BETTER RIGHT NOW THAN "AFTER THE HOLIDAYS"

Many potential students and school owners have put their plans on hold for the duration of "the holidays. So be it, but no such respite is available to managers...OR, for that matter, to those who choose to manage their own business affairs wisely.

The day after New Year's may be when that starting gun is officially fired for 2008, but it's too late then to rummage around for track shoes and to warm-up idle marketing muscles.

REMEMBER: Foresight trumps hindsight every time in the management game!

Most managers are pretty good at dealing with problems when they come up, but the best of the breed are those who can spot problems BEFORE they arise and head them off before they become crises. Superstar leaders read the tea leaves of current events and formulate contingency plans "just in case." It's more than just a clever quip that it wasn't raining when Noah drew up plans for the Ark!

Whether responsible only for yourself or (especially) if an entire team looks to you for leadership, the time for a pre-sprint pep talk is NOT after competing runners have already sprung out of the starting blocks. Proper running (except for also-rans) means being fully prepared at the starting line to compete with the other runners AND to make it over the identifiable hurdles ahead. Proper business planning begins with what the technocrats call a "Situation Analysis," which is simply a study of what's happening on the ground right now. Given the current marketing climate in most parts of the country, the next item in this newsletter would be an appropriate agenda opener for your 2008 Kickoff Meeting...even if you're just meting with to yourself!

Read on, before moving on to the next holiday happening

REMINDER

The moment you join a management team, "they" automatically becomes "we."

The very first time a middle manager uses "they" in referring to upper management, the system has been crippled.

Complain to superiors when you think you're right and they're not? Absolutely...but always directly to them and never, NEVER in the presence of those lower than you in the chain of command. Just as parents should always present a united front to their children, so should there be solidarity in management at all levels.

FAKE IT UNTIL YOU CAN MAKE IT

Feeling lousy? Too bad...but you have no right to show it!

Your ups and downs are not only highly visible to the members of your team, but tend to set the group's mood. Both enthusiasm and negative behavior are highly contagious and, as a manager, you are a major carrier. You can't, of course, control everything that affects your emotions, but you CAN choose how you react...with emphasis on the "act" part. Whenever you're in the presence of your people, powder your face with sunshine, pepper your speech with positive words and dazzle them with behavioral footwork. All the world's a stage and, like it or not, as a manager, you're always downstage center and in the glare of a spotlight!

AFFIRMATION OF THE MONTH

"I am closing the gap between my performance and my potential in everything I do."

There is nothing - repeat, NOTHING - we do that we can't do better by repeating those powerful words, vividly picturing ourselves actually DOING something better, then affirming that "this is me; this is the way I am, and no other behavior is acceptable to me!"

Try it...it works!

PRESENT COMPANY NOT EXCEPTED

No rule is a good one unless it applies to everyone in the team, including the lead dog!

Management by objective is no more important than management by example, and skirting the rules can never be a legitimate management perk. If you expect your team members to observe specific standards of appearance, deportment and procedure, make sure that you are always a model of perfection in all those areas.

"Don't do as I do, do as I say" is as alien to good management as favoritism and dishonesty. If it ever becomes necessary to make an exception for yourself (or anyone else), be sure to explain it clearly; and if you step out of line, even accidentally, own up to your failing and resolve to sin no more.

Your strict adherence to "the book" will not only promote similar behavior in the ranks, but will boost your stature as a true leader. Bending the rules in your favor reduces you to the rank of "boss," which is one of the more unpleasant four-letter words in the business world.

WORDS TO THRIVE BY

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face." - Eleanor Roosevelt

FOOTNOTE: True bravery does not mean acting in the absence of fear, but doing so in spite of it!

Courtesy of Joe Klock --- www.joeklock.com Joe Klock is the father of UP client Mary Beth Perez of Better Families through Tae Kwon Do in Miami. I gave his CD to those that attended the convention in New Orleans. This past year he has become a friend and mentor to me.