How can you create change in the organization, C suite, leadership, the boss, colleagues, co-workers?
Even when the common belief is “they” would never go for the big, new idea/initiative/innovation/investment.

Have an idea? Want to have an impact? Ready to be a Change Agent?

You need influence.

Influence can serve as a catalyst for a meaningful change movement. To get a big idea over the line consider these 7 keys:

Tell the story:  Make it compelling.  Have an adversary.  Create a vision of the new experience.  Articulate the alternative. Earn emotional commitment for the cause.
Do your homework:  Present compelling evidence:  Prove the concept.  Show examples. Deliver a data set.  Cite case studies.  Leverage competitive intelligence.
Sell the future state:  Speak to the current and future state. Demonstrate cause and effect.  Predict the outcome.  Detail the realized vision.
Build buy in:  This is where your network counts.  Who cares as much as you?  Why should they? What is in it for them?  Why does it matter?  Build authentic relationships.  Invest the time.  Earn respect.  Introduce the worthwhile idea into the agenda.
Challenge the status quo -  Generate interest and ideas that spark innovation and improvement.  Disrupt the death grip on the way  things get done with new, collective thinking.  Performance earns the Change Agent an opportunity to push the business forward.
Have consistent conviction – Take a stand.  Don’t waver without a reason. Be firm in the face of resistance.
Go all in: It is worth it? If you are right. If you believe. If it matters. If it is the difference maker. Then you have to be willing to take some calculated risks and go all the way in. Stopping short doesn’t serve as a catalyst for change.  A real leader puts it on the line.  In or out?

Influence can take time.  It demands credibility.  It mandates preparedness.  It requires trust.  It needs to be earned.

The good news?

You don’t need permission to have influence.

I was on a conference call with a prospective customer this week.  We discussed an engagement for the sales organization.  They are experiencing the challenges of the ‘Sales Shift‘.  Lengthening cycles, discount competition, margin pressure, anxious buyers and less budget all together.  Tough landscape for the sellers.  The world has changed. It isn’t going back.

What was good enough to get us here isn’t going to be good enough to get us there.

They know this.  That is the reality of their reality. So they are making moves.  Upgrading talent (firing and hiring). Improving process.  Investing in development. Solidifying strategy.  Socializing best practices.

During our discovery call we discussed the outcome objectives of the event.  In addition to sound process and core sales competency they are hungry for a little bit of the sales passion:  competitive spirit, hustle, attitude, persistence, follow up, accountability, relationship strategy and a ferocious commitment to making plan…to exploding past plan.  Some sellers have it. Some don’t.

So, she asked me the big question: “Can you really tech this to our people?”

My answer:  YES.  I can.  I will.  If I don’t?  Don’t pay me.  That simple.

What I cannot do is MAKE THEM DO IT.  I cannot put inside them what was left out.  If the pilot light is out we have a problem. That is why I was excited to learn they are focused on getting the right people on the bus.  They recognize the shift.  Not everyone is up for making the transition to what is next and new.  That is why the people strategy comes first. Get the right kind of sellers in the seats and we’ll put the process in place to accelerate performance and move them past plan.

We spent a little time talking about what kind of person is making the shift.  Wants to make the shift.  Wants to put in the work to make plan.

We agreed.

Focus on the people strategy first.  Once you have the right kind of people in place you can teach them to sell more.

Included is content from our keynote at the ACA Convention, Sales 2.0 & The Social Shift:

Over the last couple weeks I have been talking about the generations.

My Maine keynote on the topic was covered by writer Jim Baumer:

{Live Blog of Generation NeXt Keynote}.

I also did a pre-keynote interview with the gang from JobsInME.com:

When I talk about this topic I talk about my own experience set.  I talk about My Generation.

The Millenials dominate this conversation. For good reason.  They are about twice the size of my generation and coming of age in a time of accelerated transformation and technological change. They bring a whole new set of expectations about an evolved work experience that is simply going to require organizations to advance work style design.

That is part of the story.  Ironically, my generation is incredibly suited to this new world of work.   Ferociously independent, adaptive, creative and resourceful, we are prepared to lead through a time of disruptive change. We also like to invent and don’t expect anyone to take care of us.  We realized quite some time ago that we would be responsible for our own career trajectory and wouldn’t be relying on a company to mange that for us.

A simple review of some recent leading Gen X business writing and thinking  provides an interesting prompt for those clinging on to the traditional corporate structure and hierarchy.  Have a look:

Escape from Cubicle Nation
The 4 Hour Work Week
Career Renegade
Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It
Crush It! Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Cash In On Your Passion

It will clearly prove more challenging for traditional companies to optimize and engage a generation of escape artists.

The generations do want many of the same things.  But I can tell you both from my own experience set and from the research that we define them quite differently.  I’ll shed some light on a few of those differences, the next generation drivers and what to do about them in my dinner keynote tonight at the AT&T Generations & Leadership event.

They asked me to keynote dinner.  They asked me if I could be funny.  This could be interesting.

Just don’t call me a slacker!

I am committed to at least 3 meetings a week simply designed to further develop a meaningful relationship.  Nobody is closing, rather, it is merely a conscious effort to foster deeper connections where they matter most.  These meetings are typically breakfast, lunch or dinner by design and intended to move me away from the screen, minimize the distractions and engage in the moment.

I am ahead of schedule this week.  Five meaningful meetings and it is only Thursday.  Thus far they have produced an outcome I could have hardly conceived on Monday morning.  New relationships.  Referrals. A very important reconnection.  A whole lot of fun.

It is easy to get consumed “coffee shopping” it.  I have been there.  Spinning the wheels in meetings that don’t seem to count for a whole lot more beyond the Mocha.  I know it is important to strike the proper balance and make sure the meetings and moments matter.  I believe that happens by design.  I also believe the result is difficult to replicate via text and twitter.

I also suppose it will prove to be 3 of my most important hours each week.  If they aren’t?  Hey, it’s just lunch.

This week was a great reminder of some powerful advice:

Never eat alone.

I checked into the Hotel Del Coronado last night.  Exhausted from a wonderful 48 whirlwind that included keynotes for CUPA and SHRM and so many new, meaningful connections.  On my pillow was a placard with the hotel’s daily affirmation (nice touch) that read:  “Somewhere on your journey don’t forget to turn around and enjoy the view.”  How fitting.

Ten years ago (or perhaps a little longer) I made my first trip to San Diego. I was a Sales Manger who just got the big promotion to Vice President attending my first SHRM National event as a vendor/exhibitor (part of my new role and responsibility).

I was awestruck by the SHRM experience. The size and scale. The programming, people and parties.  The speakers.  The keynote speakers.

During the evening we made our way over to Coronado Island for a reception at the very same Hotel Del. Gathering around, watching the sunset, casually initiating new relationships with potential customers over cocktails.  I am not sure if I was inspired by the sunset or the cerveza but among our small group I casually blurted out, “someday I am going to keynote this conference.”  A moment of uncomfortable silence was followed by laughter and another round.  A brazen comment made by a kid buzzing from his new promotion.  Speak?  “Stick to the sales” was the prevailing thought.

Not in my mind.

This week I followed Dan Pink (someone whom I have admired for years) as the Day 2 Keynote Speaker at the SHRM National Talent & Staffing Conference.  After nearly 10 years of National breakout/mega sessions it was nice to step up.  I hope my message resonated.   I hope to check another box on the list very soon.

I suppose I checked in to the Hotel Del to look back and remember that night here 10 years ago.  To reflect.  To write.  To enjoy the view.  The many ups and downs.  Highs and lows.  Wins and losses.  Big dreams.  What I see most prominently are the people.  The people I love.  The people I miss. The people I met this week.  The people that matter.   The good news is there is always room for more of those people.

I have come to realize that how you do something and who you are doing it with are just as important what you are doing.

Looking back to enjoy the view is such sage advice.  It helps you see forward more clearly.  More passionately.  More purposefully.  This time around I am 100% certain it isn’t the cerveza.

Take a moment.  Look back and enjoy the view. Embrace the present.  Think forward.

What a journey!

Spring is here.  After a long Minnesota winter it is very welcome.  But that isn’t the season I am most excited about.

Nope.  I am ready for Conference Season!  The next few months will see associations and corporate teams gather in multiples.  From the annual event to the impromptu off site, busy professionals will be getting together to connect, communicate, collaborate and set the course for forward progress in their business.  I assume a little fun will be had along the way.

I recall a couple years ago hearing about the conference model dying.  The premise being that with emerging technology there would simply be increasingly less need to have a conference style event.  That premise didn’t deliver on the promise and as someone who attends 30+ conferences a year there is increasing interest the live event.  No doubt, expectations around the experience are on the rise.  Quality content and connections are a baseline requirement.  But today, people have a real need and desire to come together and share with like minded people.  I am fortunate to have two such opportunities this week.

Today, I’ll be in Little Rock talking about Passion & Purpose at the CUPA Southern Region Conference.  Then it’s immediately off to the SHRM Talent & Staffing Conference to spend a couple days with a Rock Star community in San Diego.  I simply cannot wait to be part of the conversation about the most critical issue facing just about every business as we emerge from this recession:  TALENT!

I had an opportunity to have a pre-conference conversation with SHRM about the event.  Part of that conversation included some thoughts about how to get the most out of the conference experience as an attendee.  My key thought is opt in and participate! Online.  Offline.  Tweet Up.  At breakfast.  In the evening.  Take it all in!  If you leave with 3 key ideas to take action on in the next 100 days (TAN PLAN) and 3 new, meaningful connections then the experience will have been very worthwhile.

If you aren’t able to join in the fun this week our intention is to continue the conversation online (we think it is important).  I’ll be teaming up with Don MacPherson of Modern Survey later this month for the Engage – Inspire – Empower webinar event.  We’ll explore the latest research and mega trends on Employee Engagement and provide some specific, actionable take away for business leaders.  The data alone is worth the price of admission (FREE)!  Plan to join us on Tuesday, April 26 at 11:00 am central time (register here). Don’s latest post on the value of values is also well worth the read.

Looking forward to a great season!  Hope we connect along the way!

I was complaining about time recently.  Not having enough.  Feels busy.  Perhaps distracted might be a better word.  I was definitely jumping on the bandwagon.  Everyone is too busy.

As I was feeling sorry for myself a friend dropped this beautiful H. Jackson Brown Jr. quote on me:

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

What a wonderful reminder of the equality of time and our personal ownership.

We each decide. We are accountable for what gets done. The key is to direct our focus and invest our time where it matters most. Such an important choice.

I grew up in a world of measurement.

Activity reports. Dials. Connects. Appointments. Conversions. Revenue.

Every aspect of the process tracked, recorded and reported. The impact and outcome of any and every communication intended to yield conversion analyzed. Individual contributor contribution benchmarking reports made available to everyone else. A public review of both production and progress.

Sales is a numbers game. The sales pro knows his or her numbers cold. They can quickly relay peak activity periods. A process map. They know exactly when to increase call volume or hit send. Closers spend more time on high yield/outcome activity (conversely many salespeople who struggle are mired in a myriad of low yield, non essential activity & administration).

I love the performance oriented nature of professional sales. It drives the business. The competition. The quota. The plan. You either make it or you don’t. Results or excuses. Black and white.

Except it never really was so black and white. You want to measure what matters. Except so many things mattered we didn’t measure. The data set drives decisions. As it should. But so often it doesn’t tell the whole story.

We couldn’t quite get our arms around likability. Influence. Trust. Confidence. Commitment. Loyalty. So those drivers don’t make their way on to the scorecard.

Most companies don’t connect the dots between a customer that is happy to do business with you and one that evangelizes your work to anyone and everyone they know. One who wants to help. One who is really invested in your success and happiness. One who becomes a fan of the business.

That gap is usually about a relationship. An emotional connection. Someone who cares. So often not captured in the reporting cycle. Yet, so essential to success.

I also see this trend in the other business functions. HR. Management. The conversation at every conference I attend around metrics. The notion you cannot improve what you don’t measure. The science does matter and the numbers don’t lie. I also suppose, on some level, we all do have a need to validate our value.

While the science matters, so does the art. The human element.

Work is an emotional experience. Some of the most influential drivers toward the measured result may not find their way on to the scorecard.

The delicate balance between the art and the science.

I was fortunate to spend a couple days this week working with a world class talent acquisition team.

The group at CDW is lead by Melissa McMahon, SMA Chicago’s 2010 Staffing Professional of the Year.  This team knows talent.  The business recognizes that talent will be the disruptive competitive advantage. They need to achieve growth goals and this group is going to deliver the people that deliver on the business plan.  These are People Who Get IT!

I can tell you the focus of our training and time together wasn’t spent on tactics like Boolean Search, Recruiter ready Linked In profiles or source effectiveness reporting.  Nope.  We actually spent our time on Recruiter Effectiveness.

What constitutes Recruiter Effectiveness on a world class talent acquisition team?  Have a look at the Rock Star Recruiting skill and competency list as defined by CDW in session (picture enclosed).  A pretty good self assessment for anyone concentrating on the practice of people.

Our training emphasized the competitive decision cycle – from Recruiter point of contact to conversion.  Where the real recruiting happens. This is what Team CDW had to say about the experience:

The session content resonated because they buy into a fundamental principle – Recruiting is Sales (and Marketing).  That is a conversation we’ll continue next month at the SHRM Talent & Staffing Management Conference & Exposition in my Tuesday morning keynote.

If you completely disagree with what I have to say know that Dan Pink is keynoting Monday and Susan Packard is on Wednesday.  That alone is worth the price of admission and the all star sessions and networking in San Diego is never a bad thing!  Hope to see you there.

Enclosed is a video preview of our Sales & Recruiter Effectiveness training.  Feedback is always welcome!