February 11, 2013 | Tom Suddes
DO THE MATH is a really big Guiding Principle in the For Impact World.
Last Tuesday at boxing practice, we did 1,000 push-ups. (It took one hour and 20 minutes; and included a CrossFit core and leg workout in between the sets of push-ups.)
Having done this every year for the last sixteen years, I can tell you that it’s pretty much ‘impossible’ to just say you’re going to do 1,000 push-ups … and then do it.
However, you can do this math: 44 down. (Do sets of 44, 43, 42 … down to 1.)
That equals 990 push-ups.
You can imagine the adrenaline high when you’re finished with that … and you do the remaining 10 push-ups to complete the 1,000!
DO THE MATH is not just about physical accomplishments. We DO THE MATH on every project and every campaign. Then ‘all’ you have to do is execute.
O.G. is front row second from the right.
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February 8, 2013 | Tom Suddes
Almost every organization I know is struggling with ‘HIRING’ issues. In Jim Collins’ eponymous ‘bus’ metaphor … it’s always about getting the right people on the bus … getting the wrong people off the bus … and then getting everybody in the right seats.
A great article on this topic, Why It May Be Wiser to Hire People without Meeting Them, by Dan and Chip Heath, authors of MADE TO STICK, was in Fast Company a few years ago (June 2009). It’s worth going back to skim through.
The Big Idea was this: INTERVIEWS are a worthless waste of time when it comes to decisions on talent.
The real nugget for me in this was the idea of the ‘SIMPLE JOB TEST.’
The Heaths even used a “nonprofit” as an example!
BOTTOM LINE:
- If you’re hiring somebody to write… ask them to write something!
- If you’re hiring somebody to solve problems… ask them to solve a problem!
- If you’re hiring somebody to SELL something… ask them to SELL YOU SOMETHING!!!
This last one is terribly important when it comes to Development Officers, Major Gift Officers, and (I would strongly suggest) when it comes to CEOs, Executive Directors and leaders. If these people can’t SELL, you shouldn’t hire them.
Special, Special Note: I urge you to take this ‘TEST’ and IDEA even further. I’m a huge proponent of bringing people on as independent contractors … for 90 days … to see if they can actually do the job!!!
This makes it really easy to see if they’re a right fit … and that they can do the job.
***We did this not long ago at a university. Here’s the brief scenario:
Terrific candidate. Exceptional resume. A perfect fit on paper. Wowed everybody during the interviews.
Hired as independent contractor. Given a three-month test period. Then an additional three months.
Result: The guy is still terrific. But … it wasn’t the right fit. He found out that this wasn’t something that he really wanted to do. He will continue to work hard for the university, but as a volunteer not as staff.
Everybody ended up winning using this ‘TEST’ model.
Something to think about.
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February 5, 2013 | Tom Suddes
Think Big: One Massive Idea Can Change the World!
February’s WIRED magazine just came. The cover is awesome: THINK BIG. Sub-head: One Massive Idea Can Change the World.
I urge anyone and everyone in our For Impact world to read the article.
The best part is the interview with Google CEO Larry Page (also Co-Founder). Larry Page lives by the gospel of 10X!!! (I think he picked that up from our President and Chief Big Thinking Officer, Nick Fellers!)
Some cool thoughts/quotes that I thought you might enjoy:
- “If you’re not doing some things that are crazy, then you’re doing the wrong things.”
- “I think we need to be doing breakthrough, non-incremental things across our whole business.”
- “I realize that there are a lot of sad stories about inventors like Nikola Tesla, amazing people who didn’t have much impact (!) because they never turned their inventions into businesses.”
- “A billion people use our products.” Wow.
Page also has some really powerful words about ‘competition‘, talking very seriously about what’s wrong with the way we run companies. “It’s always about the competition”. “How exciting is it to come to work if the best you can do is trounce some other company that does roughly the same thing?”
That’s what I love about the For Impact world. Not about competition. All about collaboration to solve large social problems or change the world.
Special Note: The dude just doesn’t talk BIG … he definitely THINKS BIG! He talks about Google potentially being a million-person company!!!
Read and enjoy.
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February 4, 2013 | Tom Suddes
In THE ALADDIN FACTOR, a great read on the power of JUST ASK, authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen talk about the 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE “MASTERS OF THE LAMP"
- They know what they WANT.
- They BELIEVE they are worthy of receiving it.
- They BELIEVE they can get it.
- They are PASSIONATE about it.
- They take ACTION in the face of fear.
- They LEARN from their experience.
- They are PERSISTENT.
Here’s a quick story on #7.
An old partner at The Suddes Group, Mike McCarthy, has been a great friend for 20 years. Mike and I once had a “Persistence Contest.” We each took our hardest “pending” prospect and decided we were going to keep calling until they either said “YES” or “NO.”
I think I called about 30 times. Then I stopped.
Mike called 57 times. Finally, the guy got on the phone and said, “I just wanted to see how many times you would call me. Every time I got a message and didn’t return it, I figured you would stop. You are the most persistent person I’ve ever met in my entire career.”
“Count me in. I wanted to make this investment anyway, but your persistence was truly amazing.”
“By the way, I’d love to have you come and work for my company.”
57 TIMES.
HOW MANY OF US ARE HESITANT TO EVEN CALL THE PROSPECT OR POTENTIAL INVESTOR BACK EVEN ONE TIME???
Special Note: Going through the effort to get a visit and Share the Story/Present the Opportunity and NOT follow up is DISRESPECTFUL to the potential investor! It’s not about YOU. It’s about THEM.
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January 30, 2013 | Tom Suddes
THE 5 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS AT THE HEART OF ANY WINNING STRATEGY
I love it when my Rotman magazine comes from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
The Winter Edition had a really good lead article on STRATEGY: THE ONLY 5 QUESTIONS THAT MATTER. Roger Martin is the Dean at the Rotman School of Management and A. G. Lafley is the former Chairman and President of Procter & Gamble. They co-authored a book, PLAYING TO WIN: HOW STRATEGY REALLY WORKS.
The full article is a great read, but here’s the essence:
“We believe strategy can be defined and created using a simple framework that entails answering 5 questions. The same 5 questions no matter the type, size or context of the organization.”
Here are their 5 questions … along with my brief, For Impact commentary.
- What is your winning aspiration? This is your ‘why do we exist,’ ‘raison d’etre,’ highest-level message, etc. As they point out, it’s not the same as a mission statement, vision, etc. It’s actually about your purpose!
- Where will you play? In their words, “Where to play represents the set of choices that an organization makes to decide where they will ‘compete.’” In our For Impact world, it would be more about where you would decide to provide solutions, deliver great services, change the world. What sector? What geography? What service and product lines?
- How will you win? For me, that is where you decide on your business model, strategies, organizational structure, team, etc.
- What capabilities must be in place? In effect, this says, what do we need to be able to deliver on our promise/solution/deliverables?
- What management systems are required? Obviously, I’m not a big ‘management’ guy. However, I totally believe in frameworks, systems, structures and, particularly, measurements to determine if we are succeeding/winning.
It’s a great article from smart people.
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January 29, 2013 | Tom Suddes
EDUCATION REFORM: THE LEVERAGE/MOMENTUM GIFT/INVESTMENT
Alert: Everyone in this For Impact world/tribe needs to read the following conversation from the Art of Dialogue in latest issue of Fast Company. It concerns Wendy Kopp and the start of Teach for America.
This is one of the greatest stories I’ve ever read regarding start-ups, funding, social entrepreneurism, transformational gifts and more.
Disclosure: I have admired Wendy Kopp and Teach for America for 20 years. I’ve never met her but I consider her to be a superstar and the ‘face’ of the social entrepreneurial world and, particularly, of education reform.
Here’s the story. Read every word.
If you’ve ever been at one of our Sales Trainings or Workshops or Boot Camps … you will be able to identify at least six things that Wendy did with Ross Perot that you will recognize as ideas or nuggets. Look for them.
One hint: “I am going to be glued to his chair until he says yes.”
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January 29, 2013 | Tom Suddes
Every FOR IMPACT ORGANIZATION needs to be a FAST ORGANIZATION!
One way to make that happen is to read … relate … assimilate … every edition of FAST COMPANY!
You can subscribe to Fast Company by going to: www.fastcompany.com/keyword/specialrate.
You can get 20 issues for $20! That’s $1 per issue. For me, that’s about 10¢ for each of the 10 ideas, each worth $10,000 or more!
If your bureaucracy/hierarchy or budget does not allow you to spend 10¢ for a $10,000 idea, let me know. I will underwrite your subscription.
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January 29, 2013 | Tom Suddes
10 CONVERSATIONS THAT CHANGED OUR WORLD
I love FAST COMPANY! I’m grateful everyday for Alan Webber and Bill Taylor for acting on their entrepreneurial instinct that there was a ‘market’ for this type of resource.
And, to Joe Mansueto for picking up this ‘torch’ (as well as Inc. magazine) and continuing to fuel it.
If you are in any way connected to the For Impact world or consider yourself to be a For Impact leader or social entrepreneur, you need to read this article from this month (February 2013) Fast Company.
10 Conversations That Changed the World contains 10 great examples of “dialogue that inspired innovation”.
Here’s my shorthand:
- The Birth of Silicon Valley. A ‘traitorous’ group of eight young geniuses create first venture back start-up, Silicon Valley and more.
Note: One of our current partners/coaching clients is Education Pioneers. They’re awesome. One of their funders, Art Rock, is part of this group of E-8!
- Zuckerberg Bets On Social. An IM conversation with a high school friend clarifies his priorities!
- Consumer Electronics Get Sexy. Great conversation around ‘design’.
- Steve Jobs Goes To The Movies. Killer line. “Everything we were … was about the presentation and storytelling.” This is why Jobs bought into Pixar.
- Reading, Writing And Education Reform. 100% true or not, this is incredible story re: Wendy Kopp, Teach for America!
- Mass Retail Meets High-End Design. Target and Michael Graves, the designer. “I don’t copy. I create.”
- Absolut Brilliance. TBWA\Chiat\Day Agency creates bottle-centric ad campaign. “It was the very fact of the SIMPLICITY (of the campaign) that would make this thing take off.”
- Starbucks Saves The Modern Organization. CEO Howard Schultz comments to an investor’s request to slash Starbucks benefits. “After all these years, if you believe the financial crisis should change our principles and core purpose, perhaps you should sell your stock! I’m not building a stock. I’m trying to build a great, enduring company. We are a performance-driven organization, but we have to lead the company through the lens of humanity.”
- Funny Goes Viral. The two founders of CollegeHumor.
Best line: “I’d love to say I had this vision of changing how comedy worked. It was really, I don’t want to have a job that sucks.”
- Zappos Kicks Off Internet Shoe Sales—AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 1999. “5% of sales in the $40 billion shoe industry were through paper mail-order catalogs.” “I’d tell them again: 5% of shoes were sold through mail-order catalogs.” Read this conversation and you’ll get it. (Another great line from Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn to investor, now CEO, Tony Hsieh: “We assume that for the foreseeable future, everyone will continue to wear shoes.”
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January 22, 2013 | Tom Suddes
Just in case you haven’t heard this today.
Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963
30,000′ memorable message that captures a vision and a movement in 4 words: I HAVE A DREAM.
How does your message, tagline, battle cry match up?
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January 22, 2013 | Tom Suddes
Both LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT
I shared the attached article from Harvard Business Review’s John Kotter (big-time leadership guru) with our Senior Team this weekend.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt the article could offer huge benefits to the For Impact ‘tribe.’ It’s titled “Management Is (Still) Not Leadership.”
Kotter goes into strong but simple definitions around the difference between Leadership and Management. Clearly, every For Impact organization needs both.
If you don’t think you need to read the article, I would simply ask if you’re making, as Kotter describes it:
- “Mistake #1: People use the terms ‘Management’ and ‘Leadership’ interchangeably. This shows that they don’t see the crucial difference between the two and the vital functions that each role plays.”
There are two other ‘mistakes’ Kotter spells out that will grab your attention.
If you’re thinking about changing the world, it’s pretty important that you understand the difference between ‘Leadership’ and ‘Management’ … and position yourself and your organization to do both.
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