I highly recommend Made to Stick to those who want to get their business messages across more effectively.  What if people remembered what you had to say and acted on it—wouldn't that be great? What if people not only remembered and acted, but told hundreds of others who also acted and told? Now you are really getting somewhere!

Brothers Chip Heath (an educational consultant and publisher) and Dan Heath (a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Business School) combine to develop Malcolm Gladwell's point about "stickiness."  To help you understand what they have in mind, the book Made to Stick includes a reference to the urban tale of the man who ends up in a bathtub packed with ice missing his kidney after accepting a drink from a beautiful woman. That story, while untrue, has virtually universal awareness. Many other untrue stories do too, especially those about what someone found in a fast food meal.

The authors put memorable and quickly forgotten information side-by-side to make the case for six factors (in combination) making the difference between what is memorable or "sticky" and what is not. The six factors are:

1. Simplicity (too many ideas is too many)
2. Unexpectedness (a surprise grabs our attention)
3. Concreteness (more details result in sticky hooks to create a connecting memory)
4. Credibility (even untrue stories don't stick unless there's a hint of truth)
5. Incite Emotions in Listeners (personal emotional hooks lead to memory retention)
6. Combine Messages in Stories (information is more memorable and evocative in a story form)

An example of a non-sticky idea is the coined phrase, "Maximize Shareholder Value." While that term has become almost ever-present in CEO and CFO suites, it has not transferred into a tangible, common-man meaning or usage.  The authors use that term in the book as an example of a communication that has not stuck broadly.

One of the sections I liked best is found on pages 247-249 where the authors take common communication problems and recommend what to do about them (such as how to get people to pay attention to your message). That is the most valuable part of the book. It integrates the individual points very effectively and succinctly.

I would also like to praise the book's cover designer for doing such a good job of simulating a piece of duct tape on the dust jacket. That feature adds to the stickiness of this book.

So…how's business?...and what are WE doing about it?

Like most search firms and small companies, we are finding ways to cut expenses, while keeping ourselves in a ready position to take on more business when the economy turns around.  We are doing assignments mostly in the non-profit, education and religious arena. We love the work, but our business model works best when we are doing half our work in the business world. We are looking forward to 2010, believing that there will be an uptick in business.

We always welcome opportunities to be of service, but during this time we find offering creative solutions and some flexibility with fees may be appropriate.  Please let us know how we can be of assistance.

Success in any Job Should be About Effectiveness

When a fellow board member, a hospital administrator, told me about "Management By Strengths," I had to know more.  It's simple…it's logical…it works.  If we know how the person we wish to communicate with processes information and if we adjust to that style, our effectiveness is maximized.  See the following article by our Guest Columnist, Mike Postlewait of Kansas City.

How to Eliminate Interpersonal Stress in Your Life
by Mike Postlewait

A friend on Facebook posted "Work is tough enough on its own, without this poor economy making it twice as hard to succeed!"  Economic stress is a double-edged sword.  In addition to affecting our bottom line, it can also amplify stresses that we have in our relationships with our coworkers, customers, friends and family.

Stress by its very nature saps our energy and makes us less productive. The good thing is, some forms of stress are "optional," and we can choose not to let them affect us.  The next few paragraphs may not turn the global economy around, but we at MBS can show you steps that you can take to reduce stress in arguably the most critical part of your business … the people part of your business.  The relationships that you have with your coworkers and customers directly affect your business' productivity and profitability.

Recently our client Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines.  Delta has used the Management By Strengths (MBS) program since the mid 1990's to strengthen teamwork and reduce misunderstanding with their mechanics, pilots and other employees.  "Strengthen teamwork and reduce misunderstanding" or a simpler way to put it … Reduce Stress. They are currently training their "merged" culture in MBS relationship skills to improve communication and teamwork.

What are they learning at Delta?  In a nutshell … Not everybody on the same job is the same.  Some people are direct and candid, some people are talkative and outgoing, others are laid back and some are urgent, some people are careful perfectionists and others fly by the seat of their pants.  And you need to interact with all of them.  If we fail to take into consideration people's differing temperament and communication styles, it leads to misunderstandings, which results in unnecessary stress.

So what do you do? 

• Stop focusing inward and start focusing outward...Be proactive.
• Be considerate and understanding of the other person's style and point of view.
• Don't allow HOW they say something affect how you receive WHAT they say. 
• Adjust!

Believe it or not, people don't get up in the morning thinking of ways that they can offend you and thus make doing their own job more difficult.  Don't be offended or turned off by:

… the person who comes across rude or abrupt.  That's the Direct person.  They often use few words to get their point across.  They focus on results and do not want to offend you, thus making achieving their results more difficult.  You just took their comment personally when it wasn't meant to be.

… the person who talks a lot and prefers to meet and discuss rather than send an email.  That's the Extrovert.  They bounce ideas off you and value your feedback. Really, they don't need a lot of interaction…they just need to be in the loop.  They are the natural team player in TEAMwork.

… the person who is laid back and doesn't seem interested in what needs to be done.  That's the Paced person.  OF COURSE THEY'RE INTERESTED!  They want to succeed just like you. Many professional athletes have the Paced temperament.  It cracks me up to listen to football announcers that marvel at the All Pro Linebacker who's just the nicest guy off the field, calm and composed.  But on the field he's a terror.

… the person who always asks WHY?? Who's inflexible when changes need to be made.  That's the Structured person who needs to make sure it's done RIGHT. Psstt, psstt … that's a good thing!! Their focus is on the details and ensuring quality so don't let their questions and caution bother you.

The bottom line is that everybody isn't just like us.  Ignoring people's temperaments unintentionally adds misunderstanding and stress to our lives.  We can eliminate some of the interpersonal stress in our life by starting with one person that we deal with on a regular basis.  Make the decision to treat that person correctly on purpose…by appealing to his or her temperament.  It's up to you.

To learn more about the four natural temperament traits and discover "What color are you?" go to www.strengths.com.

Mike Postlewait
President
Management By Strengths, Inc.
Office: 913-393-2525

A Case study:
Terminating a CEO who Lacks Leadership for the Future
By Bruce Dingman

For most people it can be tough to terminate someone.  Especially when the employee is doing a good job and the company cares deeply about how it treats its people.  Such was a recent case.

The ownership was a holding company with a long history of little turnover and a reputation of treating people like family…really caring for them.  Yet it was evident that for the expected growth of this division, the CEO did not have the experience, wisdom, or leadership needed to manage the double growth coming over the next few years.  The CEO had been doing a good job during a "static" situation, but new facilities and eminent growth would be new territory; the ownership felt they needed someone who had done that before.  So the problem was how to handle the termination and find a successor.  The choices were:

• The person terminated immediately and an interim CEO put in place while the search was done
• The person kept in place and told nothing until the new CEO had been hired or
• The person was told confidentially about the impending change and a search done confidentially

If the ownership wants to treat the person well, the person should be motivated to do his job well until the last day, and the company staff should not be demoralized by knowing the boss is leaving.  Therefore, our recommendation would be:

• Be up front with the CEO and say why a change is needed and that ownership wants to treat him well.  Develop an agreement with him that he will stay on the job six months (sufficient time to find his successor) and providing he does a good job during that time, he will earn a bonus and other benefits when he leaves. 
• These are tough times to find another job and even a stellar employee might find these market place times daunting.  It might mean relocation for him and his family, and there may be negative family issues to manage.  Sensitivity and good planning can minimize the negative effects.
• Assuming that the CEO keeps his impending departure confidential, displays a good attitude and strong work ethic until the end, the employer agrees to give a strong reference, the promised bonus, and continued salary and benefits up to six months after his departure.  He may also be confidentially looking for another position during those last six months and if he leaves before the six months is up, the employer will either get by without a CEO for a few months or bring in an interim to bridge the period.  Depending on the circumstances, he may or may not get the performance bonus for staying the entire six months.

After termination, the CEO will receive six months continued benefits and salary…or until he starts a new job…whichever comes first.  In reality, he will have had a year to find that new job.

Under this scenario, how does it affect the recruiter's search effort?  Well, doing a confidential search is not as easy as doing one that is open, but the character and sensitivity of the employer are so positive the search should not be too tough.  When we can identify the employer and the company, it is easier to get potential candidates to be interested. Nevertheless, the employer's positive values about loyalty and ethics will assist the recruiter in generating interest in prospective candidates. It is not common to find employers who are so benevolent and caring…and that will go a long way in attracting candidates who value character.

When replacing a successful CEO simply because additional experience is needed and poor performance, bad management style, or internal politics is not the reason, the next CEO will feel good about being the successor.

The employer has a great opportunity to do what is right for the company while also treating the exiting CEO well.