In a recent post we discussed how paying attention to detail and doing those little things right (especially those your competitors don’t do) can set you apart from the crowd and make the big difference in your business.

I was reminded of this last month when arriving at a doctor’s office in West Palm Beach. It was my first visit there and I mistakenly showed up an hour early. When the two receptionists told me this I was a bit upset at myself as that was an hour that could have used to work.

I uttered a self-annoyed, “I can’t believe I did that.”

No response.

Then, “Well, that was an hour I could have made better use of” and shook my head.

Now, as silly as this sounds, I think I wanted one of them to tell me they understood how I felt and were so sorry that happened.

But, they didn’t. They just looked at me and waited. Don’t get me wrong. They were very nice. They just had nothing to say and so, they didn’t. As soon as I left the office I found there were several coffee shops very close and across the street was a strip mall with numerous restaurants. Always having a book on hand, I had lunch and caught up on some reading. Turned into a nice extra hour.

But, here is where the doctor’s team could have shined big in my eyes. Actually, here is how any office could:

Be Prepared: realizing that Bob Burg is probably not the only klutz whose mind goes on absent, be ready when such a patient arrives.

Communicate Empathy: Let them know you feel for them. Suggested language might be, “I’m so sorry that happened. I hope that didn’t cause you too big an inconvenience. Believe me, you’re not the only one who’s done that.” (And, if you’ve done something similar, let them know that, too.)

Provide Suggestions: What amenities are in your area that could be taken advantage of? In this case, a simple, “Fortunately, and if you’re interested, we have both a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Starbucks within three blocks in either direction. There’s also a wonderful strip mall across the street with your choice of restaurants (and name the restaurants).”

Wow — what a difference! Again, please don’t get me wrong. They were very nice. They just didn’t go that extra step. And, it’s leadership’s responsibility to be sure they are equipped to take that step.

At least, that’s what I think. What say you?

“Those are my principles. And, if you don’t like them…I have others.”
— Groucho Marx

The above line by one of our greatest comedians is, unfortunately, a bit too real. While we tend to see this manifest most commonly in politicians who will say just about anything in order to get elected or re-elected, far too many in business do the same thing.

A person’s character is their defining quality. Perhaps, more accurately, it’s the sum total of all their qualities. I believe that when you really understand a person’s character, you can predict their major decisions.

Why? Because you know where they stand. And you know that they stand for something. They are predictable. In this case, a good predictable.

While the media gives significantly greater attention to those whose principles are along the line of Groucho’s above persona, fortunately there are many more whose principles — based on high character — are indeed immutable.

One such man I’m reminded of is John Allison.

Mr. Allison, the former Chairman & CEO of Branch Banking & Trust Company (BB&T), grew one of the most profitable banks in the country. It was also one of the few banks that did not involve itself in sub-prime lending, writing only conventional mortgages.

Mr. Allison understood the unholy alliance between Washington, D.C. and many of the banks. And, being that this was contrary to the principles upon which he and his bank stood (making their profit through providing value to their clients), the decision to forgo the countless “easy millions” being made by his peers was a no-brainer.

Of course, when things came crashing down, his bank was left standing tall; both in profitability and reputation.

The kicker is that eventually he was forced by the government to take bailout money. And, staying true to his principles, the moment after signing the papers, he resigned. Mr. Allison is now a Distinguished Professor at Wake Forest University School of Business.

John Allison stood for something. After all, that’s what people of character do.

{Note: Source material from the book, I Am John Galt by Donald L. Luskin and Andrew Greta. If you’d like to see some amazing teaching, here is a video of Mr. Allison sharing some of his wisdom from back in 2008. It’s over an hour. I’d suggest you watch his first ten minutes (he comes on at 3:10) and see if you’d like to continue.}

Like many, I’m often asked my thoughts regarding the protests taking place, first on Wall St. and now in cities throughout the world. And, my typical answer includes that often annoying term I use, “false premise.” And, truly, I can’t think of anything that is based more on a false premise than this. And, apparently, neither Democratic nor Republican politicians are aware of it.

One often hears it is an assault on Capitalism; that Capitalism and the greedy bankers for which it stands has ruined the economy, creating a 1 percent super-rich and 99 percent everyone else. That seems to be the summation.

However, not one of the protesters is actually protesting against Capitalism. Oh, I know they believe they are. But, they are not. They are protesting against Corporatism, where big business is given special advantages and privileges by the politicians they buy (err, to whose campaigns they contribute). There is a significant…significant difference and it needs to be understood in order to be dealt with effectively.

Corporatism is often referred to as “Crony Capitalism.” I wish that advocates of Capitalism and Free Enterprise would stop using that term because, well, it has the word “Capitalism” in it. And, that confuses people.

Please understand (warning…here comes a tweetable quote) :

“Crony Capitalism is to Capitalism what Chinese Checkers is to Checkers.”

So, I’m not telling the protesters they shouldn’t be protesting. I’m only suggesting that what they are protesting is not what they think they are protesting, and they are protesting to the wrong people. Here are my thoughts for the protesters:

“You are right; Wall St. helped ruin our economy. But they could ONLY have done so with all the special rules based on corporatism enacted by government. So, if you want to protest anywhere, it should be in Washington, D.C., and only Washington, D.C.! And protest, not for more rules and regulations, but for government to STOP making rules and regulations that allow both corporations and government-sponsored entities (i.e. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) the ability to take excessive risks with no consequences.”

Not that anyone who truly hates the idea of Capitalism/Free-Enterprise will listen. They will only tweet out their disagreement using all the technology made possible by Capitalists/Free-Enterprisers (Holy irony, Batman!). But, at least for everyone trying to intelligently reason out the issue, it will make sense, and  cause those on the fence to look a little deeper than the sound bites they are hearing from the usual media outlets.

In a recent segment of A Minute with Maxwell, where Leadership Authority, Dr. John Maxwell extemporaneously speaks on a word sent in by a subscriber, the word was “Try.’

Now, this is an interesting word because, first, like many, it has different meanings and connotations. Also, like most words, it triggers different meanings and contexts based on the belief system of the individual.

I thought that – as always – Dr. Maxwell handled the word with excellence. You can watch it here (and, subscribe to his series, if you’d like. I watch these minute-long gems practically every day. He’s an exceptional teacher).

I’d like to look at three different concepts of the word try:

1. Non-Committment. Most of us have, at one time or another, asked someone to do something and they responded, “I’ll try.” Did they ever do it? Probably not. Why? Because they were not committed. By and large, the time one is most “committed to a thing” is at the point of decision. If they’re so uncommitted as to say “I’ll try” at the moment they are asked, it makes sense they won’t be any more committed as time passes. Please understand, unless they are “consciously saying no without having to say no” they might not even be aware of their own lack of commitment.
2. “Do or do not. There is no try.” Interesting that this lesson from Yoda is perhaps my favorite movie line. More interesting is that I’ve never actually seen that movie. Actually, I still haven’t seen E.T. either but, hey, sometimes I’m a bit slow off the mark. Now, while this example is somewhat related to the above example, it’s not quite the same.This one has to do with the person who truly desires to accomplish something, but perhaps doesn’t really believe it’s possible, or that it’s possible for him or her. And, this was the point of Yoda’s admonishment. Perhaps it’s one of my favorite sayings because I relate to the times I didn’t have the confidence to do something though, in fact, it was very doable.
3. Try it – you might like it. This one doesn’t imply commitment or expectation (from yourself). It simply says that, if you are open to a new experience, go ahead and experiment. Try it. It may or may not be something that’s for you, but at least you checked it out.

In the world of personal development, the word “try” is often maligned. And, sometimes for good reason. However, like most everything, it’s probably best to first place it in its proper context. Sometimes, it’s a good thing. Other times, counterproductive.

What do you think?

I recently tweeted and posted on Facebook one of my favorite thoughts:

“Just because you think it doesn’t mean you have to say it.
Self-editing before speaking can help avoid much regret.”

It seemed as though practically everyone who commented could relate, not only to the statement itself, but that we’ve all fallen victim to our own lack of heeding it. I know I have. Make that, I know I have!

At live events, when discussing self-editing, I’ll often receive a question. It generally goes something like:

“But Bob, doesn’t self-editing; watching what we say; being careful that it isn’t hurtful, insulting, rude, or simply the wrong thing to say…doesn’t that take a lot of work? I mean, isn’t it difficult?”

And, the short answer is, YES, it is difficult.

The longer answer is, Yes, it is difficult. And, like any habit, the more we practice, the less difficult it is. The more we focus on improving upon this trait; the easier and more natural it becomes. As we retrain the pathways in our brain, self-editing becomes more natural and, in time, while we may not master it, we can certainly become a lot more proficient in this regard.

Have you found this to be true?