Thomas Triumph

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Question Your Dogma

by Tom Triumph on January 13, 2012 in Business, Innovation, Outlook with No comments

We live in a world of social habits and standardized business practices – typically learned when we were young and readily influenced. These beliefs were instilled in us from parents, teachers, friends, managers and media - and over the years can take root deeply. Some are logical and continue to serve us well (always look before you cross the street), some are questionable (you don’t have the right background for the promotion), and some are likely outdated or flat-out wrong. Our beliefs and thinking may evolve or change over time, but this can take years or even generations.

With that in mind, it’s worth remembering that we’re living in a world which is changing at an ever-increasing rate. Some of our very own long-held and trusted practices may actually be in danger of being outdated. A practice that at one time may have been of benefit, can shift into a liability without our even being aware that the change has occurred.

And being aware of this shift can be extremely difficult as beliefs are often staunchly held, blinding us to a new perspective. The trick is not to question what is unfamilar – it’s easy to be a naysayer to things that are foreign to us. Rather, the challenge is to be open to questioning what is familiar, what we’ve grown comfortable doing, what has become “business as usual”. As individuals, societies and businesses – we grow by questioning the dogma and then by trying something new.

It Depends On Your Perspective

by Tom Triumph on January 9, 2012 in Business, Innovation, Outlook with No comments

It’s tough to get a new perspective. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that viewing your long-standing business practices in a new way is extremely difficult. After all, you’ve been selling, marketing, manufacturing, servicing – or doing whatever you do – for a long time. You know what you’re doing and you know how it’s done (at least where you are).

And even if you are able to imagine a new approach, being an advocate for substantial change will likely result in your colleagues looking at you sideways. In so many words, management seems to be saying, “that idea might work in another industry (or another company or another time), but… that wouldn’t work here.” The departmental interdependencies create workflow dependencies. So the tendency is for everyone to work hard at keeping the existing machine in motion, a.k.a. - maintaining the status quo.

And that is why so many innovative technologies, leapfrog products and even new business models – come from outside dominant companies. Oftentimes successful companies have everything in place to grow, except the all important new perspective.

In One Year and Out the Other

by Tom Triumph on January 5, 2012 in Business, Life, Outlook with No comments

New Year’s has always been a favorite holiday. It’s the time to say goodbye to the past year, and ring in the new one. A chance to celebrate and reflect on the previous year, and to plan for the upcoming one. Whether considering business or personal goals, the new year holds forth the promise of growth, health and prosperity- and it’s the obvious time to regroup with new goals. Yet, often those new plans and aspirations fade (or are forgotten) as the year progresses. All too often, a New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.

What if there was a scientifically proven way to significantly increase the likelihood of increasing performance and meeting your goals? A method that works for companies or individuals. And what if this method was studied by scientists and repeatedly shown 90% of the time to lead to higher performance than those generalized “do-your-best” type goals? Would you be interested in applying these methods to your business or personal goals?

Professor Edwin A. Locke, has been studying goal-setting theory since the late 1960′s, and is currently the Dean’s Professor (Emeritus) of Leadership and Motivation at the R.H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Professor Locke has published extensively (has written over 290 chapters, notes and articles in professional journals), on such subjects as work motivation, job satisfaction and incentives. His name is synonymous with ”goal-setting theory”. In short, he’s a luminary in the field of performance and goal setting.

Locke and his associates found repeatedly that having clearly defined goals results in higher performance 90% of the time. And the good news is that the rules for successful goal setting are simple and can be followed by anyone. In fact, it’s likely something you already know, though may not be doing. Here are the aspects of goal setting which have been proven to significantly increase success:

Set your own goals (it’s not an effective strategy when someone else makes them for you).
Make the goals specific (i.e. “close $x sales by end of the quarter”, not “sell more”) and sufficiently challenging.
Incorporate feedback which pertains to your progress.
Include rewards for attaining the goals.
And finally, it’s best if the goals are pursued in a supportive environment (whether that be work or family).

Similarly, John Norcross, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Scranton, showed significant benefits of specific goal setting. Dr. Norcross found that people with real New Year’s resolutions are ten times more likely to succeed in meeting their goals, than people with only a casual intention (even with comparable motivation to change). In a competitive world where companies and individuals spend big money in the hopes of eeking out performance improvements of even single digit percentages, it’s worth repeating Dr. Norcross’ findings. You’re ten times more likely to meet your objectives if you have firm goals instead of generalized ones!

All of this research proves the huge benefits of setting specific goals. Yet, despite the research findings, experience tells me that the vast majority of folks do not have written objectives which include the aspects listed above. Whatever that small percentage is of people that do have such resolutions - make sure you’re one of them. You’ve got proven goal-setting science on your side showing huge performance improvements.

A New World (again)

by Tom Triumph on December 30, 2011 in Business, Life, Outlook with No comments

It’s certainly apparent that it’s a different world today than it was a few decades ago when I first started working. What is less readily apparent, is that it’s actually a different world today than it was even just one year ago.

For a lot of people, in a lot of places – it’s no longer “business as usual”. Major change is occuring right now somewhere across the globe, or even right in your own hometown. In fact, change is happening so quickly, and in such rapid succession, that it can seem like there’s something new and significant occuring all the time. Welcome to the new status quo. In just the past several months, major events included financial concerns in the U.S. (S&P downgrading U.S. debt for first time) and in Europe. The Arab Spring and the protests/revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. Protests of economic inequality starting in New York City as Occupy Wall Street and spreading to cities around the world. These are seismic shifts with potentially far-reaching consequences. And in the interconnected and interdependent new world – these changes will likely impact all of us.

Technology is helping move things along. It lets people communicate and band together like never before. Businesses (or governments) can no longer hide behind silence, official spokespersons or press releases. Thousands of text messages, tweets and photos sent from smart phones can quickly reach millions, and drown-out even the loudest PR. Ask Bank of America how their plans went to add the $5 debit card fee, or why Verizon reversed plans just yesterday (and less than 24 hours after the plans were announced) to drop the $2 they were going to charge customers for making payments via their mobile phones or online.

What can businesses (or governments) do to succeed? To start with – listen and respond to your customers or your citizens. Be a part of the intelligent conversation and stay engaged. And most of all - make improvements in your products, offerings and services. Change when necessary. Better yet, change before it’s necessary. The alternative is to fall behind as the world changes (again).

It’s a Wonderful Life

by Tom Triumph on December 22, 2011 in Life, Outlook with No comments

Frank Capra’s cinematic classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a great movie. Although it was made in 1946 it never seems outdated, and is a favorite of mine despite annual viewings. The main character is George Bailey, played by the endearing Jimmy Stewart, who runs the local Building & Loan. George is genuinely a “good guy”, and completely unaware as to how much he’s contributed to essentially everyone in his hometown of Bedford Falls. The storyline is a grand lesson in the positive aspects of “what goes around, comes around.”

Early in the movie, an economic panic results in the townspeople of Bedford Falls making a run on the Building & Loan to withdraw all their money. George tries explaining the financial interdependencies to the alarmed crowd by saying “You’re thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in a safe. The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house…right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred others. Why, you’re lending them the money to build, and then, they’re going to pay it back to you as best they can. Now what are you going to do? Foreclose on them?” To get the Building & Loan through this crisis, George puts up the money he’d saved for his honeymoon and cancels the trip. Catastrophe avoided.

Near the end of the movie, it’s years later and George needs the sum of $8,000 to save the Savings & Loan (the money was stolen by the town’s nemesis, a greedy and heartless character named Henry Potter). Fortunately, George’s many years of running the Building & Loan with a genuine concern for the people of Bedford Falls, results in a multitude of friends (customers) showing up and covering the debt, thereby saving the local institution.

Frank Capra, the Director of the movie, used a variety of characters, including a taxi driver, cop, soldier and a bumbling angel, to make the point that in good economic times as well in tough economic times – what goes around, comes around.

So the question is - how many endangered small businesses can you think of, which if in danger of being unfairly shut-down, would result in their customers rallying (with their money in hand to lend) to keep it open? By the way, $8,000 in 1946 would be worth approximately $96,000 today. Considering the question on a more personal level, how many friends would rush to your corner during tough times, and insist on giving their money or time to get you out of a jam?

And this leads to the bigger question for each of us – are we giving genuinely each day to our business, to our customers and to our friends?

Catch Wandering Ideas

by Tom Triumph on December 12, 2011 in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Life with 1 Comment

Ideas run through our minds all day long. In fact, it’s been estimated that people have approximately 50,000 thoughts per day. Many of those thoughts are relatively unimportant or repetitive. Like noticing the likelihood of rain as we step outside in the morning, or glancing at the time and realizing there are just 20 minutes until a meeting starts. Or making a mental note to buy eggs on the way home, or ask our child about their school assignment. Or to check the oil next time we get gas, send a letter, make a phone call… There are thousands of thoughts like these a day.

However, some of our thoughts are not so mundane. In fact, they may be new, big and impactful. Although a small percentage of the total, these are the ideas that if acted upon, can make a big difference in our lives and the lives of others.

Two habits can have a huge impact on helping us benefit from those big ideas – and both are readily doable with some discipline and practice. The first is to capture those important thoughts. Record those key ideas so they’re not lost along with the vast number of miscellaneous thoughts. A simple notepad can work as well as a mobile device. Experiment to learn what works for you, and make it a habit to record your big wandering ideas. And then revisit your ideas. Otherwise, you can be certain… they will get away.

The second habit is to increase the number of your thoughts beyond the mundane and into the realm of impactful. This can be done by setting aside some time to think constructively about a specific problem. Setting a goal of coming up with a few ideas on a particular topic. Or by providing some structure to your brainstorming by jotting things down on paper. Again, experiment to determine what works for you. And stick with it. All habits take time to take root.

With all those thousands of thoughts you’re having, there are guaranteed to be some great ones. Be sure to catch them.

It’s an iWorld

by Tom Triumph on December 7, 2011 in Innovation, Life, Outlook with No comments

Have been thinking quite a bit about the death of Steve Jobs, and the loss it was to the world. Steve was a massive force in driving innovative (and very usable) technology into the hands of millions of people around the world. And our lives are better because of his innumerable contributions. His work and passion impacted countless people, and truth be told – anyone present in the last thirty years was witness to a technology revolution. I suggest reading the recent book “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson – as it is quite a story.

In some ways, the past couple decades were like being present at the dawn of a new era. The personal computer, intuitive software, digital music players allowing thousands of songs in your pocket, the internet and its seemingly infinite reach, smart phones with an array of functionality - these products gave utility to a tomorrow previously envisioned in sci-fi books, magazines and movies about the future. Steve was one of the leaders creating this new world. And he and others at Apple cared tremendously about their work, sweated the details and made great products.

My first Mac was purchased in 1984 (a “fatmac” loaded with extra memory for a total of 512k). And while Jobs was at NeXT, I fedexed him a prototype product from a small consumer electronics company I was trying to get off the ground. The closest I got to meeting him was a quick hand-shake after one of his product launches. I was (and continue to be) just another admirer and user of his products.

The Apple products were more than new technology, they provided awesome functionality along with elegant design. For these reasons, the impact Jobs and Apple had on our lives was more than just using the products. It was a philosphy. In fact, when trying to convey to my kids the importance of caring about work and delivering quality product (or homework), I probably used the example of Apple a couple too many times. When my son had a project due in his high school physics class that was to be mechanical in nature, I challenged him to do something more challenging than a “balloon car” - which he said alot of other kids were doing. So after bouncing around various ideas, we came up with a rubber-band powered weed wacker. Over the course of a couple weeks, he sketched it out, and we constructed it mainly from 3 inch PVC pipe. The device was about 6 1/2 feet long, and used thick surgical latex tubing (as a giant rubber band inside the PVC pipe) which was wound by a crank at the top. Sliding a handle disengaged a rotating disc at the bottom, which would then begin spinning rapidly – whipping the orange trim line so fast it couldn’t be seen. He named it the iCut. In the end, it looked more like a proof-of-concept device than a sleek lawn-maintenance product. But it did work, and emitted a muffled hum as the powerful “rubber band” unwound while visciously whipping the trim line – even if briefly before winding down.

That story says as much about the impact Steve Jobs had on my family, as do the several Apple products in use at the house. There’s something to be said for trying to make something pretty cool that works. And for a couple weeks, it inspired my son to brainstorm and build, and maybe planted a seed of doing so in the future.

My son gave his presentation on the iCut to his physics class on morning of October 5th 2011. As it turned out, later that same day Steve Jobs died in California.

Help Your Business in the Gray

by Tom Triumph on November 13, 2011 in Business, Uncategorized with No comments

Here’s an idea. To operate more in the black, sometimes businesses need to operate more effectively in the gray. By “gray”, I’m not suggesting shady business dealings or questionable practices. Rather, I mean those ambiguous areas that occasionally (and inevitably) arise between departments or internal people, or between a customer and the business. It could be handling an innovative marketing idea when it’s suggested by someone in engineering. Or dealing satisfactorily with an unusual customer situation. In any case, these occurances happen outside “business-as-usual”, aren’t addressed in the company handbook and are not quite a black and white matter.

Businesses need to train their employees as to when (and how) to occassionally deviate from their business-as-usual practices when it makes sense. We’ve all experienced those situations when applying the normal business rules only exacerbates the problem, and results in a dissatisfied customer and less revenue to the company. Ironically, when these situations occur, it’s often apparent to all parties that something is awry. Yet, if the company representative doesn’t have the authority (or the training) to deviate – the end result is “lose-lose”.

Here’s an example. My week-long business trip was extended by a week, so I called the car rental company and the customer service rep quickly made the change over the phone. He explained that the additional days would be added to the rental charge, but that there was no penalty cost for extending the agreement. However when I returned the rental car to the airport, in addition to the extended rental cost of approximately $1,200, there was in fact a penalty of $15/day for the extra days. While I explained that their customer service rep stated over the phone that there would not be a penalty, the desk agent countered that since it was not noted, that he had no authority to deviate from charging the penalty. So, while the company got a little extra revenue that time, I’ll use a different rental company next time.

So, how do organizations better train their employees to navigate in the gray areas? A start would be by using case studies of real-world examples, sharing knowledge/stories/experiences among the customer service reps, teaching the nuances between what’s good and bad business, and then giving employees some lattitude to do what they think is best.

It would take some time and resources. But even if these “gray” situations occur just a few times out of a hundred, in a world where everything counts, those percentage points can be the difference between an average company and an excellent company. Between a disgruntled customer and an outstanding customer experience. Between being in the gray and being in the black.

Show Your Appreciation

by Tom Triumph on October 6, 2011 in Business, Life, Outlook, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

There is understandably a lot of attention within the business community on showing appreciation to the customer. That makes sense, since they’re the ones paying your bills. But there’s a much bigger circle of humanity that makes up your world. Family and friends for sure. But also taxi cab drivers, waiters, gas station attendants, grocery clerks - and even strangers.

Why not show your appreciation as you go through your day. I’ve never seen a trade-off study on the topic, but my guess is saying “thank you” has no negatives. Think about it – it’s easy, there’s no supply limitation, you don’t need a special occassion – and it’s free. Most importantly – and we all know this first hand – it’s always appreciated by the recipient. Despite all those attributes, it’s probably safe to say that saying “thank you” - isn’t said often enough. In fact, I’m sure it’s all to common for many folks to go through their entire day – without hearing a single word of appreciation.

While switching terminals the other day at the Atlanta airport, there happened to be a large group of perhaps 40 new US Navy sailors walking together and past me in the other direction. The group made quite an impression, as much due to their bright white pressed service uniforms as to their youthful faces. As they walked past a gate crowded with people that were waiting to board a jet, a single passenger said “thank you for serving” and put his hands together to give an encouraging clap as the group walked by. A couple other people turned their heads to look at the sailors and similarly clapped their hands. Within just a few seconds, the eyes of every person waiting at the gate were on the sailors as they walked two abreast in their white service uniforms, and every single person in that section of the airport was loudly applauding together.

The clapping lasted just several seconds, but the spontenaity and collective emotion of the occurance sent a palpable pulse of energy resounding down the terminal. It was wasn’t just nice to see, it was great to see!

Just ten minutes later, I was standing in line to get a burrito, and two of the Navy sailors entered the line behind me. We struck up a brief conversation and I learned that they entire group had just completed their eight weeks of boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. As you might expect, they were among the most polite and respectful people you’d imagine. They explained that many of them had recently finished high school just a few months previously, and after graduating boot camp, were now flying out to different locations in the country to start their naval careers.

Following the crowds example earlier, I thanked them for their service – and then I promptly bought them their first lunch.

Three Types of People

by Tom Triumph on September 21, 2011 in Life, Outlook, Uncategorized with No comments

Had the pleasure of seeing Jeffrey Gitomer last Friday in Tampa, Florida. He was giving a presentation on building business momentum, and as usual – it was great. Humorous, entertaining, straight-forward and helpful in a pragmatic real-world way. Pure Gitomer all morning. You can learn more about Jeffrey and watch some of his videos here.

Although he focuses on the sales function, the wisdom is applicable to pretty much everyone – assuming you interact with other people. If you’ve not read one of his excellent books, I recommend going online or down to the local book store and getting one. Also, check-out when he’s coming to your area and attend if you’re able – as it will be time and money well spent.

I’ve heard him speak previously, and some of what he said this time was a repeat from a couple years ago. But the reality is, a lot of what I heard two years ago had not been put into practice, or was forgotten - so whatever was repeated was actually appreciated.

By mid-morning, Jeffrey was on a roll and riffing about business, selling, marketing, people and life. At one point, he quoted the line about “There are three kinds of people in this world; those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who wonder what the hell happened.” Funny for sure. And the crowd laughed in unison at the punch line. Of course every one of the estimated 400 people present was intent on being in the group of folks that “make things happen”.

Later that day while driving back to the office in the quiet of my car - I wondered, ”now which kind of person am I exactly”? As in… really.

The short answer (and quickly realized) – is that I’m all three. Thank goodness there isn’t a way to actually review how much time was spent in each category, but regardless – it was obvious with just a bit of reflection that there has been too much time spent in the “watching” and the “what the hell” categories.

Of course, nobody really can be categorized so simply into wholly one type or the other. Life is organic and can be messy, and everyone knows there are definitely some surprises in store. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts otherwise, we’ll be blind-sided and seemingly clueless as to what just happened. But Gitomer’s joke did make a point.

So, maybe by just remembering the humorous line and those three simple categories along the continuum, it’ll result in a little more personal engagement. A reminder for more personal responsibility to actively understand and participate. Doesn’t mean you’ll always be calling the shots at work or life, but it will mean less time being shocked and surprised.