self-improvement Archives - Page 2 of 2

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

“You need a hobby,” my wife once exclaimed in exasperation. I don’t recall the circumstances, but it is safe to assume that I was doing something she deemed a nuisance. Regardless of the cause of her frustration, her impromptu advice gave me pause.

Yes, a pastime, a relaxing diversion, would be good, but what should I do?

I briefly considered stamp and coin collecting, both of which I sporadically dabbled in during my youth. But I realized that my interest lay solely in the hope of stumbling onto a valuable find or realizing greatly appreciated value over time.

These were not hobbies but investments, investments which demanded time, organization, and planning. They would be more like work—far removed from a relaxing hobby.

I asked myself what I was interested in. What about my proclivity for watching classic movies? To be a true hobby, I reasoned, it must consist of more than watching timeless films. It seemed that to reach hobby status, I would need to collect them, catalog them, or perhaps read about them.

This additional effort, however, would serve to diminish my infatuation with ageless cinema.

Next, I considered a passing, yet ongoing attraction to crossword puzzles. Even though I had only rarely picked up a crossword puzzle and was never able to complete one, it did seem like a worthy pursuit, a good complement to my interest in words and my longstanding effort to use them to help, educate, and inspire.

Yes, I concluded, crossword puzzles would be my new hobby. I began looking for these word challenges, setting aside time to contemplate and complete them, reasoning that with a consistent effort I would improve. I was wrong. By my own initiative, I had not been able to develop my skills.

The turning point came by chance, on an airplane. As I puzzled over the seemingly impossible offering in the airline magazine, I sensed that my seatmate was reading over my shoulder. Finally, no longer able to contain herself, she gently whispered, “You should know 12 down.”

I looked at the clue anew and an answer formed in my mind. I shared my suspicion with her and with a pleased smile, she confirmed it to be correct. Immediately, she apologized for intruding, but I assured her that her help was appreciated.

Though she attempted to distract herself, a few minutes later she was again captivated by my perplexing puzzle, so I slid the magazine in her direction, allowing us both to see it. She quickly directed my attention to another clue, encouraged me think in a different direction, and then confirmed my uncertain solution.

Again, she apologized and again I said it was okay. This pattern repeated itself throughout the flight and soon we had most of the puzzle complete. I learned she was a retired schoolteacher and one of her many interests was crossword puzzles.

She shared with me tips for discerning a puzzle’s theme and how to tap in to it. She gave advice on deciphering seemingly arcane clues and cutting through the deceit of intentionally misleading references. In the span of an hour, she gave me the direction I needed to improve my skills and increase my enjoyment in my nascent hobby.

Another interest of mine is horticulture, one instilled in me by my parents, but I only gave it passing attention for many years. My home’s landscape once consisted only of green grass and strategically placed trees. Inside the house were one miniature orange tree and a lone aloe plant. (Aloe is a reoccurring word in many a crossword puzzle.)

To increase the greenery inside and add color outside, I endeavored to tap into this slumbering fascination with plants. Again, guidance was in order and easily found in my parents.

They have more insight and experience in this area than anyone else I know. Plus, any additional information can be quickly uncovered in their treasure trove of resource books, which would rival or surpass many a library.

Now my yard has an abundance of carefully selected plants and shrubs, designed to add color and beauty throughout the growing season. My indoor collection has also greatly expanded, at times prompting complaints of overflowing its designated areas.

All of us, myself included, need guidance in many endeavors, not just hobbies. A few years ago when I embarked on a consulting career, many people gave me sage advice.

Three people in particular stand out.

One was an industry friend who helped me sort through and clarify a transition strategy and first year game plan. Another was an industry consultant who shared years of experiences and warned of common pitfalls. The third was a consultant in a parallel industry who gave expert recommendations for a pricing strategy.

Together, these folks shortened my learning curve and paved the way to success.

In similar fashion, when I bought Connections Magazine, the sellers provided a wealth of advice and guidance. Even now, with the formal consulting commitment long past, they continue to share ideas.

I also needed assistance from a publishing insider and contracted with an industry guru who quickly got me up to speed on standard practices and procedures for the magazine business.

In another article, “It’s All Virtual,” I mentioned that I have outsourced key aspects of my publishing business. Though I could lay out and design each issue, it is better left in the capable hands of a graphic artist, whose creativity far surpasses anything I could offer.

Similarly, I could handle advertising sales, but that important task is better suited to the focus and tenacity of someone more suited to that important role. Additionally, I tap a proofreader to review each article, performing edits, correcting grammar, checking punctuation, and ensuring each piece is clear and understandable

As with most businesses, I have an attorney to assist with legal matters and a CPA to navigate the maze of IRS tax issues. Like many of you, I have a computer and technology expert available to guide me through the latest developments with Microsoft, the Internet, computers, and software.

The point is that I get help from many people. With some, it is a formal, contractual arrangement; with others, it is informal and freewheeling. In all cases, it helps me find a quicker and better path to an end goal or desired result.

All of this is “outsourcing” in one form or another. I am convinced that any aspect of an organization could be and has been outsourced. Indeed, no person can master everything and no organization can excel in all areas.

If someone else can do something you can’t, tap into his or her expertise; it is foolish to proceed under your own resolve. Likewise, if another organization can do something better than you can, form a partnership or outsourcing arrangement.

Today, when excellence is expected and demanded, are you better off to do an acceptable job in house or to do a superb job with the help of others?

We can all use a little help from our friends.

Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s Sticky Series books, including Sticky Customer Service, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Leadership and Management featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an entrepreneur and businessman who has managed, owned, and started multiple businesses over his career. Common themes at every turn have included customer service, sales and marketing, and leadership and management.

He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

One of the assignments I enjoyed most in college was analyzing case studies. I was, and continue to be, fascinated with learning what founders and their companies have done—both right and wrong. While the success stories are the more exciting and inspirational, it is the failures and missteps that are the more enlightening and educational.

It should not be surprising that I take most seriously the adage, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” For those in business, the best histories to learn from are business case studies, especially those accounts of the downfall, demise, or defeat of once prosperous and successful businesses and entrepreneurs. Of course, scrutinizing the steps taken in a remarkable turnaround are also instructive, as well as encouraging for anyone faced with a formidable uphill battle.

I consider the phenomenal success stories, which are uplifting, to be “light” reading and as much entertaining as educational. Success stories abound of the cash-strapped entrepreneur who by focused vision and through sheer determination, bootstraps a dream into a profitable and flourishing business.

In like fashion, there are many accounts of the big-business corporate executive who leads his or her company to the next revenue plateau, into a new line of business, or to revolutionize an industry. Rare, however, are the entrepreneurs who starts with nothing, these individuals are a unique breed. They have the ability to grow, change, and mature as leaders, in parallel with the evolving entity they parented. These are the business superstars; three such examples come to mind.

The first is Steve Jobs who, with buddy Steve Wozniak, yearned to bring the power of computing to the masses. Financed by the sale of their only tangible assets, the pair began making computer kits in a parent’s garage. Apple computer was born and though Jobs was for a season extricated from the company he co-founded, he to the helm, guiding this multi-billion dollar a year company until his recent passing.

The next example is found in Bill Gates and Paul Allen who founded Microsoft. Starting in 1975, by providing operating systems and programming languages, they parlayed their fledgling company into another multi-billion dollar a year juggernaut.

Then there is Michael Dell who started assembling PCs in his college dorm room, hence the humble beginnings of Dell Computer. Now also a multi-billion dollar a year company, Dell set the business and operational standards which changed an industry.

Many, if not most, businesses started with equally humble beginnings. Tales of founders sleeping in their offices so that they could offer 24/7 coverage (and save money on housing). Others started in their apartment, out of a converted warehouse, from their front porch, or even in a garage. Fortunately, those businesses that survived soon left these inauspicious beginnings. In true entrepreneurial fashion, they grew their meager investment into viable, ongoing concerns, quickly moving to more suitable and appropriate environs.

While it is not realistic to expect most businesses to grow into the multi-billion dollar size of Apple, Microsoft, or Dell, it is wise to consider their founders’ paths. Indeed, the precise traits and characteristics that serve one well as an entrepreneur, can become a hindrance and counterproductive as a business grows and matures.

Although Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Michael Dell all made this transition (and had books written about them as a result), few individuals can successfully transform their leadership style each time their enterprise metamorphoses into the next iteration of scale, scope, and complexity. Case histories and business literature repeatedly shows that, all too often, the next plateau is met with disaster. Frequently, the entrepreneur turned reluctant CEO, micromanages his or her business, unconsciously reducing it down to a more comfortable size that he or she can successfully handle; at worst, the miscast founder mismanages the business into insolvency.

The astute entrepreneur, well aware of this trap, can employ several strategies to avoid this. One technique is to form an advisory board, consisting of those owning and running larger concerns, to guide the founder’s nascent climb into management acuity. Some bring in an experienced and seasoned business manager to handle the day-to-day management, allowing the entrepreneurially focused founder to concentrate on visioning, planning, or innovating — whatever he or she does best and enjoys most.

One wise founder confided that he always hired management people who were over qualified and paid them accordingly – knowing that as the business continued to grow, they would easily rise to the occasion. Others go back to school and earn their MBA. Another approach is founders who send their kids to college, in anticipation that the next generation can guide the company to the next level and beyond. But that brings up a second caution for small businesses – passing the baton to the next generation.

Although studies differ by degree, they all confirm the majority of small, family businesses are not successfully passed on to the second generation and only about 15 percent make it to the third. There are many theories as to why this is the case. The leading supposition is that the second generation, not needing to make sacrifices to launch the business, lacks the requisite drive and wherewithal to persevere. Another is problems occur when the business is handed over too quickly to adult children who are still too young or too inexperienced.

Some entrepreneur parents attempt to avoid these problems by making their successor children start at an entry-level position and work their way up the organization. But this fast-track status often backfires, engendering resentment from non-relatives who may be otherwise more qualified, better educated, and possessing greater tenure. In attempts to avoid this pitfall, some founders add a stipulation for their children to earn a degree and put in time at another company, gaining valuable experience and acumen before joining the family business. Although this final approach is the one that seems to offer the greatest chance for success, it is by no means a sure-fire strategy.

Other growth problems occur when a single location business adds a second location or acquires a geographically disparate competitor. Since most small business owners employ the simple, yet effective style of “management by walking around,” they find it impossible to successfully and simultaneously manage multiple locations– this is especially true for a service business. Indeed, this common management style does not work for long when the manager is not physically present.

As stated earlier, the results are usually disastrous, rooted in either micromanagement or mismanagement that thwarts growth, hampers quality, and limits profitability. The solution is simple, albeit difficult. Quite simply a change in management style is required. Either the founder must adapt a new way of doing things or find someone else who can, giving them the leeway and latitude to do their job. However, neither approach is comfortable or painless for an entrepreneur used to putting his or her mark on everything that happens and in making all decisions.

A fourth problem faced by the entrepreneurial founder is addressing life-cycle changes. While some may have both the drive and ability to run a business for the remainder of their lives, most get to a point where they want to scale back, be it not handling the day-to-day issues, taking longer vacations, semi-retiring, or not working at all. These are all various forms of letting go; it is hard, if not impossible, for someone who sacrificed to launch a business, makes every decision, and oversees all activities.

The solutions to the first three entrepreneurial dangers all apply to this situation. If there is a son or daughter interested in taking over the business, this may be the best solution, providing there is time to do it properly and correctly. Changing one’s management style is another option, just as is required for the growing or expanding enterprise. Still, all too many founders find themselves in a position where their kids don’t want the business and they can’t change their management style, so they opt for the only other solution; they sell the business.

Regardless of the situation or business dilemma one faces, be assured someone has encountered it before. Don’t struggle with a problem as though it is unique, because it is not. Do some research, read some business books and case studies, and whatever you do, learn from history so that you are not doomed to repeat it.

He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.