Cameron Herold

I must admit I always struggled with writing down what the core values for my company BackPocket COO would be.  In fact, I found it easier to put them in place for companies I’ve built in the past because I had teams of people.  Now my company is me, and some awesome virtual people doing design, research, assistance, SEM, writing, etc.

A few months ago after helping a client’s company nail their core values I was on a flight home, and I realized the core values for my company were already inside me, I just had to close my eyes, and feel them.  Then in a rush, they came out:

Do What You Love – Be Authentic – Deliver What You Promise – Balance Is Key

Once I scribbled them down, I knew they were right.  They were values I already lived by and felt energized by.  They fit like my Saturday comfy hangover jeans and sweatshirt do.

Do What You Love – is based on the concept of Unique Ability by Dan Sullivan.  Coaching, Mentoring & Speaking are fun for me.  I’m great at them.  I get energized doing them.  And others get energy watching me.  I love em.  And I’d do them for free – but my kids like to eat.

Be Authentic – It drives me nuts when people put on a game face, or a professional voice etc. I’ve always found that when people are REALLY themselves, they resonate with everyone around them.  My energy vibrates when I’m being me.  I become a magnet, and I know it.  When I wear what I want, say what I mean, and let my vulnerabilities out, others are attracted to me – and I am to them.  It feels great being me.  Besides, I might as well be myself, everyone else is taken.

Deliver What You Promise – Period.  Nuff said.  If I need to explain this one – ummm, we can’t be friends.

Balance Is Key – I get one life.  And I’m not going to live it working 65 hour weeks any more.  I once did 117 hours in a week and wore it like a badge of honor.  What an ass I was back then.  Now I try to live by a couple mantras:  1) Remain Interested to Remain Interesting (thanks Jillian Dixon Boxer) and 2) The Lazy Entrepreneur (thanks Dave Feller).  I know ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ but damn it, I do too…

What are your core values ?

Tennis anyone ?

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture.

Grieg Clark, Founder of College Pro Painters

25 years ago in Dec 1985 I was admitted to what I now know was my real world MBA.  And the guy in the picture Grieg Clark started it all in 1971.

Almost 40 years later, College Pro Painters is still, in my opinion, the single biggest reason I am where I am today in business.

That December I was awarded the Sudbury franchise of College Pro Painters.  And I was scared to death.  I remember my father telling me, go ahead, sign the 62 page franchise agreement.  Worst case scenario is you’ll go bankrupt, but what do you have to lose at 21.  You’ll learn a ton.  And wow, he underestimated what I learned.  And what I made.

I ran my franchise for 3 summers.  Over the three summers with College Pro Painters, I earned approximately $60,000 in profit.  I paid 100% of my own way through University.  And at 23 years old I invested the remaining money I had in my first house.  Yes, I was debt free, owned a house, and had paid my entire way through school.

In addition to making great money, and being able to take university girls to the top restaurants in Ottawa on dates, I learned a ton.  I had 12 full time employees at 21 years old.  I ran sales, marketing, advertising, operations, production, hiring, etc.  I learned how to interview, lead people, and even deal with lawyers.  I ran my own accounting system.  I literally learned how to run a business, and not from Professors who I quickly learned were all theory, I learned from brilliant leaders like Steve Rogers, James Jones, Mary Mowbray, Kevin Carter, Ron Martin, Paul Hayman, Don Darby and the list goes on.  It’s funny really.  I can’t tell you the name of a single professor I had, nor what I learned in University.

I’m so lucky I had what it took to get awarded a franchise, and to succeed at running it: early signs of Leadership, Attainment, Tenacity, Introspection, Precision etc.  However, what I really had were the systems of an awesome company, and the passion and skills of those people who taught me.  Everything I learned 25 years ago, I still use in building companies and coaching CEOs today.

Funny, my brother and sister both ran franchises with College Pro too.  And we all own and run our own companies today.  Sure glad I didn’t go get that high paying $15/Hr job at GM.

Attracting the right people is crucial to becoming a cultural magnet. When you have great people who are over the top positive about your company, you’re on the fast track to creating a powerful culture and a successful business.

But you’ve got to get the right people on your bus and the wrong people off. This is especially true when it comes to cultivating the right culture in your workplace. One bad apple will actually spoil the whole bunch.

At times you may not have to get them off the bus so much as you may need to move them into a better seat.  Once you put them in the right position, if it’s the right person in the right seat, you’ll see the energy level increase, too.

Whenever I discuss culture and getting the right people, I almost always think of the time when I was president of Barter Business Exchange. At that point in time, I had a “Director of First Impressions,” which in typical business settings would be a receptionist or office manager. But since this wasn’t a typical business setting, and I didn’t want a receptionist–I wanted someone who would knock the socks off of any customers, suppliers or employees with positive energy as soon as they walked in the front door. Our Director of First Impressions, Tina Etchart, did just that.  She nailed the first impression every time with her smile, awesome tone and great energy.  What first impression are you setting right at the front door? As the saying goes, “you never get a second chance to create a first impression.” Remember that.

When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were starting Apple they knew exactly what they were looking for in their employees. They hired people who wanted to challenge the status quo. They hired people who wanted to empower the human race. They weren’t about making computers.  Steve Jobs wanted to put a dent in the universe.  And he hired people who could help them achieve that goal.

Hire people who are passionate about their work. Hire people that have deep passions outside of work. And how do you know you’re creating the right energy? Prospective employees will say things like, “I just want in,” and “You’re the ONLY company I want to work for.”

For information on this topic, check out: Leadership at 100MPH.

Years ago, my friend and brilliant speaker, Jack Daly, pushed me to ask myself, “What one thing did I do today to raise the energy level of my team?”

When I think about it, it makes sense.  The speed of the leader is the speed of the group.

One of your jobs as a leader, no matter where in the company you are, is to raise the energy level of your team. On the flip side, also ask yourself what you did to destroy the energy of the team?

I distinctly remember the times I’ve taken an entire team and destroyed their energy and passion for days by saying the wrong thing or by publicly coming down on them.  I’d even feel myself doing it and didn’t stop.  I had to learn how to listen to my conscience and let it guide me.  Trying to slow down before I’d say something would help, but it was hard for me.

In the must read book, The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard nailed it when he stated, “Two strokes for one poke.”  Others call it a “shit sandwich,” which basically means that if you give constructive criticism, try to sandwich it between things you are happy about and can praise the employee for doing.

By being a better communicator, you’ll produce employees that understand your goals and communicate well to others on the team.

As you walk into the office each day, think about the things you can do to raise the energy in your workplace.  Be yourself, but find ways to stir the Kool-Aid every day.

As my mentor said, if you want and awesome company culture “focus on building something slightly more than a business and slightly less than a religion.”  To really build that cult (culture) you have to always be looking to raise the energy of the group.  Find a way.

I’d love to hear what you do in your company to raise the energy level of your team.

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture.

Who made this sign ? Seriously ?

Fire them…

I never understand why some employees do tasks that they know are stupid, pointless, useless, redundant etc. just cuz “we’ve always done it that way”.

Make today Waste Less Wednesday. Ask your employees to find one thing that the company does that is stupid or a wastes time. And stop doing it. Forever.

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture.

In my experience, IT is brilliant, yet often disconnected from what customers or employees need. IT often installs the newest technology that no one needs.

Operations ends up having to deal with customer & employee problems related to this bleeding edge IT, and overhead increases too.

Do you need to change it ? Really ? Or does the same solution you’ve used for 100 years still work ? What do you think ?

At Burning Man 2010, I learned that thinkers don’t get their points across to do’ers.

Thinkers, who ramble on about their brilliant (which they are) ideas, just end up with a lot of other brilliant thinkers saying ‘ya, totally, I agree’.

However, the do’ers have no idea what the thinkers have said, are to embarrassed to say so… and nothing get’s done.

Net/Net: Lots of brilliant ideas swirling around with no one doing anything about them.

It’d sure be great if the thinkers could dumb it down for us do’ers a bit.

Thots ?

For more information on this topic, check out: Building a World Class Culture.