June 2013 – SOLUM SERVICES

Face and Voice = Essential Communicators

There are certain bridges that are not worth crossing, no matter what others think. Loyalty and relationships are important. Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength

That quote jumps from every picture and presentation I’ve seen of Tony Dungy. He never needed to say it because his face and voice always say it. You should be like that. Your face and voice define you.

Use your face and voice to communicate needed messages and lessons to those you serve. Engage the power of your passion and allow the deep roots of your heart to be visible. Common management philosophy leads to common results. Great leaders such as Tony Dungy, legendary coach and motivator, allow face and voice to say, “Commitment counts,” even when others want to avoid transparency.

Speed of communication does not replace the need for face and voice.

Mass of communication does not replace the value of face and voice.

Repetition of communication does not replace the power of face and voice.

Face and voice communicate beyond words into value, passion, and power.

“Let’s discuss this,” announces the executive.

A gregarious and generous leader brings comforting value in communications that reaches the heart of those following when face and voice are engaged. An opportunity to discuss with such a person is welcome.

An angry and tempestuous leader stirs anxiety through face and voice. An opportunity to discuss may be avoided.

A pompous and persuasive face and voice bring different understanding to the same words spoken by a serving and heartfelt communicator.

The message can be the same, but face and voice provide platform.

Great leaders are masters of face and voice and command control of them at appropriate times and places. Greatness of communications comes out of the transparency of that face and voice. Sure there are false faces and feigned voices of politician leaders. You don’t have to be in politics to lead politically. You don’t have to be a political leader if you are a politician in the service of the people. Those around the false faced politician discover over time the difference and words become hollow and leadership ability wanes.

One of my great communicator friends is Carey Casey, CEO of the National Center For Fathering. I love to be around Carey and let him rub off on me. During one of our early conversations, upon walking up to me he said, “I remember you, you’re the one with the kind face for everyone.” His observation shocked me and pleased me. Certainly there are many days my face and voice communicate other stances, but this was the one he received and valued and affirmed. It was a transparent communication back to me of what value I was bringing into relationships. Face and voice communicated for me where letters and email might not. Carey’s face and voice will always say to me, “open, honest, forthright, committed” framed in that and other interactions. Every communication I receive from him will be tampered with his face and voice. (Catch Carey at www.fathers.com)

Be you. Let that face and voice of your deepest heart come out. Quit hiding behind emails and power point presentations. Take your face and voice out there and engage. Of course there needs to be a compassionate and concerned heart that leads for the good of others for a servant leader, but that is another missive.

Ready to do something big in your organization? Call me at 405-388-8037. Let’s talk. phil@shepherdok.com

Manage DIRFT: Quit putting out fires! 4 Attention Items.

Overwhelming issues seem to have some similar roots. A disaster or two can send any organization or business into a spin. Resource management is challenged. How often does the inattention to right details at right moments create the spin? How often is the spin self initiated?

Operations can be smooth. They must be effective. DIRFT needs managed.

DIRFT? Do It Right The First Time. This simple acronym should entertain the attention of every executive and manager. Engage it. Paint it on your forehead. Demand it. Coach it. Live it.

Control what is knowable: U.S. Grant was an amazing manger of DIRFT. It turned the war his direction many times. On one occasion General Sherman wrote this about him. “The campaign of Vicksburg, in its conception and execution, belonged exclusively to General Grant, not only in the great whole, but in the thousands of its details…. No commanding general of any army ever gave more of his personal attention to details.”

Grant did not leave anything to chance. Faced with a myriad of unknown items, he mastered doing each item under his control as a known. By ensuring all that was under his control was handled correctly the first time, he reserved the strength of his troops for the unknown. The mental acuity necessary to adjust is freed when the known details are handled right the first time.

Plan for the unknowable: Our state and city has a group named VOAID, Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster. During recent repetitive storms, this concert of concern was a first phone call. Coordination made response quick and right. Before federal resources had a chance to open the mail, these teams had already solved a myriad of needs. Having worked together in other disaster situations, these folks made a difference. Others have risen and joined ranks with them and the next disaster will be handled even more smoothly. Do it right the first time.

Quiet Time Development: Building solutions that work the first time takes quiet time. Avoid this and DIRFT turns into DRIFT. The operation will drift to the loudest complaint and worst problems. The business will loss vitality and focused expression. Niche will become nice. Nice operations could easily become eliminated operation as they miss the mark on needed activities and only tend to pleasing people on the surface not the deep points of need.

Sharp managers and executives use quiet times to sort the nice from the needed and the issues from the answers. Make sure your plans fulfill the objectives of the operation established with reflective thought and right information to enable right decisions.

DIRFT! Do it right the first time. Inspect what you expect. Expect what you inspect. When a plan of operation is launched, it needs measurement points established to steer actions. Quality control is fine if you are looking to lose. Make plans that steer quality at each decision point instead of waiting until a job is complete to discover it is bad. Rework is painful. Plan DIRFT purposefully. Teach it. Coach it. Motivate to excellence to prevent constant rework. Learn some simple LEAN principles and implement them to take out wasted time and efforts so operations focus on getting it done right not finding out when it is done wrong.

Summary: There is always enough time to do it right the first time. There is never enough time to keep doing it over and over and over. But, you need an operational plan to do it right. Just giving it to people and expecting them to figure it out is a sure route to failure and frustration. Engage them in the solution at the right moments and plan for smooth successful operation.

Have a great day doing what you do. Operations should live in excellence.

Ready for a change? Engage a conversation 405-388-8037 phil@shepherdok.com www.shepherdok.net

Vitalize!: 4 Ready Executive Tools Increase Best Value

Increase asset value. Do it. Quit waiting. Isolate key components for value and recover. Print communication services have declined in value as a viable business asset. Communication channels have changed. Entrenched opinions view print as a commodity. Look through that tinted lens and business value will suffer. There is great value to be activated. Right understanding and fresh vision can cause print communication to give value business results.

Think back. What was the last department or business unit you overhauled that reaped benefit quickly? How did you drag value out? Did you offload a business unit with aging impact? Why is it not working here?

Finish the quick article at GCWORLDBIZ

Vitalize!: 4 Ready Executive Tools Increase Best Value http://ow.ly/lLPe0