I've Been Thinking...

About the new year - a new president, a new outlook and a need for a renewed sense of “yes we can” optimism. Because of some very difficult national and international situations, 2009 will require us to make more personal sacrifices, end wasting natural resources, change how we interact with others around the world and learn to live within our means. Our world has changed, and though our first tendency may be to focus on the downside and its limitations, the better approach is to use each of these circumstances as look for opportunities. These situations remind us that to be successful, we must think on our feet, be nimble and involve the eyes, ears and brains of all of our employees to respond. In 2009, organizations must learn to be on a constant hunt for opportunities. It will be in our opportunistic response that we will solve our financial crisis, learn to live more appreciatively on our planet, reinvent our businesses, and maybe even learn how to live with our neighbors.

This month in the Take Action section below, I introduce the highlights of my article, The Hunt for Opportunities. It introduces five ways organizations can use all events as a basis for opportunity-thinking. In 2009, the way to ensure “yes we can” optimism is to train employees to watch for, invent and respond to opportunities.

To help all organizations be more proactive in today’s recession, I have prepared the Humanetrics’ Hunt for Opportunities Pack. This pack will help you learn how to observe, assess and evaluate your organization for opportunities. To get your copy of the Hunt for Opportunities Pack, send me an e-mail (jay.forte@humanetricsllc.com) with “Opportunities Pack” in the subject line and I will send you the PDF file. This Pack will be added to Humanetrics website during January.

Wishing you a successful and “opportunity-rich” 2009.

We work with managers who want to be more successful at activating and inspiring exceptional employee performance, to significantly drive customer loyalty and improve company profitability.

Take Action

The Hunt for Opportunities

Many times, regardless of how effectively we plan, some things just fail. The dinner party that should have been great based on the planning, but the meal was a disaster. The meeting’s presentation that was well prepared, then the equipment failed. Or, in spite of great planning and diligent saving, the arrival of today’s recession that shrunk the retirement account by nearly half. These challenging situations define our days. Some curse and yell; others see them for the opportunities they present. Inaugural Poet Maya Angelou writes, “I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” Failures, changes and unexpected events have the ability to either destroy or advance; it is in our outlook and response that allows us to turn these failures into opportunities.

Thomas Alva Edison experienced repeated failures. His true success was not his invention of the light bulb, but rather his tenacity and outlook that believed failures were a means to gain new information and new perspectives. Our most successful employees are not those who land on their feet after every project or event; instead, they are those who have the persistence and optimism to learn from difficulty and use what they learn to re-imagine, recreate and re-experiment. They are the ones who have learned to be positive and to constantly hunt for opportunities.

Organizations that hunt for opportunities have the following qualities:

They create, support and live a culture that teaches, inspires and encourages employees to look for the opportunity in every event. Failures are unparalleled opportunities to reinvent success. Occasional failures show that employees are pushing performance to the edge. As Tom Peters states, “A without a screw up is a day without enough reach.” These workplaces encourage their employees to focus on the positive; they create a culture that is open, free thinking, and believes “yes we can.”
They commit the time and effort to help employees learn their strengths and use them to develop opportunity-thinking. Each of us has the potential to be great at certain things; we each have intrinsic talents and strengths. They focus their hunt for opportunities in their talent and strengths areas, areas in which they have the greatest insight.
They focus on learning and actively solicit input from everyone. Organizations that hunt for opportunities are always learning, asking great questions and are exceptional listeners. They regularly ask, “how about,” or, “what if.” They assess what they hear; they consider everything. They then share what they hear with their teams to expand their hunt for opportunities.
They focus on exponential, not incremental, opportunities. All discussions of opportunities are directed to significant, not average, results. They use the information they glean about the market, customer, strengths and trends to consider opportunities that have the potential to be significant.
They share success with everyone. Today’s best ideas are not uniquely resident in management. Organizations that hunt for opportunities realize that opportunity-thinking must happen at every level. Therefore, all successes are openly shared and celebrated. Failures are communicated to inspire employees to rethink, redefine and reinvent.

In today’s uncertain recessionary period, successful organizations have mobilized their teams to be on the hunt for opportunities. It may be in a retail store that creates a new and more “hip” line of products that are less expensive to deal with reductions in consumer spending. It may be a restaurant that now opens at lunch, creates a mobile delivery van, or a special take-out section, to appeal to a changed demographic. It may be a community college that offers courses in basic money management or living on a budget to accommodate the needs of local families, negatively affected by the recession.

Some people are distracted or discouraged by failure and change. Others see these as opportunities for greater success. This perspective is encouraged and supported in a culture that is on a constant hunt for ways to be better and to add value. Not only can the hunt for opportunities increase your success, but it may help you invent the next product, service or idea the rest of us cannot live without.

We learn how to hunt for opportunities in January

This month, we begin review how to hunt for opportunities. Today’s world requires us to turn over every rock, challenge existing perspectives and watch everything with a new set of eyes. Each day in our BLOGucation section, I will offer ways to help you and your team, develop the skills and attitude to be an opportunity-hunter; it may be in your approach to service, to gathering information, or to paying employees. Connect to BLOGucation each day. Send in your thoughts; we’ll start a robust discussion and create an Idea Center to summarize our ideas to help all organizations activate their employees to be on a constant hunt for opportunities.

Due out in February 2009!

Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition; How to Invite, Incite and Ignite Employee Performance by Jay Forte

This new resource for managers introduces “how to” activate extraordinary performance from today’s intellectual-age employees. Learn how to implement the complete and proven Fire Up! ProcessSM that shows managers, through practical information, exercises and activities, how to attract, hire, and retain high performing employees. Watch for more information and how to download free chapters, or to order your copy, on FireUpYourEmployees.com.

Contact Humanetrics to learn how to create a passionate workforce that drives your success; we not only know what to do but specialize in helping you learn HOW to do it. Big results are always our focus. Contact us to schedule your 2-day Fire Up program; it is an investment in your greatest asset - the intellectual capital (thinking and loyalty) of your employees.

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