Did you talk to a customer today?

Simple yes or no answer.  According to Frank Pacetta (a hero of mine) and his Blueprint for Success a “no” gets the leader or manager (CEO especially) an immediate failing grade.

{click through and take the rest of Frank’s Blueprint for Success Management Test}

Today’s leader is charged with navigating through chaotic and disruptive times.  Employees are anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, uncertain and have far less trust in senior leadership.  Customers have an evolving set of expectations around the business relationship and brand experience.

Progressive leaders are recognizing this shift in the balance of power, removing barriers, improving access and leading from the front to cultivate a more connected and compelling brand experience for all stakeholders (employees, customers and investors).

The People Economy is here and to thrive amid this transformation true leaders are embracing the transparency that is required, leading from the front, connecting, communicating and collaborating to elevate trust, earn emotional commitment, accelerate innovation and effectively navigate change.

There are examples of next generation leadership all around us.

Consider Dallas Mavericks outspoken owner Mark Cuban who makes his e-mail address public (and has been know to offer it up for fan access on the jumbotron during games).  Don’t like the variety in the Food Court?  Send the owner a note.

How about Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh?  You can follow him on Twitter, check out real time company updates on his blog and employees can stop by his cubicle any time for a high five {forget the corner office…he rolls without walls}.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn responded to the recent Forbes article Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business…Gradually via his blog with His Thoughts on Best Buy’s Recent Media Coverage where people are free to comment, invited to connect with him or follow him on Twitter.

Ford CEO Alan Mullaly (notice how he starts this recent keynote!) recently did better than just talking to customers.  He actually delivered a new customers Ford F-150.  CEO service.

These leaders may not always be right.  Their companies may not always win.  But they are real, relevant and represent a shift from the antiquated Command & Control style leadership to a more Collaborative & Connected  approach that is proving far more effective for the time.

How accessible and transparent is your CEO?  Senior leadership?  You?  Worth considering.

This next generation approach to business (Generation Flux) is opening up opportunity for those willing to embrace change, challenge the status quo and connect people to each other and a common purpose.

Change is hard.  It is also the one constant we can count on.

I was fortunate to find myself in Miami this weekend for the incredible Art Basel show featuring works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. It was an a unique opportunity for me to reunite with the entrepreneur, athlete and artist in an environment where the the world’s creative community comes together to connect, collaborate, contribute and celebrate art.

Making great art is incredibly hard work.  A blank canvas doesn’t come with a set of instructions. Working when there are no rules is difficult for most of us because we have simply been conditioned to color inside the lines for so long. Do what we are told.  Hand in our homework. Follow the formula.  Finish our TPS Reports.

There are valuable business and leadership lessons to be learned from the professional artist, particularly in a time where work increasingly resembles art.

Seth Godin explored this topic in more detail in his NY Times Bestseller, Linchpin.  Defining an Artist this way:  “An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo.  An artist takes it personally.  He further defines art as “A personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn’t matter.  The intent does.  Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does to change another.”

What inspires you to make your art?

The artist needs to tap into the source that inspires creativity.  Increasingly, so does the Sales Professional, HR Manager and Chief Marketing Officer.   The rules have changed and almost every leader and manager is being required to solve new and increasingly more complex problems that mandate creativity.

A likely source of inspiration are the people around you.  Friends.  Family.  Colleagues. Co-Workers.  Collaborators. Working and spending time with people that are inspired, creating, contributing and taking bold steps forward is essential to my own personal and professional growth.  The people around us have enormous impact on our being.  How we think, act and experience the world around us. I was also fortunate to spend this past weekend with a very talented, emerging artist who drew incredible inspiration and ideas from the Art Basel experience. I always get inspired watching people I care about get switched on.

The artist has an advantage. Most people prefer to play it safe. Work in the confines of comfort. Minimize risk. Continue the familiar. Playing it safe provides a feeling of security. Unfortunately, in the new economy, it’s dangerously false. The best ideas and breakthrough moments often remain elusive in the safety zone. Those that are willing to take a risk, venture into uncharted territory, color outside the lines and create what is next and new have an increasing opportunity to thrive.

Those skills are necessary. They are deeply coveted by progressive organizations. They move us forward. They make business happen.

If you are trying to manage change, navigate chaos, re-invent, ready yourself or your business for what is next and new writing can prove to be a powerful way to accelerate results.

Since that applies to just about anyone and everyone in today’s time of transformation I’ll offer a few ideas related to why and how to write.

Why?

Writing helps you organize thinking.  Identify outcome objectives.  Drive accountability.   Improve focus and concentration. Prepare for success.

Writing publicly vs privately is a personal/professional choice to be made based on the objectives.  Not writing at all is often a missed opportunity.

This Forbes article, 9 Reasons You Should Blog, offers some nice summary insight on the advantages of writing publicly for professional growth. I can assure you that if part of your role and responsibility is business growth (Executive, Entrepreneur, Sales, Marketing), writing is a significant, potential competitive advantage.

Writing publicly can move your ideas to others, differentiate your position, elevate interest, accelerate credibility, expedite important relationships and immediately garner respect and attention from people you want to impact and influence.

Writing connects you to people and opportunity.  I am writing this morning from Caracas, Venezuela. I had the good fortune of having breakfast with leading Argentine business strategist Walter Torre (a professional speaker and author) and Alejandro Eira, our event partner from Uruguay and Alta Gerencia.  Writing was our bridge.  Our shared point of interest and intersection and we all acknowledged, the impetus for bringing us together.  Walter and I will both be speaking tomorrow but in truth, had it not been for writing it is quite likely we wouldn’t be here and now well positioned to evolve these relationships in a more meaningful way going forward.

How?

I’ll preface this by stating first I am not a professional writer.  I don’t make a living writing. I have been writing for myself for some time. I write a blog that has become a part of my business (sales; marketing; strategy).  I know and have the very good fortune of spending time with people that do write professionally (ie. people that get paid to write books).  I listen closely to their advice. My breakfast companion Walter is on his fifth book.  I can assure you from our conversation that writing is hard for him.  It is incredibly hard for me.  It is likely going to be hard but well worth it for you.

For starters, write like you talk. Most people rarely suffer from talkers block but stop and stare cold at the blank screen. Simply start writing and let go.  It will come to you. Over time you might get better.  Eventually, you may want to share your writing with others.

Write like nobody is watching.  Don’t fear judgement or potential criticism.  So what?  Write for you.  Eventually, you could be writing for people that care about what you have to say.  The rest doesn’t matter that much.

Write down what you want to do, be and become. Write down the difference you want to make.  Write down the things that matter most.  Write down your big ideas and dreams.

If it is important, write for other people.  Write down what you want to read.  Your experience set is unique.  Your expertise is valuable. Your ideas and insights are special, worthwhile and can most certainly have an impact.  If you let them go.

Writing has changed my business.  In many ways, writing has changed my relationships and my life.

Also, did I mention that writing is free?

If you want to write I would also suggest reading the book:  If You Want To Write:  A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Euland.  Her writing will help you find your authentic voice.

Still not convinced?  Don’t take my word (or writing) for it.  Have a listen to what Seth and Tom have to say:

“In this new world of business, companies and leaders will have to show authenticity, fairness, transparency and good faith. If they don’t, customers and employees may come to distrust them, to potentially disastrous effect. Customers who don’t like a product can quickly broadcast their disapproval. Prospective employees don’t have to take your word for what life is like at your company—they can find out from people who already work there. And long time loyal employees now have more options to launch their own, more fleet-footed start ups, which could become your fiercest competitors in the future.” {Forbes Magazine, September, 2011}

Welcome to Social Power & The Corporate Revolution according to the recent cover story in Forbes Magazine.

The resistance is still powerful.  Legacy leaders struggle with the loss of control.  Fear a shift in the balance of power. Underestimate the impact and influence of the revolution.  Discount a new breed of competition. Resist the notion that the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and choose has changed.

Shift.

The days of command and control communication, leadership and operational strategy are over.  Welcome to an era where collaboration and connectedness flourish.  We are just getting started.

This isn’t a marketing conversation.  This is a business performance conversation where the outcome is about the impact on results.

What you do is increasingly a commodity.  What you do is easily replicated.   What you do is readily available elsewhere. What you do isn’t that special.

How you do it is the ever increasing opportunity to differentiate in the people economy.

A question worth considering:

What are you willing to do for people that the competition simply isn’t?

The onus is on companies to care more.  About customers.  About employees.

I illustrated this notion in the enclosed video excerpt during my keynote last week referencing my relationship with Delta Airlines.  This is one example of a company that embraced change, evolved communication and turned challenges into a real opportunity to care and connect customers to a better brand experience.

Words I have shared here before.

Cancer can rob a man of many things. Including life. But it cannot erase the way one lived. That is the legacy of a man. And it will never break the spirit of those who share both the privilege and responsibility to carry the legacy forward in life.

A visionary leader.  A pioneering spirit.  A philosopher for our time. A father. A husband.  A mentor.  A man who changed the world.

Many things to many people who mourn his passing far too soon.

I didn’t know him.  That didn’t matter.  I live the iLife.

When I started my company one of the first moves I made was trading in my PC for a MAC.  My Blackberry for the iPhone.  I wanted to be on his team.  I believed what he believed:

“We believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.”

His philosophy.  So often my inspiration.

I carried a crumpled up copy of his Stanford University commencement speech in my bag and referred to it often.  His words of wisdom on work were simply priceless:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

His words of wisdom on life were even better:

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

He followed his heart.  He changed things.  Pushed the human race forward.  He left us so much.

Perhaps the question truly is, what are we doing to do with it?

When a legend walks away we take a moment.

To honor their contribution.  Acknowledge their impact.  Pay tribute to their legacy.

Steve was simply THE CEO of our generation.

Innovative.  Fearless.  Passionate.

He set out to change the world.  He succeeded.

I live the iLife.  I also learned valuable lessons about living my own life from his touching commencement speech to the graduating class of Stanford in 2005.  The speech is called, ‘How To Live Before You Die’.

I watched it again today.  I am inspired.

Thank you Steve.

If you invest enough time cultivating real relationships with clients they will often tell you what they want.  They will tell you how to earn their business.  They will tell you how to keep their business.  They will tell you the difference makers that determine satisfaction or elevate them to loyalty.  If you ask the right questions, the right way and really listen you’ll learn the secrets to accelerating growth.

I have a client who defines success in our partnership with what she describes as the WOW metric.  What does she want?

She wants to be blown away.  She wants to be fall on the floor excited.  She wants to feel an overwhelming sense of pride.  She wants to feel inspired.   She wants the experience of working together to make a huge impact (which is defined by yet another set of metrics).

But make no mistake, she is clear in her conviction that the work needs to make everyone around her say, WOW!

We talk about what it takes to get to WOW.  Investment.  Resources.  Collaboration.  Risk.  Trust.  Teamwork.  Time.  We define the road map to WOW success in our project planning.  We build in contingencies.  We benchmark along the way.  All so we can have a direct hit on WOW when we cross the finish line, together.

Too subjective?  Impossible?  Unfair?  I suppose some vendors would think so.  I don’t.  Although most customers might not articulate it this way, I don’t think what they want is all that different.  Building in more WOW Factor is good for business.

What does success look like for you today?  When 5 pm arrives will your clients, colleagues and co-worker say WOW!

Part of the WOW experience isn’t just WHAT you deliver but HOW you do it.  You can put more WOW around the HOW right now.

WOW wins business.  WOW keeps business.  WOW builds evangelism.  WOW is tough to beat. WOW is work worth doing.

The man behind the Virgin empire, Sir Richard Branson, opened the 2011 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition (Going to be a great event…follow the action #shrm11) on Sunday afternoon in a Q&A session that covered the unconventional entrepreneur’s childhood lesson’s (he suffered from dyslexia and dropped out of High School to launch his fist business), appetite for risk, philosophy on culture, talent and his impetus to take you on a ride into outer space. He is an absolutely fearless entrepreneur!

While he acknowledged a bit of luck on the journey he also shared that the very core of building a successful business is to make a difference in the lives of others. “I am inquisitive. I love making a difference in other people’s lives. There is no point in starting a business if you aren’t going to make a difference.” In discussing his philosophy on business with the 14,000 attendees he talked about the opportunity for HR to “influence” the C suite, engagement, culture, talent and indicated how very essential the people strategy is to the success of the Virgin enterprise. Common sense but not always common practice.

He didn’t hold back on the importance of removing the wrong kind of people – “the kind that destroy the spirit of the company” – from the business or the awful approach American business has to workplace flexibility. Two clear opportunities for improvement that HR can most definitely “influence”.

Implied throughout much of the conversation was his appetite for adventure, passion pursuits and tolerance for risk. While it hasn’t always worked out perfectly (Virgin Cola) it most certainly has been a style that has proven essential to Virgin’s success. That is a message HR and just about everyone in business today can embrace during this time of unprecedented transformation and change.  We all have the opportunity to have an impact. To make a difference.

The best part about his opening address? His check goes right to charity. Virgin Unite.

Here is a look at making a difference.

15 minutes early or 5 minutes late for the meeting?

Thoroughly prepared or learning on the fly?

A day before the deadline or two hours after it was promised?

10% below budget or the over run?

Exceeding expectations.  Always.

Or assigning blame.  “It’s not my fault!”

I see it everyday.  Often it is well intended.  In some instances it has seemingly become acceptable. Or at least quite common.

The over promise.

Unfortunately, it is also the kiss of death over time.

An A product with an F process grades you out as a C player.

Good habits are contagious.  Often the ability to design an extraordinary experience exists in attention to the tiny little details almost everyone can impact.  If we are paying attention. When we focus on consistency.

Deliver a little more than expected, a little earlier than expected, for a little less money.

You’ll be pleased with what happens next.