Posts Tagged ‘Opportunity’

Baseball and business: It’s time to examine your saves

Apr
5

Written by: Glen Jackson

Well, the first pitch has been thrown. Baseball season officially has begun, which means spring is finally and mercifully here.

During the 2010 season, pay close attention to the relief pitchers, craftsmen of their trade and dedicated on-the-mound problem solvers.

Like the best relievers in the game, a winning service business needs to view client problems as opportunities, a chance to demonstrate why you are in the business you are in, why you feel called to do what you do in the first place and why you are driven to succeed and protect your reputation no matter the cost.

The truth is your clients will likely remember more how you solved a problem than how you successfully landed them on the front page.  This solving effort has been called a lot of things in business, starting with the save, an apt description, especially when thinking of the baseball analogy.

The key to taking this from a bases-loaded situation to a no-runs outcome is recognizing what a relief pitcher does when faced with a similar predicament.

The best reliever remains calm and leans on his teammates. He talks over the challenge with his catcher and pitching coach before heading to the mound.

He has a game plan. He stays focused and does not give up. He pictures in his mind the final result and knows the responsbility rests mainly on his shoulders.  He recognizes the save is not complete until every batter has flyed out, struck out or grounded out.

All of the above is needed when solving a threatening client issue. When you do it right, you will remind your client they made the best decision they could possibly make when they hired you. They will see you as the pro you are and will respect you even more. And they will tell others the story of how you saved the “game” and threw your share of strikes.

When was the last time you took a client problem and got a save?  What did you do to address this potential dint in your reputation and turn into a reputation builder?

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Opportunity: See it! Seek it! Seize it!

Feb
28

Written by: Glen Jackson

At my house, sometimes to the chagrin of my youngest daughter, especially during the winter months of the school year, we call the alarm clock the opportunity clock. When it goes off for the day, opportunity knocks.

I think the opportunity formula is simple. See the opportunity. Seek the opportunity. Seize the opportunity.

See it! Seek it! Seize it!

See the opportunity is the identification phase.   How does it start?  It begins with reflection, conversation and direction.  Take time to reflect on what opportunities you see in your firm or business. Really reflect and dig deep. Then, once you have seriously thought about the opportunity you have identified, get outside perspective. Ask people inside and outside your organization whom you trust what they think about what you’ve put your finger on.  Listen to their comments and advice. Ask them for direction. This is a kind of “what would you do in my shoes” moment. From there, nail down some goals and hold yourself accountable.

Once you see the opportunity, seek it with all you’ve got. This is the action phase. More than anything else, it requires pursuit and patience. Every opportunity worth waiting for requires patience. One of the constant themes in successful business careers is the person achieving his or her goals stayed resilient in their pursuit and kept on moving forward slowly but surely. The bottom line is to keep your nose to the grindstone as you work and pursue your opportunity with stamina. Don’t give up hope. Stay focused. Remember what you reflected on and keep your chin up and keep looking ahead.

So see the opportunity and then seek what you see. The next step is the breakthrough phase. Lots of attributes are needed here. Two in particular stand out  — leadership and risk taking.

Leadership and risk taking are complementary traits. Leaders see resistance and are determined to fight through the inertia they face. Risk taking is reward receiving. It means getting outside your comfort zone to stretch and grow.  Take risk to receive rewards. When you do, you will grow as a leader and you will seize the opportunity.

What happens if you don’t seize it the first time?  Keep trying.

Last week while on a flight to Washington D.C., I sat next to a sergeant in the Marine Corps. He did three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.  We struck up a meaningful conversation.

Before we landed, he reached into his wallet and said, “I want to give you this, sir, before we land.”

He gave me a small, worn card.

“I have had this with me for all my tours. I want you to have it now, sir.”

Printed on the card is the Marine’s prayer. As you would expect, this prayer is moving, very powerful. Two sentences in the middle of the prayer remind us never to stop seizing:

“If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith. If I shoud miss the mark, give me courage to try again.”

See it! Seek it!  Seize it!

Opportunity knocks. The opportunity clock sounds.

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