Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude

by Pamela Campagna | Community, Leadership, Managing Yourself

The Heart and Soul of a Membership Organization

The volunteer community is a membership organization’s heart and soul. Their contribution is priceless, and the organization couldn’t function without them. Not only do they make things happen behind the scenes, but they also express the values of the organization in their activities. Characteristics such as leadership, personal growth, gratitude, community, vision, honor, and respect are evident in their involvement.

The Power of Gratitude in Volunteer Contributions

While leaders who value contribution will give regardless of recognition, without acknowledgment, their energy, interest, and enthusiasm may wane over time. A simple act of gratitude fuels their internal drivers and affirms them as individuals and contributors, encouraging them personally and professionally.

Challenges in Keeping Recognition at the Forefront

Why is it so difficult to keep recognition at the forefront when organizations often depend on it? A couple of reasons come to mind. First, those who volunteer are motivated by personal satisfaction and a commitment to the organization and aren’t usually seeking acknowledgment. Second, in an organization like CMC-Global Institute, the leaders are also volunteers who contribute their time and expertise in addition to full-time work.

Creating and Reinforcing a Culture of Recognition

How can we create and reinforce a culture of recognition? Josh Bersin researched the topic of employee recognition and shared these best practices that apply in both workplace and non-profit scenarios:

Implement Peer-to-Peer Recognition: Not top-down.
Make Recognition Easy and Frequent: In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, two of the most valuable psychological needs we have as human beings are the need to be appreciated and the need to “belong.” These needs are met through peer-to-peer thanks and recognition.

The study revealed that “Companies that scored in the top 20% for building a ‘recognition-rich culture’ actually had 31% lower voluntary turnover rates!”

Fostering a Culture of Recognition

What would a culture of recognition look like in your company? In any organization to which you belong? It starts with individuals, teams, and leaders noticing, inquiring, and being interested in the actions of others, and recognizing their achievements. A culture of recognition starts with an attitude of gratitude.

The Ripple Effects of Gratitude

An attitude of gratitude has ripple effects far beyond the impact on a company, a volunteer organization, or the individuals themselves. It can resonate within the culture and help to shape it into the future. Start today.

(Adapted from the original version that appeared in C2M Connect, January 2015 by Kathie Nelson and Pamela Campagna)

Canary in the Coal Mine or Canary in the Classroom?

by Pamela Campagna | Leadership, Life Lessons, Teaching

“Mom, why are you doing this?”

A text message I’ve received many times in the past few weeks from my daughter – a millennial whose employer (along with her husband’s) has decided to wait until 2021 before they allow employees back into the workplace. I am a primary caregiver for two octogenarians (one of whom recently suffered a stroke). I am a mother, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a consultant, and a professor.

I have been “asked” to teach an upcoming course on Persuasion and Influence in a face-to-face classroom on July 6, 2020. During this time of uncertainty, we’re encountering situations we couldn’t have imagined even a few months ago. Situations challenge our beliefs, persistence, and the world we knew before the pandemic.

I’ve been a teacher for most of my life, and for the past 20+ years I’ve been paid for it.

Feelings of Going Into The Classroom

Although my university is adopting the necessary precautions and following state guidelines, the uncontrollable reopening aspects are difficult to anticipate. Our student population is skewed toward global learners, many of whom opt to attend university in the U.S. to experience the social aspects of living abroad.

While we may be able to enforce social distancing, personal hygiene practices, and mask-wearing on campus, we can’t ensure these practices outside of campus.

Many articles characterize the risk of returning to the classroom:

“But as much as I love brick-and-mortar teaching, I shudder at the prospect of teaching in a room filled with asymptomatic superspreaders,” wrote Paul M. Kellermann, Teaching Professor of English at Penn State University.

At the same time, researchers and government entities lay out the fact that reopening our schools is inevitable.

Student PTSD

Safety considerations aside (but of paramount importance), there is also the student experience. When COVID-19 started its rampage worldwide, I taught in a “physical presence” classroom of 75 students. The direct impact on my students tracked the sickness as it spread from Asia to Europe.

Each day, new reports of sick or dying friends and family members flowed into class discussions. Students lived through the trauma of the onset of city, state, and country shutdowns; many of them hastily returned to the safety of their families in their home countries.

Within days, the university programs shifted to online instruction before the end of the term, so students quickly experienced a change in lifestyle and education. During next week’s in-person class, I’ve allotted time in my lesson plan to discuss students’ experiences and re-entry to encourage a psychologically safe classroom that supports a physically safe one.

Preparation

Preparing to teach a course during a pandemic has a subtle yet important impact on pedagogy and learning objectives. My teaching style is driven by movement and use of space in the classroom – all of which must be rethought and rearranged.

Instead of moving among teams of students in the classroom, each interaction comes with a thoughtful 6-feet of distance.

Instead of ideating around a piece of paper taped to a wall, students will take turns adding their thoughts to a page (using their own assigned markers, of course).

A safe classroom requires down-to-the-minute planning to anticipate social distancing and safety measures and extra time needed to do so.

Canary In The Classroom

What can we learn from the experience of cautiously reopening our classrooms? How will this change the way that we teach or the learning experience of our students? There is certainly more to come as we explore this new way of learning.

Pamela Campagna MBA, CMC is the President of BLUE SAGE Consulting, Inc. a certified women-owned consulting firm. Pamela is a board member and chair of the Marketing and Membership Committee of CMC-Global Institute, a virtual global community for professional management consultants.

She is also a Professor of Practice at Hult International Business School, where she has taught leadership, strategy, and management courses since 2014.

The Challenge and Opportunity of Effective Strategy Execution

by Pamela Campagna | Business Strategy, Leadership

According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, only 8% of leaders manage strategy execution effectively. Furthermore, leaders who can strategize well are most likely to be able to put the strategy into place, but only because they happen to make the right choices at crucial points in executing their strategies.

As most leaders know, strategies are simply roadmaps, and there are extenuating circumstances that can change the plan in a blink of an eye. This is what separates a strategy from a plan: a plan may not necessarily consider extenuating circumstances. In contrast, a strategy can fail if it is too complex and demanding for those who have to execute it. For example, if a manager assigns a project to a team of two employees when it usually requires at least five people to execute it, the project may be doomed to fail. Similarly, a complex strategy usually leads to complicated execution.

What Makes Strategy Executable and Effective?

Sir Lawrence Freedman, renowned author, and professor of War Studies at the prestigious King’s College in London, penned a book in 2013 entitled “Strategy: A History” in which he demonstrates how strategy must have a working definition in order to evolve and be relevant. He makes a strong argument about using all available resources to enable one to react to unanticipated events and stay on course. He terms it “the art of creating power” because it entails a delicate balance of power, authority, and resources.

As a historian, Sir Lawrence has studied military strategy, which he says dates back to Greek mythology when gods employed either raw strength or guile in their battles. This is evident when you look at two great warriors, Achilles, and Odysseus, who both fought on the side of the Greeks during the Trojan War. Achilles used his strength to fight while Odysseus used his craftiness and the Trojan wooden horse to end the war.

Studies have shown that top executives are often frustrated with achieving success with only 65% of their financial strategies. What does this mean? “The strategies are outstanding, so why aren’t we reaching our goals?” is what troubles most managers because they simply don’t comprehend why they cannot bridge the underperformance gap between strategy and execution. As a result, the organization ends up wasting energy, time, and missed opportunities.

In a nutshell, strategy is an ongoing process that takes you from one level of success to the next. A strategy should have a beginning without an end, in the sense that running an organization is an ongoing battle. And every stage will bring new challenges that a leader must face and add to the strategic plan. Sir Freedman sums it up best: “The world of strategy is full of disappointment and frustration, of means not working and ends not reached.”

How to Meet Strategy and Execution Consistently: Best Practices

For strategies to stay relevant and operative, best practices in strategy development can be employed, including:

Plan your strategy based on realistic data: your finances, resources, and market data that identify top priorities.
Ensure that your strategy has quick and corrective action.
Track performance and compare it with long-term goals.
Review and analyze people, processes, and products on a frequent basis.
Create accountabilities and establish clear communications.
Review performance bottlenecks.

Keep the strategy simple but complete and concrete, and make it a point to reward the people who are helping you achieve your goals.

Finally, avoid the common pitfall of trying to create the perfect strategy because it doesn’t exist – at least not by planning ahead. The perfect strategy is one that adapts to situations while staying true to its course.

Need help with your business strategy? Contact us for a complimentary consultation call.

4 Reasons Why You Should Use a Business Management Consultant

by Pamela Campagna | Business Strategy, Consulting, Leadership, Managing Resources

Even though your business is considered successful, you still feel like there’s more that can happen; you’re just not sure how or what. You’ve thought about hiring a business consultant but don’t really think that it’s worth the expense because you’re not sure how they can help you.

Being so close to your business, it’s hard to see how an outsider could really understand what’s needed and how to do it without being a part of the business. The ability to see your business objectively and provide you with active, viable solutions is part of the process of working with a business consulting professional.

Working with a management consultant means you’re ready to do what’s necessary to help your business thrive. The first step is finding the right fit.

Learn New Skills

Chances are your business marketing strategy may not be bringing the best results. Business consultants will put your strategy under the microscope and work with stakeholders in your business to implement techniques that optimize opportunities, and bring qualified leads through the door. Skills like project management, resource utilization and problem identification can make a big difference in your business. The more you learn about how to implement these skills in your business, the better prepared you’ll be to implement the necessary steps to succeed.

Create Business Systems

Creating a business system forces you to address the specific steps you need to take to succeed. When you’re that focused, you’re forced to think things through and make better decisions. Being a business manager means that you’re wearing a lot of hats and probably judging competing priorities. A business management consultant can provide the experience, objectivity and focus that will help you improve your business and make it more adaptable.

Change Behaviors

We know the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but when you change behavior, you can often change consequences. Most business managers are focused on things that prompt behavior, such as managing expectations or adhering to company norms, instead of things that can have a significant impact on future behavior, like trying new ideas or embracing culture change. Working with a business management consultant helps to create an environment where positive consequences can be encouraged, and new ideas can be tested.

Discover New Opportunities

Business consultants spend their time working with a variety of organizations, which helps to build extensive networks, strategic partnerships and joint ventures. Whether you’re building a new business or entity, growing a line of business, or maintaining a steady stream of business, a business management consultant can work with you to identify ways to expand your business in ways that minimize costs and maximize exposure.

Understanding Buyer Personas: The Key to Effective Marketing and Sales Alignment

by Pamela Campagna | Business Strategy, Leadership, Selling

In my first post on sales and marketing alignment, I shared a demand generation alignment checklist I’ve created and have continually refined over many years of marketing with many high-growth software companies.

Here, I’ll dive into the first two items of the checklist:

Get marketing ready by understanding the buyer persona, the buying cycle, and the competitive landscape. And make sure you know the differences by region and distribution channel. Interviewing the sales team (sales reps, SEs, etc.) and answering sales calls helps greatly. Also, interview partners and customers, including ones who have just bought. This process can take months and be quite formal, but you can get started quick ‘n dirty in days. The bottom line is this: marketing can’t play an effective alignment role unless they understand and help create a structure for the buying process.
Create a Marketing Qualified LEAD (MQL) definition. Not all leads are the same. Marketing creates leads in many ways –email campaigns, the website, webinars, trade shows, etc. An MQL is a lead that marketing has qualified and is passing to sales as having a high probability of converting to a Sales Opportunity. But, defining an MQL may not be nearly as simple as it seems. It requires understanding the maturity stage for each of your products and then educating and getting the revenue team’s agreement on the type of lead that best maps to that product stage. It also requires mapping leads to target geographic regions, company size, prospect job roles, etc.

You’ll need some patience here – both in understanding the MQL concept and getting agreement. The lead definition concepts are new to most people, and they’ll need time and education to overcome historical biases.

Check out Sirius Decisions’ research on Demand Types. They’ve been thought leaders in this area for years and have excellent reports. I’ve successfully used their research and analysts to help educate and select the proper lead definitions for my company’s products.

Historically, sales teams want BANT (Budget – Authority – Need – Timeframe) leads. And what salesperson wouldn’t? However, BANT leads work best in replacement markets (think toner, paper, office furniture, and other commodity-like products), where buyers already have the product, have the budget to buy more, and often buy on price or convenience. However, the replacement market is a tough one, and most companies don’t want their products in this category.

Fortunately, most software products fall into the New Paradigm category, where the product performs a function differently and hopefully better than previous solutions. But, because it’s a new approach, waiting until the buyer has BANT is not a good idea. Wait that long, and competitors have likely guided them to that point, and you’re just sales fodder. New Paradigm leads map better to prospects with Need and Interest. Sales reps may resist, but Sirius Decisions research shows that in this market, you’ll get more leads if you focus on Need and Interest, and that opportunities will close at a higher rate and for more money than waiting for BANT leads.

The third type of software product market is the New Concept. New Concept products address a problem that most buyers must be aware of. Wait around for BANT or even Need and Interest in this market, and your sales team will have lots of free time. You want to find people in specific target markets who can sponsor change for New Concept products.

If you’re unsure of what category a product falls under, take a quick survey of sales reps and other members of the revenue team to clarify key questions in the buying process.

A note of caution: if you have multiple product lines, they could fall into different market categories. Training teams to qualify one product on BANT and another on Interest and Need, for example, is difficult, but it’s necessary.

Once you identify the correct lead definition, you must educate and convince the sales team. Marketing can carry most of the education load, but sales management must take ownership of the convincing. It will take group and individual discussions and then monitoring to ensure compliance.

About the author: Jeff Whitney is a B2B software marketing executive with extensive experience – from early-stage start-ups to achieving marketing equity. Jeff has a passion for building a world-class marketing function, starting with the organization, demand generation programs, sales enablement tools, and aligning sales and marketing.

Leadership Comes from Different Places

by Pamela Campagna | Leadership

“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Whitney Houston

Last weekend, I participated as a judge at the 20th Annual Kogod Case Competition at my alma mater, American University.

More than 175 undergraduate and graduate students dedicated their time and energy to demonstrate their business skills to 55 judges. The teams were tasked to analyze a real-world business case, develop a problem-solving approach, and prepare their recommendations. They were then given ten minutes to present their case and recommendations, followed by a question-and-answer session with the judges.

Scores of books have been written on the topic of leadership, and here are a few observations from the case competition to add to the list:

“Grace under pressure” is an underrated characteristic of good leaders

During the final round of presentations, one team had serious technical difficulties with their presentation. Although the slides were projected on the screen, the images on the slides were not.

The undergraduate team members did a great job of staying calm and continuing through their presentation despite the snafu. Maintaining your composure can be very effective even in the most challenging situations.

Experience doesn’t always trump hard work

Without prior knowledge of the company, its products, or the market and business situation, students immersed themselves in solving the problems defined in the case. With only 45 hours to dissect the business case and prepare their recommendations, the teams demonstrated insight and knowledge in their presentation to the judges.

It was clear that most of the participants had pulled all-nighters in order to compete while still maintaining their typical course load.

Have you found leadership in different places?

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