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Month: January 2020

Why Would You Stop Selling a Lucrative Product?

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As I contemplated the strong response last week’s issue generated, I explored more of Simon Sinek‘s work.


Here’s a story of CVS, the big pharmacy company, eliminating tobacco sales. The hit to revenue would be $4 billion per year. A smart move? The financial pundits didn’t think so. They look at monthly or quarterly numbers as finite outcomes.
Sinek suggests that business, and life, are infinite games.


CVS’ motto was, “Helping people on their path to better health.” How does that fit with selling cigarettes? Their leaders decided it didn’t!


CVS’ earnings per share dropped initially by almost 10%. A year later, EPS had increased by 70% from just before they announced their decision.


Business decisions that align with one’s purpose work! Business is an infinite game! What happens next month, next quarter, next year, matters less than what happens in the longer term.

All around us are examples of people or companies winning by making courageous decisions. Examples:

  • CVS’ decision to stop selling tobacco – 70% improvement in EPS.
  • Our colonial forefathers’ switch from communal production to an individual incentive system. The flagging economy came to life!
  • Chobani Yogurt’s immigrant CEO challenged established business rules. A failed yogurt producer saved! (Here’s that story).
  • W.L. Gore (maker of Gore-Tex) operates with no assigned managers (Read about that here).

Uncourageous short-sighted decisions, with disastrous results, are also legend:

  • VW doctoring emissions test results. Very expensive, CEO fired!
  • Boeing rushing the 737X to market, short cutting pilot training requirements. The jury’s still out on that one – it could kill the company.
  • Theranos’ “Ponzi” scheme (Here’s Wikipedia’s summary of that story – it did kill the company.)

My friend and mentor Brian Tracy says (paraphrased): “Following the leader may work out. Following the follower is usually disastrous! It’s best to be the leader”.

“What” Drives Us to Buy Something?

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Simon Sinek is an author, visionary thinker and “unshakable optimist”. 


My search for high performance teams and people brought me to this  wonderful TED Talk. Sinek explores what makes people or companies stand out among their peers. The talk is 18 minutes long, longer than I like to send you to. 


It’s entertaining.


It’s inspiring and unique in its “discovery”. (True visionaries among you may be less surprised.) 


I think it’s worth the time. I hope you agree.


He asks:

  • Why is Apple so creative and consistently a leader in the computer business? Others have access to the same resources Apple has. Except for one!
  • Why could Martin Luther King Jr. attract a quarter of a million people to listen to him? Others had equal or better speaking talents and ideas, access to marketing resources, etc. Except for one!
  • Why did the Wright Brothers succeed in powered controlled flight? Samuel Langley failed, working with better funding, better education, more resources of all sorts. Except for one!

Other similar examples abound. Mahatma Gandhi, Mustang vs. Edsel, The Beatles, come to mind.


In Sinek’s talk he suggests that, in your marketing, you should answer:

  1. WHY do you do what you do?
  2. HOW do you do what you do?
  3. WHAT do you do?

In that order. Many people get that exactly backwards. They explain what they do. They may then explain how they do it. Some may even explain why they do it. 


Simon discusses the biological processes in the human brain. How they correlate with his recommended strategy. Why they don’t correlate with much of the marketing out there.


Next he talks about the law of diffusion of innovation. Why and when innovators, early adopters, majorities, and “laggards” buy things. 


Along the way, he entertains you!


I leave it to Simon Sinek to entertain you! While he entertains you he’ll explain why and how  all this works.   Enjoy!

How to Advance in Business?

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You’ve likely heard the advice from a coach or a self-improvement gal or guy. 


Emulate the position you aspire to.

Dress for two levels above your current position!

Rub elbows with people at that level!

Strive to act and sound like you’re there!

All well and good – up to a point. Following that advice can get you in trouble, for a couple of reasons. 


For one, you’re likely to alienate the people you need to get along with now.


Then there’s the issue of authenticity. We’ve talked often about the importance of being your authentic self. The “emulate” advice could lead you to “put on airs” – to act like someone you’re not. No matter how good an actor you are, you can’t carry this on very long. Inauthentic behavior causes inner conflict for you, and others see right through it.

Here,  Jessica Stillman relates  advice from Melinda Gates and Oprah Winfrey. These too women have obviously done some things right! It usually pays to listen to such people. Both have suggested that being the person you are is vital to success. Anything else will lead to trouble. For you internally, and for your career. Oprah talked in more detail  here about the experience she alludes to.


Enjoy Jessica’s article. Be the most authentic version of yourself you can be!

How Will You, or Your Prospect, Choose a Coach?

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Dennis Hooper  understands employees, relationships and how people work together. In large organizations, and in small ones. His experience includes 30 years in large company HR management and 5 years with his own small business. All that has prepared him for 10 years (so far) of leadership coaching. And he has several certifications to back that up.

Dennis knows what he’s talking about when it comes to selecting a coach. That’s what we’ll explore this week. For many business people, deciding to hire a coach in the first place is difficult. If you’re a coach, you know how much people agonize over the decision. Dennis’s article could often be a valuable resource for you to offer your prospects. 

If you’re not a coach you may be, or perhaps should be, considering hiring a coach. I recommend it! Here’s an article I wrote a  couple of years ago about that. Then if you so desire, you can check out Dennis’ article to consider how to select a coach.


In making this decision, people ask:

  • How will a coach help me get better results?
  • How much sensitive and personal information must I divulge to a coach?
  • What if I find I don’t trust the coach I hire?
  • How much will a coach cost?

When someone has found answers to those questions, how will he or she decide what coach to hire? Even if some questions remain less than fully answered, one might decide (rightly I believe) that a coach will help clear things up. Any coach will be happy to talk with you before you hire him or her.


In his excellent examination of the important considerations in selecting a coach, Dennis discusses five issues to explore:

  • References
  • Competence
  • Desire to serve
  • Commitment
  • Chemistry

For each he talks about why the factor is important and how to learn what you need to know about your candidates.


Enjoy Dennis’ article. I hope you find it valuable.

Like to Talk? Like for People to Listen to You?

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Relationships are fundamental to life. In fact, they define your life.


Solid relationships depend on real conversations. Two (or more) people, preferably face to face. Or at least in a live exchange by telephone, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, or whatever real-time tool you prefer. 


Text or email messages are  data exchanges,  not conversations. 


A conversation means real persons exchanging ideas in real time. One person speaks, the other responds within a few seconds.


Glassdoor recently named Celeste Headlee as having the #1 must-watch TED talk for every recruiter and hiring manager. Here’s that talk. It  offers ten excellent tips for engaging in meaningful and enjoyable (for everyone!) conversations. The video runs just over 11 minutes.


Some of Celeste’s suggestions debunk some common advice you’ve probably heard. She discusses ways to show you’re paying attention. She says: If you are paying attention, you don’t need to do anything else to show you’re paying attention!


Celeste says other hallmarks of good conversation include:

  • Honesty – If you don’t know for sure, skip it, or admit you’re not sure.
  • Brevity – Skip unimportant details. Nothing is more boring to your audience than dates, names, etc. that add nothing to your message.
  • Clarity – Think about what you’ll say, and how you’ll say it, so you make it crystal-clear.
  • Listening – Paying close attention to what others say – to learn, not to formulate a reply.
  • Prepare to be amazed!

You can learn more about Celeste here.


Enjoy Celeste’s lively presentation, and think about what you can do to improve your conversations. 


Better conversations will improve your relationships, and that will improve your life!