Zingerman’s 12 Natural Laws of Business

From the last CEO Connect featuring Ari Weinzweig,  Zingerman’s 12 Natural Laws of Business:

1. An inspiring, strategically sound vision leads to greatness.

2. You need to give your customers some really compelling reasons to buy from you.

3. Without good finance, you fail.

4. People do their best work when they’re part of a really great organization.

5. If you want staff to give great service, give great service to staff.

6. To get great performance, you need to give clear      expectations and training tools.

7. Successful businesses do things others know they should do, but generally don’t.

8. To get greatness you’ve got to keep getting better. All the time!

9. Success means you get better problems.

10. Strengths lead to weaknesses.

11. It takes longer to make something great happen than you think.

12. Great organizations are appreciative and the people in them have more fun.

To learn more, video is also available at www.robertpasick.com/ceo-video-gallery/ or Ari will be speaking at Zingerman’s Deli this Wednesday, March 28, at  6:30pm.

Coach Rob Pasick

www.robertpasick.com

Coach Like Izzo

Year after year we watch Tom Izzo coaching a winning team.  How he succeeds at MSU can teach us important lessons about coaching in our organizations.

1. Like Tom, recruit and select the right players.

2. Like Tom, develop the players to play well together as a team.

3. Like Tom, develop the right strategy for winning and drill the players on the plays.

4. Like Tom, observe, give feedback and set goals.

5. Like Tom, reward success and analyze failure.

6. Like Tom, get rid of players who have a bad attitude.

7. Like Tom, care deeply about your players as people.

8. Like Tom, remember that coaching is an ongoing     process, not an event.

9. Like Tom, remember coaching always happens at two levels; the individual and the team.

10. Like Tom, remember it’s about the kids and not about you.

11. Like Tom, have fun!

I’m working on an article on coaching and I am interested in interviewing leaders about their coaching experiences.  Please let me know whether you would be interested in an interview by phone or in person.

Go to http://www.robertpasick.com/ceo-video-gallery/ if you’d like to view past CEO Connect sessions featuring Bob Quinn, Mike Finney and several other prominent leaders.

Coach Rob

robertpasick.com

5 Steps to Handling A Complaint

Ari of Zingerman’s will be presenting his new book at CEO Connect this Friday.  Here is one of Ari’s recipes from Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to Being a Better Leader.

5 Steps to Handling A Complaint

1. Acknowledge the complaint

2. Sincerely apologize

3. Take action to make things right

4. Thank them for letting us know

5. Document the complaint

If you are interested in attending CEO Connect this Friday, March 16, to hear more from Ari and have not yet registered, please email me to register. 

I’m interested in hearing your suggestions on handling a complaint. Please join the conversation here or on my Facebook page. 

Coach Rob

Balanced Leadership Book - Read The Spirit

Balanced Leadership Book - Read The Spirit:

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Managing Fear

Fear can be crippling, especially when we do not know what to do about it. Here is a process I try to follow in managing fear:

1. Ask yourself to clearly define what it is you are afraid of?

2. Ask yourself: what is the worst thing that could happen?

3. Ask yourself: if the worst happens, could I handle it?

4. Think about the next action you could take to  alleviate the fear

5. Take that action.

I’m interested in hearing your suggestions on managing fear. Please join the conversation here or on my Facebook page. 

Coach Rob

robertpasick.com

Improving Your Decision Making Skills

In reading How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer, I’ve learned how to make better decisions.  Here are a few of the major discoveries:

1. Most decisions are emotional (unconscious), while we think they are rational (conscious).

2. We may think we are putting others first, but in most decisions, we put ourselves first.

3. Making decisions requires energy.  We make our worst decisions when we are tired, rushed, thirsty or hungry.

4. Since we often make mistakes in our decision making, it’s good to apologize for bad decisions.

5. Sometimes it’s better to go with instinct and sometimes analysis. We need to have the wisdom to “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” 

6. We never make a decision to get angry.  Recognize we all have quick fuses on some key issues. Learn what yours is.  Take responsibility for getting angry and know it’s usually not somebody else’s fault.

7. A good reason to have a coach, mentor or good friend at work is to be able to talk over past and present decisions and to learn from your mistakes.

If you haven’t signed up yet for the CEO Connect breakfast Memorial to Jeff Zaslow on Friday, March 2, please email me to reserve your spot.

Coach Rob

robertpasick.com

Macho or Mensch: The Male Dilemna

Last week when I attended Jeff Zaslow’s funeral, he was often referred to by family, friends and associates as a true “mensch”.  This led me to think about a dilemma many people experience as they struggle to succeed in the workplace, whether to be macho or to be a mensch.

To be tough and competitive (macho) or kind and thoughtful (mensch)?

To win at all costs (macho) or to do the right thing no matter what the cost (mensch)?

These are the challenges facing young leaders (male and female) in today’s corporate environment.

Here’s are some questions to ask yourself about which type of environment you are creating.

1. As a leader, are you doing all you can do to create an environment where you and your employees can act like mensches?

2. To what extent do you require your employees to be “macho”, tough, never showing vulnerability, and working as hard as necessary, no matter what the cost to themselves and their families?

3. Have you been able to find a balance between the two which works for your organization?

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on the “macho or mensch” dilemma. Please join the conversation here or on my Facebook page. 

Coach Rob

robertpasick.com