The Sanford Berenberg Experience

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Message of the Day - Leadership in a new light!

Good Morning,

Happy Black Friday! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Prior to my leaving for New York, I finished reading a wonderful book on leadership. This book is one that came from a perspective that I have never encountered before and was truly refreshing. ‘Tribes’ by Seth Godin (http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/).

Seth Godin defines Tribes as groups with not only similar interests but similar passions. These groups could be your local rotary club, a dance troop, or members of an online discussion group about fabric softener. Tribes can be of any size, make up or denomination.

Teams that are also Tribes are more powerful than other teams. Teams work toward the same goals, but they do not share the same passions. Those that do are Tribes and they are almost always the more successful teams. When a new person joins a team, they may not be passionate about the team, hurting its overall performance. It’s the leader’s job to get that team member to become a member of the Tribe, or off the team. Teams which don’t get their members aligned in passion and interest will never achieve as much as a Tribe.

Tribes need leaders. Leaders are people who can fan the flames of passion and get the Tribe to accomplish goals beyond their expectations. Leaders see the forest for the trees and see the opportunities within the risk. They then get the tribe motivated and steer them toward those opportunities. Leaders look at convention and the status quo and move beyond it. Those who hold fast to the status quo are only holding off the inevitable. Change is constant. Leaders embrace it.

In my teams, I work to find everyone’s passions and get them to use these passions to steer part of the ship. A ship run by a tribe would have many oars, rudders and sails all working in unison. By getting everyone on board and igniting their passions to our goals, we can accomplish more. We also learn to grow and improve ourselves in the process. Tribe members, once their passions are ignited and are helping drive the Tribe toward its goals help other members to ignite their passions. By getting everyone to act as a leader from time to time, and letting the best ideas and suggestions guide the way, you can improve the power of the tribe to achieve its goals, explore new territory and create new opportunities.

This book is irreverent and written in Seth Godin’s ‘no holds barred’ direct style. His message is loud and clear and available for anyone who has the guts, intelligence and desire to listen and learn. It shows a positive future for those who embrace it, especially in light of today’s rough economy. The status quo is not our friend.

This is a MUST READ for anyone who is a part of a Tribe, is trying to build a Tribe or wants to help lead a Tribe. (Which means all of us).

The status quo be damned, get out there and lead!

Enjoy!

Sanford Berenberg

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

502-533-9336

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