The Sanford Berenberg Experience

http://www.berenberg.net <http://www.berenberg.net/>

502-533-9336

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Message of the Day - Flawless Management through Preparation

Good Morning,

On Monday morning I flew to my Grandfather George's funeral. George Gluszak was a man of virtue, honor, integrity, love and devotion who knew how to roll up his sleeves and get the job done, and kick your butt when necessary to get you moving along too. Everyone who knew him loved him and is better off because of him. I will share more about Grampa George in a later message.

During my second flight, I sat behind two kids about five and six years of age, and across from a four year old and diagonally from a two year old. Next to me was their Mom. I felt I was going to have one of the worst flights ever. All the thoughts of screaming kids, crawling over seats, throwing stuff ran through my mind. And well, the flight ended up being one of the best I had ever taken.

Mom had it all under control. She took a moment to make sure the seating arrangements were correct. She negotiated with another passenger to change seats so that her kids would all be adjacent to her. She spoke lovingly and commandingly to each of her kids and was prepared for the flight. She spoke at a different level to each kid, making sure each one understood her.

In a bag, kept under her seat was everything she needed. She had toys for the kids, different snacks and even reading materials for her husband and herself. She spoke to the kids throughout the flight when necessary, made sure each of the kids played nicely with each other and even shared their toys, knowing who liked what best. At the right moment she pulled out little cups and filled them with a healthy snack for the kids, and kept the kids entertained, under control and happy throughout the flight.

These kids were living breathing children, buckled into seats for over an hour and they didn't fuss or make any sort of ruckus during the entire flight. They only asked when we were going to land a few times, and each time she gave them a real expectation. I was so impressed that I complimented the Mom saying that many managers could learn a thing or two from her. I then asked her how she got so organized and on top of things.

She told me that she used to not be prepared and after a few very embarrassing episodes decided she needed to get her act together and started planning based on what she knew she needed. "Preparation is the key" she told me. She packed her bag in sections with each item she would need. Toys in one zip-lock bag (when all the toys were given out, she showed her kids the empty bag so they would not ask for more toys), snacks in a different bag, cups in another. She timed when to pull each item out from experience. She learned from previous experiences and perfected her pattern of leadership and management.

After the flight, I felt that I had learned something from a master manager and leader. It was an honor to fly with those kids all around me, and watching an artist at work keeping everything moving along smoothly.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net

502-533-9336

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Message of the Day - The art, that is, what we do

Good Morning,

Welcome new recipients!

One night I picked up Chinese food for the family. I really enjoy Chinese food and will often try different dishes just to see if I like them or not. When I placed my order there were several other customers already there and some coming in behind me. The play was hopping. Behind the counter there were three people working. The first was taking orders and preparing the fried food (egg rolls and crab Rangoon) and bagging up the completed orders. The other two worked on the rest of the meals. For the last five minutes waiting for my order, I stood by the counter and watched the three people working.

Their motions were smooth and confident as they worked by a series of woks on one side and a table on the other where the food was being placed in to go containers. Each action they performed was either a preparation for the next action or a follow up of a previous action. It ran as that preverbal ‘well oiled machine’. They could have been pieces in an ornate clock or dancers as they moved so effortlessly on each task.

In a way it became artwork: Perfect motion, timing and action. I think the restaurant owner understood as I watched and smiled, as he smiled back and we bowed to each other in acknowledgement.

We may not see what we do day in and day out at artwork, but looking in from out outside, watching us do what we do best, it could easily be seen as art.

· Call center representatives, fingers flying over their keyboards, maneuvering their mice to work through multiple programs perform a symphony of actions to achieve the goals by their caller.

· Administrative Assistants and office staff crafting documents, PowerPoint’s and Excel charts are artisans painting another masterpiece. Unlike the art we see in museums, this art also has functional purpose, to convey a message to their audience.

· Doctors helping patients use their skills and knowledge like ballet dancers. Chiropractors do a dance with their hands on backs of their patients to correct spinal and joint alignments.

· Managers artistically direct their teams and resources to achieve their goals through choreography and direction, building something of value and importance.

· Sales representatives sing songs through their sales presentations to their customers in the sharing of ideas and expressing the value of their wares.

· Trainers and instructors perform operas of information which create gardens of growth teaming with a wealth of knowledge in the minds of their students.

· Leaders paint on a canvas of their followers helping them grow and learn to be more than they are, creating a mosaic where a blank slate existed when the team first started.

In the hustle, bustle of our daily grind, we may not get to see that we are also artisans and some of us even master craftspeople, but if we get a moment to step back from what we do, we may be able to see the beauty that you create through our efforts.

When you can, take a moment to enjoy that art, that is, what we do.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Message of the Day - Flexing Those Muscles of Niceness!

Good Morning,

I am a huge fan of practicing random acts of kindness and senseless beauty. I give flowers to women at work on Valentines Day; I buy sometimes two cups of coffee at the local coffee shop, one for me and one for some random coworker, etc. When I go on vacations I try to buy little gifts for my coworkers and include the reception staff and facilities staff because of how they are often overlooked. Being nice is natural and a lot more fun. It is also hard to keep being nice in our fast paced often cut-throat world.

This makes reading ‘The Power of Nice’ by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval (http://www.thepowerofnice.com/) even more enjoyable. This book contains many tales of niceness and how this niceness has translated into multi-million dollar deals. That is, people simply being their nice selves are winning in the end.

The book points out that genuine niceness, being yourself, has many benefits in our world today. There are many historical references to this fact and even one biological fact. Vampire bats are friendly community eaters. That is, they share and will often allow other bats to join in with them, even if they did not help find the evening’s meal. Those bats which exhibit selfish tendencies are actually shunned by the other bats and NOT invited to join in, even if they are hungry. The bats remember who was being a team player and who wasn’t.

People also remember nice. I remember having a really bad day at work some years ago, and I know I was having a bad day because several people kept asking me what was wrong. My normal smile was replaced by a scowl. After a large team meeting, where I tried to calm down and be nice, I expected my new team to think I was just a bitter man. When my boss asked those people to talk about me from what they knew of me, each and every one of them recited times where I was kind and thoughtful to them. I am so very happy that those bad days do not happen that often. We choose our attitude, but sometimes it is still hard.

Nice is as powerful as it is pervasive. It is remembered and shared. Being nice to one person can cascade to being nice to many people as they pass it along. It’s like paying for the car behind you at a toll booth for no reason other than just to do it. I often imagine how many people do the same thing and pay for the car behind them afterwards.

It is a great world out there, and with all of us flexing our NICE muscles, it can be an even better world!

Now team, get out there and start flexing!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Message of the Day - The Five Givens of Life

Good Morning,

Welcome new recipients!!

I am finishing up ‘The Five Things We Cannot Change… and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them’ by David Richo. (http://www.amazon.com/Five-Things-Cannot-Change-Happiness/dp/1590302095). This book was recommended to me earlier this year in the spring by my friend Dr. Hope Stith from Todd Arwood Performance Partners.

The five things we cannot change in life, per David Richo, are:

Things change and end.
Everything does not go according to plan.
Life is not always fair.
Life has pain.
People are not always loving and caring.

It is hard to argue with each of these things, or as Richo calls them ‘Givens’.

The part of the book which really impressed me was how to look at each of these givens and understand that by fighting them we hurt ourselves and those we love.

For example, things do always end, even little things, like vacations. I used to feel depressed the end of vacations. It does not matter if it is a one day visit or a two week vacation, I would start feeling down at the end when I have to pack up and go home. It does not matter how much I enjoyed the trip or how much I did during it, it is the fact that when I am packing up, it means the end of the trip.

To help me get passed this feeling, when I am packing up, I think through everything I need to do when I get home. I get myself interested in wanting to get home and get onto a specific project, start reading a new book, or something. It takes my mind off of what is ending and the feelings that I used to have.

It is amazing that each of these givens can give us happiness if we find ways to accept them and do not get caught up in the negative feelings they can generate.

When things end, new opportunities often arise. How many times have we learned something new because we could not study the old?
Being flexible allows you embrace the unexpected. When we learn from what we missed our plans improve. It is a cycle which helps us move toward perfection.
We cannot always have what we want when we want it, and that is okay, it gives us a chance look at life differently.
Pain can bring happiness. Giving birth is painful (or so I am told), but is truly joyous.
It is not that they try to hurt others, but it happens. If we focus on their loving intentions we learn to love them even more.

I am happy I read this book, it taught me a lot.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Monday, November 17, 2008

Message of the Day - Natural Change

Good Morning,

Back in the early ‘90’s I worked at machine shop with an old timer who liked to share stories from his past and his experiences working with others. In one of his stories he talked about the mountain that was at the backdrop of our machine shop, the Shawannagunk Mountains (a single mountain referred to as a chain and pronounced as ‘Shon-gum’).

The old timer talked about how every thirty years or so, the mountain would catch on fire and burn the mountain laurels and other vegetation off. Then there would be re-birth and re-growth of the mountain’s plant life. As people started building houses and businesses up on the mountain, they worked hard to stop those fires.

In stopping the fires, the mountain’s natural cycle was held back. The problem was that when there was a fire, it seemed like it was making up for lost time by spreading far and fast unlike any other fires they have had in the past. After the fire was finally put out, the natural cycle of life would return.

How many other cycles of life are holding back with our challenging mother nature or other natural cycles? Probably many, and some we may not even realize.

My message is not about what we are doing which is impacting natural cycles, rather to look at another aspect of this. The bigger picture is that when the cycle does come and go, natural re-birth and re-growth will follow. There is some solace in that.

Life has many natural cycles, and when they go through their course, there is re-birth and re-growth.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Friday, November 14, 2008

Message of the Day - Goals with Teeth

Good Morning,

My current read is ‘The Human Side of Change’ by Timothy J. Galpin (http://www.amazon.com/Human-Side-Change-Organization-Management/dp/0787902160). The book covers the softer side of change management: the people and human side, rather than the strategic and planning side.

The section on Goal Setting laid out some great practical steps for setting goals.

Keep Goals Simple
Keep Goals in line with your strategic goals
Make Goals achievable
Make Goals challenging
Involve others
Set a time limit
Establish what is in it for you
Clearly communicate goals.

The fourth point, ‘Make Goals Challenging’ really made sense to me. Some goals are very simple, and when achieved, there is not only no fan fare, but you do not even realize you achieved your goal. Compare finishing a college degree with walking from a house to a car. Unless that car is many, many miles away, achieving it will not be the same as finishing a college degree.

After finishing my Bachelors program in March 2006, I looked at my next long term learning goals. I saw some one day training programs and thought, these may be good. To help me get some certificates, or knowledge, and also looked at getting an MBA. In comparing the two, I saw getting the MBA had more teeth; it would do more for me, and help me learn and grow a lot more than the one day classes. Sure those classes will help, and I will probably take some of them, but in light of long term growth, they did not have teeth.

Making a goal challenging should include forcing us to learn and grow and stretch our abilities in the process of achieving that goal. That is, we should have increased our abilities, knowledge and or skills after attaining these goals. One sign that this is not happening is if we are actually bored when we achieve the goal, or worse, achieved it and we did not notice or care about it.

Make Goals with teeth that force us do be more than we are now, that force us to learn more, do more and stretch us further.

That is the way to learn and grow!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg, MBA

502-533-9336

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Message of the Day - Improve Productivity With One Simple Action

Good Morning,

Welcome New Recipients!

Most of us are very busy and have learned to multi-task. We read emails and work spreadsheets; we’re on the phone and proofreading. We try to kill more than two birds with one stone and work to group as many other birds together that we can while not investing in bigger stones (stones = our time).

We notice those who do that when we go to talk to them. Their attention is not really on us. When answering us, first their eyes move from us to their computer monitor, to some work and then their words slow down, trail off or they start talking about something else entirely.

I find myself at the computer responding to emails, instant messages and trying to respond to people’s questions simultaneously. When I catch myself doing that, I try to focus attention on person talking to me. I look away from the computer. When that’s not enough, I turn my back on it. In some cases, this still is not enough. When pressed for time, working on an important task, I quickly turn around to check the monitor for a moment, and then there I am again, ignoring those in front of me. So, I have started stepping away from my computer entirely to focus on the conversation and listening to the person I am talking to.

Another solution is to ask the person to come back later or that we will seek them out when we have more time to truly listen to them. This sets the tone that what they want to say is important, but we do not have the time, now, to fully listen to them.

What happens when we don’t give those we talk to our full attention? We miss words, we misunderstand the message, and worse, we show those who are talking to us that both they and what they are trying to say are not as important as the other things you are focusing on. In their mind, what they have to say or ask is.

By listening exclusively to the person we are talking with, we actually hear what they are asking and can respond better with clearer and more complete thoughts. They feel more appreciated and that they can come to us for help, answers and even advice. Also, the conversation itself often will take less time because we are putting our full effort into it.

The bigger picture is when we focus on listening; we can more effectively address other’s questions and concerns. We build strong work relationships, improve morale and trust and increase overall productivity. Sure there has to be limits on interruptions at our work. When we know we will be ignored if we go to others, then we will often stop going to them for help entirely. What is the cost of that? (Think about the ‘if only they came to me’ or ‘I could have helped them’ situations in our past).

Listen and improve productivity.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Message of the Day - Lead Like Yourself

Good Morning,

Welcome New Recipients!

I am reminded of a time when I worked at a company where my manager wanted me to supervise her way. Her way was very confrontational. My style is supportive and collaborative. There was a team member who was performing poorly and I was advised to, for a lack of a better word, ‘dress him down’ about his continued issues. My manager watched me as I ‘tore this fellow a new one’. I felt horrible inside, yet my manager smiled with much approval. In that environment, I performed very poorly. Working and leading in a style nearly opposite to my own was very draining and demoralizing to me.

This is another example of playing to our strengths. When we get to work with our strengths, like when I was able to build up my Technical Support team using my supportive and collaborative style, we were able to succeed and create a great team. When we are forced to play to our weaknesses, then it is not surprising the results are not good. My time at that company above was blissfully, although painfully, short.

It is very important to lead in our own style, in our own way. Another common deception is leading in the way of great leaders. If we want to be a great manager and read books and articles, watch videos, etc. on such successful managers as Jack Welch, Colin Powell, Steve Jobs or Sam Walton, we may find that doing things their way is no more beneficial than what we have been doing up to this point. Often it can be worse.

Getting ideas from the best of the best is great, so long as we take those ideas and fit them into OUR leadership style. When we try to do something in a style or manner that is not our own, we set ourselves up for both short term and long term failure. In the short term, we confuse people with our different leadership styles and that can lead to others questioning our ability. In the long term we can lose ourselves by being something we are not.

The best method is to be ourselves and lead like ourselves. As we learn and grow, we can add bits and pieces that we learn from other leaders, like best practices, etc., and improve ourselves and OUR style in the process. Our leadership is a work of art and it is constantly being molded and refined as we learn and find new ways to add to our growing repertoire of knowledge and skills.

Lead like yourself!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Message of the Day - Communication and the Well-Oiled Machine

Good Morning,

Welcome new recipients!!

This past weekend, my family attended a regional cross country meet at a local park. Our eldest daughter competed. We watched the girls run first and then the boys. After the boys raced, the parents and friends of the runners from our school talked of going out for lunch around noon after the awards were announced. At 12:30, we were still standing around waiting. Ten minutes later someone told us that the awards would be announced at 12:30 (ten minutes earlier). We continued to ask questions, but people did not know. Slowly we heard different reasons of why it was taking so long. It passed 1:00 PM and we were still waiting. We were confused and frustrated. Finally, the awards were announced and a few of us ended up going to lunch.

Waiting an hour or so for the awards was a frustrating time. We did not know who to look to for answers and our Coach was as much in the dark as we were. We did not have expectations to guide us. The information we did receive was piecemeal. I am sure that the event went along as planned with a few hiccups which normally happen, but not so for those who were not in the know.

In the organizations we work in, communication is supposed to be more free-flowing between all people, but this is not always the case. Instead of proper communications, we hear rumors and get the piecemeal information from various sources. Since we don’t have any real expectations given to us we can get confused. Add to this, when our management is just in the dark as we are, we get just as frustrated as my family was this weekend. We wonder if they care about us or even know if we exist.

Many company executives keep information they consider to be ‘sensitive’ close to their chest. They do not share it until they absolutely have to, which can often be too late. We have heard the stories where employees found out news and changes from people outside their company first, rather than from inside. It makes us question the integrity and worse, the ability of the company leadership. Understandably some information cannot be shared internally prior to public announcements, but there are times that there are no internal announcements, except once the rest of the world know first.

Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, believed in sharing information freely with all of his employees and has been successful in building a retail empire. He felt the risk of sensitive information getting out was less important then empowering his employees with what is really going on.

When information is not shared freely, we get caught off guard. A well-oiled machine appears to fall apart right in front of us. We start wondering about the leadership’s motives, and then ability. We ask ‘who planned this?’ and ‘Don’t they have a clue?’ This leads to us becoming less engaged at work. Worse, after repeated conundrums we start moving one foot out of the door just in case our fears that the ship is really sinking.

Communication is the lubricant that keeps the business machine well oiled and running smoothly. Make sure everyone who needs to know it does, and in a timely manner. Otherwise we could continue to stand around wondering what is going on, with growing confusion and frustration.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

502-533-9336

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Message of the Day - Becoming the Standard

Good Morning,

Welcome new recipients!!

In Marcus Buckingham’s book “First, Break All the Rules” (http://www.amazon.com/First-Break-All-Rules-Differently/dp/0684852861) he talks about how Netscape, Adobe and Sun Microsystems gave out their programs for free. That is, the web browser, Adobe Reader and Java, the programming language. Why would a company give a project or service away for free?

On the outside it does not appear like a sound business decision. In reality, it is genius.

A company that shares with others what they do best, especially services, the company that is giving is becoming more widely known for their product or service. In fact, in many cases, this acceptance becomes the standard in the field. How many companies use PDF documents these days? The answer is millions. PDF is the standard for unalterable soft documentation.

So how can we become or create the standard? Most of us don’t have the money to invest in making or selling millions of copies or products or hours of service. The good news is that we don’t have to!

We can start by giving the best of ourselves to others.

We can do our best in anything that we do. Like my wife Karen’s meatloaf. All meatloaf is now compared to Karen’s, it is the standard. And for the record, all meatloaf is inferior to Karen’s. My best friend Howard is a chiropractor. All chiropractic adjustments I receive are compared to his, as he is my standard. My chiropractor in Louisville, Dr. Michael Baker, has matched this standard. Both Dr. Howard and Dr. Baker give their best, and that has become the standard that I based all chiropractic care against. I will not go to another Chiropractor who does not meet the standard I have come to expect. I just need to go see to Dr. Baker more often.

By doing what we do well, and sharing it with others, what we do can become the standard for others. These standards are then used as the basis of comparison by others. It does not matter what you do, just that you do it. It could be telling tales, cooking, preparing spreadsheets or PowerPoint slides, or coming up with strategic solutions. When we continue to do our best in what we do, the bar is set, often very high.

Strive to do well in whatever you do, and you can become the standard in the eyes of others. And others will want to learn from you, or use your services or get your help.

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg