Leadership

The Oldest Shoe Store in America and What We Can Learn from It

September 4, 2019 by Dr. John Townsend Leave a Comment

My wife Barbi and I recently returned from a combination trip of attending a close friend’s destination wedding, plus vacationing, both in the beautiful state of Maine. We stayed in the downtown area of the seaport village of Belfast. Across the street from us was a brick building with the sign: “Colburn Shoes: Oldest Shoe Store in America 1832.” 187 years. Now that is a run!

Since I do a great deal of work with family businesses, I had to find out their secret sauce. So we walked over and got to know Brian Horne, the father of the present owner, Colby, who purchased it from his dad a few years back. Brian was generous in providing me with time and information.

The story is that the Colburn family originally owned and operated the store for several generations, then the Horne family bought it from them a few generations ago, but kept the name. It has been in continual operation all that time. I asked Brian the secret to this sort of amazing longevity. He said it came down to 2 things:

Keeping up with the product. Brian said shoe lines and styles are always changing, and someone has to continue researching what will work in the current market.
Prioritizing great customer service. The Colburn staff spends a great deal of time with their customers, both local and vacationers like us. I observed that dynamic in a couple of trips to the store. They were engaging with the shoppers, asking questions and finding out what they were interested in.

I asked about internet competition with brick and mortar establishments. Brian said, “We had some scares in the beginning of that shift. But shoes seem to be a product that requires a tangible and personal shopping experience, so we have done all right.” Barbi and I were also impressed with our own personal shopping experience, enough so that she bought a couple of pairs of shoes, and I bought my first-ever Birkenstocks. See the photo of Brian, my Birks and me.

Now, on a leadership and business level, think about the two secret sauces. The first is task-related: knowing and having the right product. The second is people-related: connecting and communicating with people. It always boils down, ultimately, to these two.

We can all learn from the Colburn story. Go visit them on your next trip to Maine!

Best,

John

The Keys to Any Great Team

August 19, 2019 by Dr. John Townsend Leave a Comment

Life, job and just about anything work better when we’re on teams. There is an enormous amount of research on the power of great teamwork. Whether it be an executive group, a sales and marketing team, or a team of parents coordinating for a kids’ soccer league, teams make matters better. I never thought I would write a blog with the cliché, “Team Work makes the Dream Work”, but it’s actually true! We accomplish more together than by ourselves, and with the right teammates, we are also happier and more engaged.

I’ll be writing a book on the power of teams, and here is my model of the 4 aspects of any great one. Check them out, and see which of the 4 is one you can implement within your own team to make things run lots better:

Conviction: When we have conviction, we are guided by our mission and core values, as opposed to our feelings for the moment, or the stresses and glitches of the day. Teams that have conviction are clear in their mission, for example, “We are here to make Acme Tech more productive.” And they are clear on the “compass” of their values, such as excellence, quality and taking care of people. Great teams keep mission and values front and center. They talk about them. They make decisions based on them. They keep them relevant.

Cohesiveness: A great team connects, which is what the word means, connection. They bond to each other and care about each other. There is a big difference between a team that is functionally cohesive, and one that is relationally cohesive. Functional cohesion is basically about reliability and dependability in task. It’s important and necessary. But functional cohesion alone will never create a great team, only a good one. A great team is not only functionally cohesive, but relationally cohesive, meaning personally and emotionally connected. The members are vulnerable with each other, with no fear of judgment or “scorekeeping.” They give and receive energy and positivity with each other.

Clarity: Teams need role clarity. Each person needs to know what their tasks and job description are, and how to stay in their lane. Then they are more effective and efficient. And you avoid the problem of someone neglecting what is unique to their responsibilities, and going to a lane where the other person is already working. Which sort of annoys the other person as well. Clarity is king.

Candor. When a team has conviction, cohesiveness and clarity, these make it safe enough to have the honest and frank conversations. A great team gives and receives feedback that is both positive and negative, though respectful as well. We benefit when someone says, “Hey, we have a problem here.” You don’t want the mission to be sidelined because no one spoke up, for fear of disrupting things. Candor helps a team disrupt in a positive direction.

Teams are a great way to not only get things done, but to also feel like you’re part of something larger than you, and that has purpose. Here’s to your great team.

John

People Fuel: Fill Up Your Tank for Life, Love and Leadership

July 17, 2019 by Dr. John Townsend Leave a Comment

We all need more energy, the vitality that helps us stay motivated, focused and productive in life. We know we receive energy from good nutrition, along with working out, adequate sleep and maintaining positivity. But there is another major source for the energy we need: having the right kinds of relationships with others. Not the ones that drain us, but the
ones that refuel us.

My just-released book People Fuel shows you how we need the fuel of “Relational Nutrients” from others, and, in turn we can then provide them to others. Our bodies require physical nutrients to stay healthy. If we don’t take enough iron, we can develop anemia. Too little calcium can lead to bone disease. In the same way, the book identifies the key Relational Nutrients that we need. As we experience these critical elements from others, we grow mentally and emotionally more sharp and healthy. And as we give these elements back, others benefit as well.

Finally, People Fuel details the specific types of people who can either be energy “gains” or energy “drains”, and gives concrete steps to help you cultivate relationships with those who will help you be all you were meant to be. On the first day of its release on June 25, the book was a double #1 on Amazon, in the categories of Christian Business and Professional Growth, and also in Christian Self Help.

Also, you can have a free download of the Relational Nutrients card, either digitally for your smartphone, or for printing out a hard copy. Just go to relationalnutrients.com. I hope you find steps and solutions for your own energy through People Fuel!

Best, John

Learning: The Key to Sustainability – By Elaine Morris

June 14, 2019 by Dr. John Townsend Leave a Comment

What does working smarter have to do with learning? Sometimes, we just get into a rut, doing the same things over and over again, even when it’s not working.

As the story goes, a young man was working very hard sawing a huge pile of wood. His efforts were doubled because he was using a dull-edged saw. The old farmer walked up to him and advised him to stop what he was doing to sharpen the saw. He quickly replied, “Oh I don’t have time.” Of course, it’s obvious in this simple example that taking the time to go sharpen the saw would make the young man’s work much more efficient and effective. Yet how many times do we keep using a dull saw and feel frustrated that the results are not what we want?

A fifty-something, bottom-line-driven company president engaged in an executive coaching program. He had recently tripled the size of his company and I had been working with him on how to manage the growing pains that kind of rapid growth produces. He was reluctant to include a 360 Emotional Intelligence (EQ) assessment as part of his program at first. However, what he learned from the feedback led him to completely change his strategy.

Rather than focusing so much time on his marketing campaign and internal processes, he began spending more time in the field with his top people. Listening to their challenges, partnering with them in solving issues, and systematically building their skills increased his leadership team’s capacity. Later, his comments surprised me: “It was exciting. I started growing again… I realized I had quit learning.” Research backs this up, as outlined in the book, Leadership Sustainability by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood.

There are five distinct yet interrelated roles of a leader: strategist, executor, talent manager, human capital developer and personal proficiency. The authors found that of these five roles, the last one is the key to sustainability. It’s about continuous improvement as an individual. Without an actively generated learning curve, a leader’s ability to use the rest of his skills to guide organization growth withers. One added bonus: when a leader engages in their own personal growth, they bring new passion and energy to work each day. Since emotions are contagious, this has a positive impact on the culture.

What are you learning this year?

Elaine Morris, TLP Director

Career World from Job World: Following Your Passion

February 19, 2019 by Dr. John Townsend Leave a Comment

Work is a major section of your life, taking up 40-60 hours a week, and for decades. It’s important, and you need to think through it objectively and make those decades produce something meaningful for you. But it’s sometimes difficult to know when it’s time to pull the trigger and make the transition from a job to a career.

A job matters in that it’s a way to pay the bills. It provides some security for you. However, a career not only provides the compensation, but also serves as a way to take your passions, develop them to a high level, produce a meaningful product or service, and develop yourself on a growth track along with way.

Fewer people are sticking with one successful career these days; there are too many opportunities to learn and grow in different areas. So be ready and agile for that possibility.

I am often asked the question of “how do I know when it’s time to quit my job and go for the career?” Here are the answers I provide, which are customized to different people’s situations:

Determine your passion. There is a percentage of people who unfortunately have to do things they are not interested in, to make a living. Don’t assume that you are in that group. Instead, go ahead and do a “passion search” to feel what you need to feel about your career: enthusiastic, curious, energized, losing time. The quickest way to do that is to search MyMajors.com for lots of areas and specific roles in which you might be interested. Beyond that, you’ll probably want to hire a career coach, who will have assessments and so much more information that you do. Very much worth it.

When you have researched where you want to go. Some people quit their job and then figure out the next step. I have seen it work from time to time, but not regularly. I recommend taking nights and weekends during your job weeks, and doing R&D on your desired career: read about it, talk to people, take courses, go to conferences. You may find that it’s not a good fit for you. Or you may find that you know a lot more about it and are ready to go.

When you know the players, and there is a position or a good chance of one. Jobs come and go. But you need steady people who are impressed with you and want to keep you around. I call these people “advocates”, and they will put energy into you getting the right position. Talk with them, meet anyone they want you to meet. They are feeding you opportunities.

When you can afford the move. It can be a scary time to go from an unsatisfying position which does provide a steady paycheck, to a gap where you’re not sure of anything. You’re letting go of one trapeze, and don’t see the next one! So have funds saved up to have a minimal existence for a few months, so you can survive and concentrate on the career. I recommend 90 days of survival living that will keep you alive and motivated.

The longitudinal research about the end of life studies the regrets people have when life is almost over. The conclusion is that 15% of us regret what we did, those bad decisions. And 85% of us regret what we didn’t do, taking that chance.

Best to you,

John Townsend, Ph.D.

Making the Right Decisions as a Leader

November 23, 2018 by sgadmin Leave a Comment

If you lead at work, in the home, or both, you have to make decisions. Leaders who don’t make decisions don’t stay leaders very long. However, decisions, by definition, involve risk. It might be a risk of losing financial resources, time, energy, opportunity or key people. This is one reason that leadership is so difficult: there is no crystal ball. So here are some tips to help you make the decisions you are required to make, and to make them well.

Do a SWOT analysis on the situation.

Actually writing down the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of your situation helps a great deal. This exercise provides two significant benefits. It provides a great deal of structured information that will help you to think through the pros and cons. Secondly, and just as importantly, it will center you and decrease any anxiety you might feel. Anxiety can confuse your decision making; and the less anxiety the better.

Determine why this is important to your organization.

Leaders must always use the lens of “what is best for my organization?” Is it about cash issues? Products and services? Marketing? Leadership? Culture? It’s your job to focus on what you are trying to achieve for your company and your people. This will help you think clearly.

Bring your team in.

Whoever is the right person for the decision, be humble and smart enough to get their advice. You want to make sure you are doing the due diligence with people who know you, your company and your values, and people who have a track record of success in their own right. They are likely to see some angle you never even thought of.

Think, “there is a solution.”

There is always some solution, unless you literally have a gun to your head. This sort of positive approach is not being in denial. It is a sober realization that you are competent, capable, and have information and good people behind you. This is realistic positivity, and it will help.

Use the 24 hour rule.

Sleep on it. Unless it’s a five alarm emergency, it helps to give a problem a 24 hour break. I’m talking as a psychologist now. Neuroscience research has shown that the brain never stops working, even when you sleep. It likes to solve problems. Think of your brain as a really smart Labrador retriever with lots of energy, bounding around from challenge to challenge, enjoying the process of tackling issues. So while you are having dinner, or being with friends, or sleeping, your mind is looking at all sorts of possibilities. I have been totally blown away by what I come up with after I sleep on an issue.

Decisions change organizations. Good luck and lead well.

John Townsend, Ph.D.