communication

The Audience Arc: A Balancing Act for Success

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

Master the balancing act of needs using the Audience Arc

In today’s dynamic business landscape, navigating an “audience arc” is crucial for driving high-impact initiatives. This arc applies to any scenario where you need to engage different levels of your organization. Regardless of your situation, there are three core entities to consider as your craft solutions for your customers:

  • The Enterprise: The overarching goals and vision of the organization.
  • The Team: The collective effort and expertise of your department or project group.
  • The Individuals: The unique perspectives and motivations of each person involved.

Now, here’s a powerful framework that can elevate your success:

The Balancing Act: Decisiveness with Context Meets Collaboration for Innovation

Part 1: Decisiveness/Smart Risk-Taking vs. Organizational Navigation/Collaboration

Effective leadership requires a delicate balance. On one hand, you need to be decisive and willing to take calculated risks. However, it’s equally important to navigate the organizational landscape effectively. Collaborative decision-making that considers various viewpoints can lead to stronger results and increased buy-in.

Part 2: Honoring the Past While Embracing the Future

Balancing Tradition with Innovation:

  • Past: Respect What’s Been Done Before: Building on past successes and learning from previous experiences is crucial. Ask yourself, “Has someone already tackled this challenge? Can we leverage their efforts?”
  • Future: Embrace Innovation and Learning: Don’t be afraid to break new ground and experiment. Every situation presents opportunities to learn and push the boundaries.

Conclusion: Mastering the Audience Arc

By understanding the audience arc, consistently creating delicate balance between decisiveness and collaboration, tradition and innovation, you can navigate your way to success in any situation. Winning strategies require considering all three entities – the enterprise, the team, and the individuals. Remember, it’s all about finding the sweet spot between calculated risks and well-coordinated execution. So go forth, analyze, diagnose, plan, and lead your team to high-impact success!

Get Your Personal Brand On: Communicate Your Unique Value in 8 words or less

/ Susan Hendrich / 1 Comment

Every day is a new chance to “ride the elevator” with someone who can change your life by opening a door to your next career opportunity. Are you ready for those few seconds? Do you have your personal brand defined? Can you deliver it in a single statement—-using 8 words or less?

If you yearn for that breakthrough moment that propels you toward your dreams, here is a simple act you can take: Imagine having a laser-focused personal branding message that not only captivates attention but compels action. Can you see yourself confidently sharing your passion, purpose, and value, leaving a lasting impact on anyone you meet? That’s the magic of a well-crafted Personal Brand Story.

To craft an effective personal brand story, follow these steps:

  1. Discover and Reflect: Name your strengths, values, skills, passions, and key experiences. Consider what makes you unique and what you’re truly passionate about. Reflect on your accomplishments and the impact you want to have. Answer questions like:
    • What do I excel at? What are my strengths?
    • What are my core values and beliefs?
    • What am I most passionate about in my work or life?
    • What problems can I solve or needs can I fulfill?
    • How have my experiences shaped who I am today?
  2. Define Your Value Proposition: Based on your self-reflection, identify the unique value you bring to the table. Consider how your strengths, skills, and passions align with the needs of your target audience. Your value proposition should succinctly answer questions like:
    • How can I contribute positively?
    • What benefits do I provide to others?
    • What sets me apart from others in my field?
  3. Craft your Statement: Now, it’s time to put it all together into a concise, high-impact statement. Your personal brand statement should be clear, authentic, and memorable. Here’s a formula to guide you:
    • Adjective + Noun + Action + Impact: Use an adjective to describe yourself, followed by a noun that represents your expertise or field. Then, add an action verb that highlights what you do, and finally, convey the impact or benefit you create.
    • Here are some examples:
      • Dynamic Marketing Strategist igniting brands for explosive growth
      • Expert Storytelling Coach unlocking confidence through onstage magic
      • Innovative Training Leader driving a high-impact learning culture
      • Creative Graphic Designer visualizing your best branding
  4. Edit and Refine: Write down multiple versions of your personal brand statement and refine them. Keep it concise, ideally in one sentence. Even better if you can get it to just a phrase or three words. Test it out on friends, mentors, or colleagues to gather feedback. Here’s mine:
    • Light Shiner: Building leaders by illuminating strengths
  5. Align with Authenticity: Your personal brand statement should authentically represent you and what you stand for. Make sure it resonates with who you are and how you want to be perceived.
  6. Adapt for Different Contexts: Tailor your personal brand statement for different situations. You might have a slightly different version for your LinkedIn profile, resume, elevator pitch, or networking events.
  7. Regularly Review and Update: As you grow and evolve, your personal brand statement may need adjustments. Regularly revisit and update it to ensure it remains aligned with your journey and aspirations.

Remember, your personal brand statement is a dynamic representation of your identity, strengths, and aspirations. It should communicate your unique value and leave a lasting impression on those who encounter it.

So, what’s it gonna be? Get your Brand On!

Gemba Kaizen: Unleash the Power of Continuous Improvement

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

Gemba Kaizen: Unleashing the Power of Continuous Improvement

Let’s explore an extraordinary concept that can revolutionize your approach to leadership by focusing continuous improvement—-but not the “big, sweeping changes” kind of leadership. It’s time to unlock the secrets of Gemba Kaizen, a philosophy that empowers leaders to create positive change right where it matters the most – the gemba, the frontline of their organizations.

What is Gemba Kaizen?

Gemba Kaizen is a Japanese term that translates to “continuous improvement at the actual workplace.” It emphasizes the importance of going to the source, observing processes, and collaborating with employees to drive incremental, sustainable improvements. Gemba Kaizen is not just a methodology; it’s a way of thinking and a catalyst for transformative leadership.

Tip 1: Embrace the Gemba:

To harness the power of Gemba Kaizen, leaders must immerse themselves in the gemba. This means stepping out of their “offices” and into the frontline of their organizations. By personally experiencing the realities of the workplace, leaders gain invaluable insights into the challenges faced by their teams and can actively participate in problem-solving. You may have heard this called, “Management By Walking Around,” or MBWA. There’s an added bonus to this kind of leadership. By being present—literally—with your teams, you see firsthand what they face. And they learn to associate your presence with simply being there, rather than, “Oh no, the boss is here, must be something wrong.”

Tip 2: Empower Your Team:

Gemba Kaizen recognizes that the most valuable improvement ideas come from those closest to the work. To foster a culture of continuous improvement, leaders must empower their teams to voice their ideas, concerns, and suggestions freely. Encourage open communication channels and create a safe space for employees to contribute their expertise and creativity. Make it clear that tiny, incremental changes are welcomed and valued. It is these individual stones, after all, that help to construct—and repair—the great castles.

Tip 3: Foster Collaboration:

Leadership is not a solitary endeavor. Gemba Kaizen thrives on collaboration and cross-functional cooperation. Break down silos, encourage departments to work together, and facilitate dialogue between teams. By fostering collaboration, leaders can leverage diverse perspectives and tap into collective wisdom, leading to innovative solutions and improved outcomes. Send ambassadors in from one team to another, encouraging outside-the-usual thinking.

Tip 4: Practice Active Listening:

To be an effective Gemba Kaizen leader, one must be an active listener. Take the time to engage in meaningful conversations with employees at all levels. Listen attentively to their ideas, concerns, and feedback without judgment. By truly hearing what your team has to say, you will uncover invaluable insights that can fuel positive change.

Tip 5: Lead by Example:

Leadership is not about giving orders from the top; it’s about setting the example. Embody the principles of Gemba Kaizen by actively participating in improvement initiatives, supporting problem-solving efforts, and demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning. By leading from the front, you inspire your team to embrace a culture of continuous improvement.

Tip 6: Encourage Experimentation:

Gemba Kaizen thrives on experimentation. Encourage your team to think outside the box, take calculated risks, and test new ideas. Emphasize that failure is an opportunity for learning and growth rather than a setback. By creating a safe environment for experimentation, you foster innovation and unlock the full potential of your team.

Now it’s time to try Gemba Kaizen:

Gemba Kaizen is a transformative approach to leadership that empowers you to make a tangible impact on your organization’s frontline. By embracing the gemba, empowering your team, fostering collaboration, practicing active listening, leading by example, and encouraging experimentation, you can unlock a world of continuous improvement and unleash the true potential of your organization.

Remember, true leadership is not about grand gestures; it’s about the small, incremental improvements made every day. Embrace Gemba Kaizen, and together, let’s create a culture of continuous improvement that propels us toward a brighter, more prosperous future.

Want to learn more about Gemba Kaizen? Try Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy, by Masaaki Imai.

The Four Agreements: Unlocking Your Best Self

/ Susan Hendrich / Leave a comment

Sometimes a book can change your life. The Four Agreements, by Don miguel Ruiz changed mine.

This international bestseller takes less than an hour read, and provides a simple (not easy) roadmap for releasing long patterns of self-judgment, worry, and self-limiting beliefs.

The Four Agreements are:

  1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.
  2. Don’t Take Anything Personally.
  3. Don’t Make Assumptions.
  4. Always Do Your Best.

A few thoughts:

Carpe Momentum: Two tips to accelerate success

/ Susan Hendrich / 2 Comments

“I could be so successful, if only I had more time…”

Have you ever started the sentence, “If only I had more time…” then finished that sentence with realization that you would fill that extra time with more hassled, stressful tasks that would leave you even more exhausted than you already are?

Time, precious time

Author Harvey Mackay says that time is the one commodity that we can’t reproduce, alter, capture or revisit. We each have the same quantity of time on a given day, day after day. How we use that time makes all the difference.

Think about the Food Network television show, “Chopped,” where several chefs open a mystery box with a tiny window of time and a mission to create fabulous food fare. Invariably, one contestant groans as the clock runs out and Chef Ted shouts, “Time’s up!”  The contestant stares at the unfinished dish below and states as if it’s the first time this has ever happened, “I ran out of time” as their reason for not including all of the required ingredients on their plate, or for not cooking their dish to the judges’ satisfaction. Each chef had the same ingredients, the same cookingtimesup station, the same pantry, and the same amount of time. Why were the other chefs able to finish on time with the intended delicious outcome, while Joe/Jane Too-Late is standing with a raw slab of pork on the station?

So how to make the most of this precious, limited resource? How do super-successful time managers seem to breeze through tasks and still have time to show up at the kids’ soccer games or catch a concert in the park?  Continue reading →