakers encourage you to have a positive attitude, get rid of your negative attitude. Not a bad idea, but will attitude positive or negative change your business results or generate income?

I was at a Las Vegas craps table, you’ll understand why they call it craps in a second. The guy rolling the dice was making lots of money. Whooping and hollering encouraging his luck. Everyone was getting in the mood, the good feeling of being on a roll. Like having the wind at your back. Intoxicating in itself. The gambler looks at everyone and says out loud, “Let’s have some good positive thinking here. Good positive thinking.” We all smile until…

The table croupier (the dealer working for the casino, running the craps table) says, “Positive thinking?” Yeah these casinos are all built with that positive thinking!” A nervous knowing laugh erupts at the table, and we keep encouraging the shooter. Stay positive we whisper to ourselves. Some operate like this in every situation. Pathological optimism? Eventually everyone loses at the craps table if you stay too long. Crapping out is not something we can actually control. If you can heed the message you take your winnings and leave early.

Positive thinking is betting on a wish. Nothing wrong with having a good attitude. It sure beats a negative attitude.

Let’s talk about those negative attitudes everyone is trying to talk you out of, including me. Some folks no matter what you say take on the devil’s advocate role, or Eyore in the Whinny the Pooh storybooks. Nothing will every work out, they shoot down all suggestions. Woe is me. Woe is you. Woe is the world.

I call this kind of negative thinking ‘Swiss cheese thinking’ (my apologies to the Swiss). Swiss cheese thinkers only notice the holes in the cheese, not the cheese. A pretty empty experience. Neither ‘pathological optimism, positive thinking’ nor ‘Swiss cheese, negative thinking’ will actually bring in more revenue, improve performance or do more with less. They probably will make you miss opportunity.

What will? Strategic Influence.

Some people consistently know what to say, when to say it and how to say it to get people to say yes to their request. Their influence is unquestionable, I call them Advantage-Makers. They are masters at influencing perception. When you are up against a headwind and the disadvantages we are all facing, influence becomes a huge advantage if you know how. The ROI on influence is dramatic.

At one company a simple, easy, quick psychological contrast positioned the product inside the customers mind so vividly that it increased sales by 546% almost overnight. They compared the inexpensive cost of ownership of the product to a much larger potential purchase. This single move dramatically increased sales. In this case they didn’t have to lower price, change the spec’s on the product, switch out sales employees or do a major reorganization. But without an influence strategist showing them the specific words sales had been flat.

Imagine the time you needed to influence – your boss, employees, peers, vendors, customers or position your products and services for customers to reduce resistance and increase desirability. Strategic influence is the key to helping yourself with a tailwind.

Do you have the magic to get people to say yes to your requests, your point of view more often? The key is the decision triggers in the brain. For example, during times of uncertainty the power of the herd mentality in non-arguable. Do you employ it? Or consider how powerful it is to tap the unconscious motivations of being consistent with the image you have of yourself. If you strongly value being a 'provider' for your family, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Knowing the psychology of Yes is worth millions.

Is it more important for your argument to be valid or vivid? Many engineers I work with argue that it must be valid. I ask them how their valid arguments are working for them. Not well is the usual response. They fall on deaf ears. It actually isn’t deaf ears it’s a bungled influence moment. A more useful strategy you can use is to ‘to make your valid arguments vivid’ We then get to work on making their valid argument vivid, with a 75% improvement in their influence ability. This isn’t some theory, this is based upon real results. Wouldn’t that make a difference in your bottom line. In fact, wouldn’t it make a difference in your top line. And it begins by saying 'No' to silly attitudes, like always having positive attitudes or always avoiding negative attitudes as the key to your success.

Do you know the magic? It’s actually not magic at all when you know the influence strategies. A set of 9 specific decision triggers in the brain that ethically gets people to say yes willingly.

A quick reminder from Wayne Gretsky

By Steven Feinberg on October 24, 2008 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recessions are slippery ice. No one knew how to score better on ice than Wayne Gretsky. Arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretsky scored more goals, 894, than anyone else.

How did he do it? And how can he teach us to score on slippery ice?

Gretsky was an Advantage-Maker.

Fundamentally, Advantage-Makers interact with the world differently. In Gretsky’s words, instead of waiting, I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.

We should take Gretsky’s advice to heart. Shift into the short term future to score. In hockey a few seconds can make all the difference. Gretsky read the ice so well time seemed to slow down for him.

In my book, I make the point: There is no time like the present to create the future.

In 1906, the San Francisco earthquake devastated the city and its banking community. Bank of America, a small bank at the time, seized the advantage-making opportunity, continued making loans and went on to become one of the largest bank in the U.S.A.

You live in the real world of constraints. Limited resources and time. You must to do more with less, do it faster and better.

Are you skating to where the puck is going to be?

Recession protection guide for organizational leaders

By Steven Feinberg on October 21, 2008 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Millions were made during the Great Depression. To position yourself to win, consider shifting, or more specifically, the consequences of not shifting.

- As your market shifts can you shift fast enough?

- As your customer’s request change, asking more for less, can you multiply value so they stay with you rather than with your competition?

- As your competition adjusts can you shift to make it simpler for customers to stick with you?

- As your organization shifts to adapt to the economic shock, can you make it easier for your employees to play to win again, rather than play to avoid losing?

65% of change efforts fail in good times. And that number gets a lot worse in bad times.

Now is NOT the time to be one of the losers by making common avoidable mistakes. Your blind-spots are dangerous. They prevent you from finding the right shift.

Choose the wrong shift, and you'll look really bad and your credibility will be squandered. Your leadership is at stake.

Here are some of your constraints:

- Competition

- Organizational silos

- Lack of alignment

- Time and delivery schedules

- Execution challenges

- Shortages

- Inefficiencies

- Workload outstripping capacity

- Talent

Shifting is not based upon positive thinking. It is, however, a result of thinking powerfully, harnessing your ingenuity, and developing choice-making powers.

In these times of economic peril, “It’s not the best who wins, it’s who is most adaptive.”

People confuse these two and it leads to poor performance. Arguably IBM was the best but they couldn’t adapt, or adapt fast enough, and they took a terrible beating in the marketplace until they shifted what they were doing.

The economic waves of change will make business dinosaurs... Adapt or die.

You’ve heard, “If you continue to do what doesn’t work and expect it to work, that’s called insanity. Do something different!”

OK! But how?

Let me see if I can begin to help you here.

And, yes, it’s ok to get help on this. Many of the brilliant Advantage-Makers I’ve described in my book, The Advantage-Makers, collaborated, had mentors and advisors to successfully shift.

The ‘how’ to do things differently is in the art and science of strategic shifting.

You need maneuverability in your thinking. And you need it now, not later.

One immediate way to do that is to identify your ‘attempted solutions;’

Doing more of the same, harder, seldom gets you where you want to be.

For example, telling your team to work harder, when they’re already working hard, seldom changes anything, and may make it worse. You mean well, but it’s not going to work. Most executives are surprised to discover they have blind-spots and need help to see they are repeating mistakes.

When you are not getting the results you want, ask yourself, how’s your approach working for you, really?

Don’t let your ego get in the way. If you can’t see it, ask others sooner rather than later, or there may not be a later. One tell-tale sign is problems that keep repeating. Find the pattern.

Then, when you know the pattern, shift 180 degree and you’ll often spot solutions. You’ll be amazed at the results if done right.

Solutions to problems are often hidden in plain sight.

For example, Most of you know about the Avis slogan, “We’re Number 2, We Try Harder”.

But you may not know HOW and WHY that strategic shift worked and how it can help you.

Avis was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The more they tried to be Number 1 against Hertz, the more Hertz fought back and the further Avis dropped. A losing game.

Look at the clues in Avis’ persistence, their repeated ‘attempted’ solutions.

Don’t be fooled by the myth of persistence; ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’ What if the persistence is actually the problem!?

It was a brilliant 180 degree shift to go to, “We’re Number 2, We Try Harder.”

While this shift was ‘hidden in plain sight,’ it wasn’t easy because of the conventional wisdom that to be Number 1, you must persist until you drop.

(Influencing the executives to use this shift was part of the persuasion skill that made this effort a success; this will be covered in future blogs.)

For now, is your persisting in conventional wisdom a blind-spot as you battle the recession and economic downturn? If so, you may get lucky and still be around.

But this downturn is no time for luck, or for amateurs.

You must have a steady hand and do something sensibly different to create advantages.

Getting your people to think this way has huge upside leverage for you and the organization. Sadly, most people wait too long, and don’t find the real leverage.

I’m not talking about crazy swings, but shifts that count.

The skill of advantage-making enable you to anticipate and make moves others overlook.

Start thinking now: what is my winning move(s), my winning shift(s)?

Chuck Fox, CEO Chameleon Systems said to me, "The biggest mistake I made was not finding the winning shift sooner!"

Leadership Judgment: Get it right or lose

By Steven Feinberg on September 2, 2008 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Leaders are judged by their judgment.

Here are the 5 Core judgments of advantage-making leaders.

These judgments become a force multiplier to outstanding results.

Are you providing this for your people?

1. Direction

Where are you going? Provide a target and time. Keep your eye on the prize.

2. Protection

Credible defense against external and internal threats. Provide strategies against competitive designs. Resolve internal conflicts skillfully and quickly.

3. Action

Create movement and manage momentum. Determine what is hierarchically most important. Orchestrate resources to hit specific targets.

4. Interaction

Game changing interactions. Provide skillful collaboration to avoid the road to hell which is paved with mishandled interactions. Manage the network of interactions.

5. Intention

Play to win rather than playing to avoid losing. Provide a generative orientation that drives results. Minimize reactive tendencies.

These are the daily judgments leaders must check to create winning organizations.

How does your Time IQ influence your advantage-making? Identify your profile

By Steven Feinberg on July 27, 2008 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As one of the four levers for advantage-making, shifting time is the most fluid.

You shift time to create possibilities. TIVO has shifted time on your television viewing. Walt Disney envisioned Disney World by imagining a future in Orlando, Florida, and then making it a reality.

You can identify your own time profile or time IQ:

The Now or Never folks need immediate reactions, but may press too hard, move too fast and miss opportunities that a little perspective may have landed.

The Eventual, Steady Eddy types who take their time and have a long time frame, they deliver results over time but they miss market changes and can’t adjust fast enough to opportunities.

The Same Old, Same Old, Past Oriented, let’s not break it if it works while the competition runs right by with innovations.

The Time Shifters who are able to adjust their time frame, they can take action now, be patient to grow organizations and companies, use what worked in the past but not get stuck in any one time frame. For Advantage-Makers there is no time like the present to create the future.

What do most people think of their time shifting?

Most people think they are time-shifters but in fact when they get stuck or shoot themselves in their own foot its because they haven’t made the right time shift.

Now or Never tends to press to hard.

Steady Eddy delays when they should be pressing the point.

Same old, Same old doesn’t consider future changes.

You can use time shifting in your negotiations. By adjusting time frames you can help overcome resistant thinking. For example, if the customer says they can't buy today, have your customer imagine doing business with you in the future rather than right now. At that point they will be more open to considering your offer. And while its likely to be later, at least it is later, and you might get them to open up a new train of thought in the process.

Pay attention to the time horizon present in your thinking, then shift it and you will find solutions you hadn't thought of before.

Video: Steven Feinberg - The Advantage-Makers

By Steven Feinberg on June 24, 2008 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Speech and seminar presented during World Wide Engineering Leadership Conference for leading electronics developer and manufacturer to support their advantage making efforts to improve execution and profitability.

Results tagged “advantage making” from stevenfeinberg.com

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