Author Archives: Kim Clark

Business Strategy , 2 Comments

Plan B: The Pivot

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By now you have reviewed your 2013 numbers and you know how you feel about the results.  If your revenue has been less than stellar for two or more consecutive years,   it’s time to think seriously about how to respond more effectively to the business environment that you face.  You need to create a Plan B and pivot.

Or maybe your numbers were more than respectable,  but because you are a savvy business person you know to look three years down the road and follow the advice of hockey immortal Wayne Gretzky and skate not to where the puck has been,  but to where it’s going to be.  Scanning the horizon for potentially lucrative opportunities and a pivot is always a good idea for those in business.

To pivot is to tweak your business model in response to current or impending business conditions,  good or bad.  To increase the chance that you will successfully tweak your business model and pull off a good pivot,  planning is imperative.  Market research and reality  (i.e. market)  testing of what you think will work form the basis of your pivot plan.  Start with an analysis of which clients hired you and the projects you were asked to do.  Your successful pivot could entail expanding your outreach to those clients.  What other services can you provide to them and how might you persuade them to upgrade what they hired you to do previously? Also,  how can you obtain repeat business this year,  so that you can introduce the upgrade?

Conduct some informal market research and develop a pivot strategy.   You might get clues about which of your products and services clients value most,  services you might expand and upgrade,  or additional services you can develop and sell by reading blogs and newsletters followed by those in the industries that hire you.   Invite a favorite client out to lunch or coffee and ask about organizational initiatives or industry hot buttons.   I think you can afford to be frank and let the client know that you enjoy working with him/her and that you wonder how else you might be of service.   Don’t be shy! You need information to set up a marketing test so that you can identify the Plan B to pivot into,  along with a marketing message to announce and sell it.

Alan Spoon,  general partner at the Boston office of Polaris Venture Partners,  recommends that you closely study your customers’ broader behaviors around the use of your products and services.  Your research should help you address these questions:

  • What do I do that is perceived by clients as distinctly valuable and could potentially be extended to other client needs?
  •  Are there products and services that can have an ongoing use and thus extend billing beyond the initial project?

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Marketing , , Leave a comment

Big Data and Small Business Marketing

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Let’s start with the definition.  When the term  “big data”  is used,  what does it really mean?  Jon Miller,  co-founder and CEO of Marketo,  calls big data a catch-all term for very large and complex data sets that exceed the processing capabilities of the typical available computer software.  In general,  big data refers to the compilation of everything that takes place over the internet: transcripts from Twitter comments or call center conversations,  online videos,  podcast uploads and visits,  webinar broadcasts,   all blog postings,   all website visits,  all credit card transactions,  all ATM activity,  all online purchases,  online advertisements,   downloads of music and uploads of photos.

As regards marketing,  big data refers to all information that details retail sales,  online sales,  market share,  website visits,  blog reads from your website,  newsletter reads from your website,  responses to online customer surveys,  online response to special offers and online advertising,  plus all marketplace and industry data about global,  national and regional  business conditions.

Whatever it is you need to know about customers,  the industry and the business conditions in which you operate is buried within big data.  But in the avalanche of information,   deciding which data to access and interpreting what is brought forth is the marketer’s challenge.  Determining the right questions to ask is the primary imperative,   as the late great management guru Peter Drucker pointed out.

If you want to use big data in your marketing plan,  then  propose questions that will elicit the answers you need to fine-tune your marketing mix.  Maybe you’d like to become more effective in converting website visitors into customers?  A list of the names of prospects who visited your website,  spent more than one minute reading your blog or newsletter,  forwarded the post to someone and and then tweeted some content about what he/she found to others would indicate a serious shopper for your products or services.  Big data can help predict which marketing activities are most likely to convert a prospect who has reached that level of engagement.

Google Analytics can reveal part of the game plan,  but only big data can get seriously granular.  For example,  algorithm-based predictions can forecast the expected impact of marketing campaign activity on those who surf your website,  indicating who should receive special offers via email or who should be invited to join a focus group.  Algorithm-based predictions can also forecast the likely impact of marketing activity on the next quarter’s,  or next four quarters’ revenue.

Based on what is learned through big data,  the marketer can make much more specific and informed decisions about target or niche markets that have the most sales potential,  strategies to build brand awareness and loyalty,  advertising choices and budgets for targeted media outlets,   social media choices that create the most buzz and the ROI of that buzz and the marketing message that drives sales.  Who will be your best customers,   why will they be your best customers,   what is the average amount of money the customer will spend in your business,  how loyal is the customer to your brand,  what types of advertising does the customer respond to best,  what kind of social media does the customer respond to best and will those customers create good word of mouth  (still the best form of advertising)  for your business?

So how can small businesses and Freelance solopreneurs access big data?  It can be done by hiring a marketing firm that we most likely cannot afford.  At this time,  big data usage will be the playground of big businesses.   If it’s any consolation,  marketing firms are still trying to get arms around big data themselves.  For now,  traditional marketing analytics will have to suffice for the 99%.

Traditional marketing analytics are useful and certain data we already own: bricks & mortar sales data,  online sales data,  seasonal sales variations,  customer zip codes,  popular service packages,  pricing and the number of Foursquare,  Facebook,  LinkedIn and Twitter followers,  for example.  Market testing is expected to remain a vital part of developing a marketing strategy,   even when big data is used.  Business owners and marketers will continue to measure the impact of promotional strategies employed.  Finally, whether big data or marketing analytics are used when devising a marketing plan,  proposing the right questions,   as Peter Drucker advised,  is where one starts.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Cosi Fan Tutte: Uber Achievers

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Hello again and welcome back to the list of suggested behaviors and activities that will help you achieve your 2014 wish list.  For the past three years I presented New Year’s Resolutions but this year,  you get to pick what you want to do.  I’m here to help you get what you want!  To do that,  I read up on motivational psychologist and Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University School of Business Heidi Grant Halvorson,  who writes for The Harvard Business Review.  Dr. Grant Halvorson is a highly successful professional,  but unlike many charmed individuals,  it is safe to say that she knows how she became,  and remains,  successful.   Here are the final four elements of her 201 1 e-book,  Nine Things Successful People Do Differently:

VI.   KEEP ON KEEPING ON: Be willing to commit to long-term goals and persevere in the face of difficulty.  Studies show that those who are able to put shoulder to the wheel and push through adversity obtain more education in their lifetime and earn higher grade point averages in school.  To help yourself along,  plan specific actions that when followed will bring you to your goal.  Devise a timeline for your action plan,  monitor the efficacy of strategies and reward yourself when important milestones are reached.

VII.  BUILD WILLPOWER MUSCLES: Our self-control muscle is like any other of our muscles.  When we don’t use it,  it eventually atrophies.  Use it or lose it! Give your willpower muscle a good workout by taking on small challenges that compel you to do something that perhaps you’d rather not,  e.g. taking on a home cleaning and organizing project.  Establish must-start and must-complete dates and then commit to them.   If you find yourself wavering and making excuses to put off the project—don’t!  Flex your willpower muscle and do some heavy lifting.  As you develop inner strength,  also known as self-discipline,  you’ll ready yourself to take on bigger challenges and achieve more life-changing goals.  It’s like training for a marathon by starting with 5K races.

VIII. DON’T TEMPT FATE: No matter how strong your willpower becomes,  it is important to always respect the inevitable fact that human beings have limits.  If you over-reach,  you’ll run out of steam or out of luck.  Avoid taking on more than one major challenge at a time if you can help it.  Do not be over-confident and bite off more than you can chew by setting obviously unattainable goals.  Successful people instinctively know what is in the realm of the possible and refrain from setting themselves up for failure.

IX.  FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WILL DO: …and not on what you will not do.  Research on thought suppression shows that trying to avoid a thought has the opposite effect and makes that thought grow larger in our minds.  The same holds true for behaviors.  By trying not to engage in a bad habit,  like smoking or eating junk food,  the habit becomes strengthened instead of broken.  Instead,  turn your thoughts toward implementing strategies that will bring you to your goal.

I hope that reading Dr. Grant Halvorson’s  Nine Things  helps you to acknowledge what you’ve been doing right all along.   As well,  I hope you’re able to identify the mistakes that have undermined you and that going forward,  you will develop successful strategies that pave the way to your most important goals.  Have a wonderful year.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Become An Uber Achiever

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Happy New Year!  Please accept my sincere best wishes for a happy and successful 2014.  As is customary,  I begin the year with information I consider to be motivational,  since a new year  (along with Spring)  suggests a fresh start.  In my first posts of 2011,  2012 and 2013,  I presented lists of suggested New Year’s Resolutions for you to adopt.  This year,  I invite you to choose the goal of your dreams and I’m pleased to pass along suggestions on how to make it your own.

You may have noticed that many highly successful people do not have a clear sense of how they manage to grab the brass ring time and again.  Often,  uber achievers do not have an awareness of what allows them to succeed or prevents them from failing.  How do certain mere mortals repeatedly gain the favor of the gods?

It is true that we all have a repository of certain attributes,  advantages,  competencies and talents: the natural salesman,  the math whiz,  the influential family.  Some may encounter a wise and powerful mentor along the way,  who guides them onto the right path,  keeps them out of harm’s way or gives them the heads-up about opportunities on the horizon.

Motivational psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson says in her book  Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals  (2011)  that research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not only because of the cards they hold,  but also because of what they do.  Halvorson has spilled the beans on what other behaviors makes the rich different from you and me  (with apologies to those who do not equate success with wealth):

I.    BE SPECIFIC: When setting goals,  be as specific as possible.  Knowing precisely what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there.  Furthermore,  identify and commit to specific actions that must be taken to reach your goal,  actions that leave no room for doubt about what must be done.

II.   CARPE DIEM: Achieving goals means recognizing and acting upon opportunities before they slip through your fingers.  Make sure that you don’t fail to ride a good wave because you didn’t bother to anticipate its possible arrival,  or because you were distracted by competing pursuits and dramas.  Open the door to success by planning to take real steps toward your goals.  Studies show that planning trains our brain to recognize and seize opportunities when they arise,  in that way increasing our chance of success by about 300%.  In other words,  plan to succeed.

III.  MONITOR AND MEASURE: Achieving goals requires regular monitoring of one’s progress.  Know your timeline and milestones and adjust your strategies and actions according to progress made.  Rewarding yourself for interim successes is a good idea.

IV.  REALISTIC OPTIMISM: Thinking positively about the likelihood of achieving your goal is enormously helpful in creating the conditions for success and sustaining motivation.  Nevertheless,  guard against underestimating how difficult it may be to get where you want to go.  Anything worth having is likely to require significant time,  planning,  sacrifice and persistence.  Daughter-in-law of the Prince of Wales,  mother of a future king of England,  Catherine Middleton used to be called “Waity Katy”.   Now she’s known as the Duchess of Cambridge!

V.   GETTING BETTER: Believing that you are able to reach your goal is imperative.  Equally important is believing that you can acquire  the ability to reach your goal.  In other words,  focus on acquiring whatever the building blocks of success may be,  whether that means learning new skills or developing relationships with those who can help move you forward.

I’ll be back next week with a few more building blocks for you to incorporate into your plan for success.  Have a great week.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Self -Discipline, the Secret of Your Success

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How do you build a successful life and business? Good fortune helps tremendously,  but it is possible to if not actually create your own good luck,  then create the drive needed to build the best life possible.  Business coach and strategy consultant Dan Kennedy advises that we develop self-discipline.  To help our understanding of the concept, he breaks self-discipline into four parts:

Will power

Will power is the core of self-discipline.  It’s like a muscle and if we want to develop that muscle and ascend to self-discipline,  then practice is required.  As with running or weight lifting,  start small and gradually build to more challenging work.   Making yourself vacuum and do laundry could be a good place to start,  if those tasks bring out avoidance behavior in you.   Speaking of exercise,  scheduling and completing a certain number of weekly workouts is another way to simultaneously build our will power and physical muscles.   Set up a rewards program when important milestones are achieved.  Massages and facials are nice relaxing gifts to yourself.

Awareness

Value and respect time and boundaries,  your own and that of others.  Cease immediately selfish and controlling behavior.  Appreciate that everyone has responsibilities that very likely must be completed within a certain time frame.  Calculate  in realistic terms how long it will take you to travel from point A to point B,  for example,  and give yourself the appropriate time to reach your destination at the appointed hour.  The pay-off to your reputation will be significant.

Decision

Kennedy notes that all achievement is fueled by decision-making.  If we acknowledge our priorities and then decide to make those priorities a reality,  then we will do what is necessary to ensure their creation and sustainability.   Self-discipline is integral to decision-making.  Refusing to exercise self-discipline has deleterious consequences.

Should we decide to not decide,  we table decision-making indefinitely and never become a responsible and productive adult.  If we are paralyzed by the process of decision-making,  we become trapped in a vortex and squander all opportunities to utilize or attract good fortune.  Such an individual becomes a wastrel.  Decision-making is goal setting and all self-disciplined individuals identify and pursue goals.

Action

Kennedy points to three kinds of action,  which I interpret as an arc: planning,  implementation and completion.  Once the decision is made,  a plan is then created,  to give yourself a road map and timetable to bring your goal into reality.  In business,  one would think strategy and action planning.  Next,   implement your plan and see it through to completion,  making any necessary adjustments along the way.

This is the point at which self-discipline becomes essential.   As we all know,   many initiatives are begun with great enthusiasm,  but not all are completed.  Give your self-discipline a fighting chance and set SMART goals for yourself:  specific,  measurable,  attainable,  relevant and timely and then create a strategy and action plans that make achievement of your goals a likely possibility.  If you anticipate obstacles,   build into your strategy a way to overcome them.

Self-discipline is the foundation of a successful life and it brings many rewards,  not the least of which is integrity and authenticity.  I would consider those attributes to be the most desirable personal brand.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year,

Kim

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Eight Leadership Styles. Which One Is Yours?

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When assuming a leadership role,   one does what is required in that position at the time.   There is no road-map because leaders must respond to events as they occur,   as they simultaneously champion projects developed by members of their team,   push through selected personal initiatives and follow through with worthy projects that started before their regime.   Most of all a leader must be versatile,   possessed of good judgment and more than a little lucky.

Nevertheless,  we all have our strengths.   Some of us are super strategists,  or change agents.  Others are great with process and operations,  we intuitively know how to get things done efficiently.  Still others are master communicators: deal-makers,  negotiators or coaches.

How does one rise to leadership,  take the reins and succeed when certain key projects call for talents outside of the natural skill set? Good judgment will encourage the leader to recognize what is beyond his/her expertise and delegate such tasks to better qualified team members.   Further,  the leader is advised to acknowledge team members who step up,  because recognition builds loyalty and the productive can-do spirit of a high-functioning team.

Leadership development specialist Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries,   author of “The Hedgehog Effect: The Secrets of Building High Performance Teams” (2011),   has identified eight leadership competency archetypes for us to ponder.   Do you recognize yourself in one?

The BUILDER approaches leadership as an entrepreneurial activity.  This leader longs to create a tangible legacy.

The CHANGE AGENT loves to ride in on a white horse and clean up a mess.   Re-engineering is the preferred activity.

The COACH derives great personal satisfaction from talent development and knows how to recognize the strengths of team members and get the best out them.

The COMMUNICATOR,  like former presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan,  loves being on stage and knows how to influence people.

The INNOVATOR is able to sort through difficult problems and devise creative,  yet practical solutions.

The NEGOTIATOR is highly gifted at recognizing,  selling and bringing to the organization lucrative new business opportunities.

The PROCESSOR is an operations expert who will make the organization run like a well-oiled machine.  This leader will institute systems that support the organization’s objectives.

The STRATEGIST has the vision to recognize which goals and strategies the organization would be wise to pursue to ensure its future growth and sustainability.

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading,

Kim

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Scalable: Add A Wholesale Distributor to Your Product Sales Channels

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Are you a Freelance solopreneur who has a tangible product to sell,  one that you feel is ready to get into the hands of many more customers? You have an efficient and reliable means of production worked out:  you may manufacture it yourself,  or have a great team working for you,  or you have a reliable wholesale source who sells to you at a competitive price.  You fulfill requests for product on time and seldom back order.

The product is sold on your company website and is also available in a network of local stores.  Sales are brisk and there are lots of reorders.  You come to see that without wider distribution,  you are losing money.  You conclude that it is time to look for a third sales channel,  a wholesale distributor .

Congratulations! Selling your product through a wholesale distributor is a big step,  a real validation of your business acumen.  Be a real pro and take a minute to understand what will persuade a wholesale distributor to include your product in their mix.

A distributor is a middle man who makes money from products he sells to a wide range of retail outlets,  so he will take on only those products that he expects to sell quickly.   Show that you are a good risk by demonstrating healthy product sales both from your website and at retail outlets.  Be prepared to sell your product to the distributor for less money than you sell to retailers.  The distributor needs to see a certain profit margin before he takes you on.  Moreover,  the distributor must buy inventory and so must invest in much more product than a typical retail establishment.

The advantage for you is that your product will be much more widely available.  Another advantage for you is that many more retailers will stock your product when it is available through a wholesale distributor,  because they prefer to purchase a wide array of merchandise from a limited number of vendors.  It is too time-consuming to deal directly with many small vendors,  interacting with numerous salespeople and invoicing each separately.

Distributors also prefer business owners who have multiple products,  because it is favorable to their administrative costs.  It is easier to sell several products from one company,  so the more products you manufacture for sale,  the more attractive you are to a wholesale distributor.

When your sales are strong and the time you spend selling individually to retail outlets becomes unwieldy,  it is time to contact wholesale distributors to see if you are considered a good prospect for them.  Ask the retail establishments to whom you sell who you should contact and ask for a reference.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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The Unwritten Rules of the Business Christmas Party

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It’s countdown to Christmas and you may have already been to two or three parties by the time this post is published.  I will have been to three and one was at a business association.  I had a nice time.  I met a few people,  found out a few things about what is on the horizon for the association and got to know the president a little better.

In other words,  the Christmas party went as planned.  When attending a business Christmas party,  plan is the operative word.  Whether the party is hosted by your company,  a client,  or a business or professional association,  relax and enjoy the event,  but remember that you are at work.  Focus less on revelry and more on building or renewing relationships.

Always remember that you are being watched and evaluated,  because Christmas parties have a long-standing reputation of providing a stage for outrageous behavior.  Assume that those in attendance are waiting for someone to obviously over-indulge on alcohol,  or maybe slip out of the door with someone other than her husband.  Walk in the door making a good impression by following the requested dress code.  When none is specified,  wear whatever business attire means in that organization.

Create an agenda for the business Christmas parties you attend and polish your elevator pitch.  Besides chatting with your contact at the organization  (or your boss,  if you are an employee),  make a list of two or three other presumptive party guests that you would like to speak with,  whether or not you’ve met them,  and questions you’d like to ask.  However,  do not try to consummate a deal at the party.  Aim to set up a time to follow-up at a later date.

Because alcohol is inevitably involved,  it’s best to implement your action plan while everyone is relatively sober.  Arrive early.  Get your introductions made and have important conversations as early as possible.  Have maximum one alcoholic beverage and then drink mineral water with a slice of lime or lemon,  so that it looks as if you are having a cocktail,  to prevent yourself from drinking too much.  Leave sort of early.

Along with your must-meet list,  extend yourself and meet others.  When you see someone standing alone,  walk up and introduce yourself.  Start a conversation by asking if they come to this party regularly.  Meeting and greeting are the essence of every party.

When Christmas party invitations arrive,  recognize them for their potential networking value.  Think of a business Christmas party like a conference that doesn’t have presentations,  where you can meet or maybe reconnect with colleagues,  meet a new strategic partner or clients.  Yet do not make the mistake of talking too much business at the party.  Career coach Kathleen Brady,  owner of Brady and Associates Career Planners,  advises that  at the party  “You’re trying to create on-ramps to build new relationships.”  Now go have a good time!

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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How to Delegate Successfully

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Christmas season notwithstanding,  I am busy this December and it feels so good! Catch my act on Wednesday December 4 when Dalya Massachi of  “Writing Wednesdays” and I talk about the benefits derived when nonprofit leaders write a business plan for their organization.  3:00 PM EST,  2:00 PM CST,  1:00 PM MST,  12:00 PM PST FREE! Register at http://writingtomakeadifference.com/writing-wednesdays

Readers in the Boston area may want to direct clients who are leaders at nonprofit organizations to get essential how-to information on business plan writing at my popular workshop “Become Your Own Boss: Effective Business Plan Writing”.  We’ll meet on three consecutive Wednesdays,  December 4, 11 & 18  5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at Boston Center for Adult Education 122 Arlington Street Boston MA 02116.  Register at http://bit.ly/1bP4uw9 or call 617.267.4430 class ID #10190.

Busy people must learn how to delegate if they intend to get things done.   Often,  there are not enough hours in the day to allow one person to do everything.  Productive people come to know that delegating is necessary if we are to move forward.  Productive people also know what can and should be delegated and how to accomplish that effectively.  What is outsourcing but delegating to a skilled professional tasks that we ourselves cannot complete,   from website design to public relations to cleaning our homes to preparing the food for a cocktail party?

It can be good for business profitability and healthy for organizational development to share the workload.  When time and energy are scarce,  or when we ourselves do not possess the required expertise,  it makes sense from both a time management and quality control standpoint to delegate that project and remove it from our plate and focus on items that only we can do.  If we hoard all the important responsibilities,  it can lead to real or perceived controlling behavior and that is counter-productive.  How to delegate successfully is an important skill and it begins with setting priorities.

Delegate responsibilities and not just tasks  Rather than merely assigning work to someone,  which limits the sense of ownership,  promote buy-in to the project at hand and loyalty to you and delegate the responsibility for leading an element of the project.  Allow that person to shine and display creativity,  analytical ability,  systems and operations talents,  trouble-shooting prowess and whatever else it takes to successfully manage that portion of the project.  You keep an eye on the big picture and do what is necessary to give that person the required resources and authority to do his/her part.

Accept that your way is not the only way   This could lead to some pleasant surprises and a better end result than you envisioned.  Everyone has a unique way of viewing and tackling a responsibility and you are advised to respect those different perspectives and approaches and trust the person to whom you’ve delegated.  Often, there is more than one road to the right solution.  Focus on achieving the desired outcome within the desired time frame.  Never micromanage.

Give clear instructions and sufficient information   Explain the big picture of the project and how the delegated element fits in.  Provide project specifications for what will be delegated and confirm that the person understands.  Make sure that the person has the authority to do what is necessary,  along with the budget, whatever staffing or other resources.  Be clear about milestones and the project due date.  Be available for help,  if necessary.

Teach yourself how to recognize when to delegate a project or elements thereof by first setting goals and objectives for your business,  backed by strategies and action plans that will ensure their realization.  Be candid about your strengths,  weaknesses and the time line.   Outsource/ delegate those responsibilities that you cannot do and focus on the end result.  Build a solid team that is ready to help you achieve your goals.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

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Leadership Starter Kit

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Christmas Season notwithstanding,  I am busy this December and it feels so good! Catch my act on Wednesday December 4,  when Dalya Massachi of  “Writing Wednesdays” and I talk about the benefits derived when nonprofit leaders write a business plan for their organization.  3:00 PM EST,  2:00 PM CST,  1:00 PM MST,  12:00 PST. FREE! Register at http://www.writingtomakeadifference.com/writing-wednesdays

Readers in the Boston area may want to direct clients who are leaders at nonprofit organizations to get essential how-to information on business plan writing at my popular workshop “Become Your Own Boss: Effective Business Plan Writing”.  We’ll meet on three consecutive Wednesdays,  December 4, 11 & 18  5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at Boston Center for Adult Education 122 Arlington Street Boston 02116. Register at  http://bit.ly/1bP4uw9  or call 617.267.4430 class ID# 10190.

Congratulations,  you have been named project leader of a prestigious assignment.  You are thrilled to the gills,  but also apprehensive.  You have practical experience,  creativity and enthusiasm,  but you are not quite accustomed to such a front-and-center role.

You’ve scheduled a meeting to bring everyone together for the project kick-off,  where roles and responsibilities will be discussed,  timelines established,  milestones identified and important success factors and potential stumbling blocks will be acknowledged.  You know this is where you establish your bona fides and stake out your claim as the leader.  You are in charge and ideally you will project good natured authority and not arrogance or insecurity.  You are 20 years younger than several project team members.  How do you get this right ?

Introduce yourself

Welcome the team and thank them for participating on the project.  Express that you are very happy to work with such a talented and experienced group of professionals.  Without bragging,  state your professional experience as it relates to the project,  to let the group know that you are qualified and that they have every reason to trust your judgment and expertise.

Team introductions

Invite team members to participate in the standard round robin of introductions.

Confirm the project deliverables and due dates

Establish the expectations and begin to assign roles and responsibilities,  milestones and timelines.  Encourage team members to have a say in this process,  as they know more than you about how departments interact,  unspoken protocols and overall how to get things done.  Be secure enough to accept their suggestions,  as it will promote your credibility and earn you respect.

Ask questions

Pose questions that allow team members to contribute to the decision-making process and telegraph that you value their expertise.  Let team members share their knowledge.  Avoid being a know-it-all.

Listen carefully

Make team members feel heard and you will earn their confidence,  respect and loyalty.

Be humble

Team members must believe that you are qualified to lead the project,  but take care to portray yourself as a team player and a leader who wants to make everyone involved look successful.

Be empowering

Champion good ideas that are presented by team members,  and not just your own perspectives,  and you will build the team’s enthusiasm for and commitment to the project.  Respect and value the perspectives and recommendations that deep experience and long tenure bring.  Some ideas may fall by the wayside when explored in detail and others may turn out to be brilliant. Your tenured team members have the ability to make the project successful. Whatever happens,  empowering team members builds respect and loyalty and makes you look like (and be) a good leader. Remember also to be publicly generous with compliments.

Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving,

Kim

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