The April Members Meeting was held on the 18th. Troy Gautier spoke about Creating Strategic Alliances. Troy is seen here presenting Jim Weber with his 2019 Annual Membership Fee, making him the newest member.
Troy Gautier is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alliances Progress, LLC.
Alliances Progress is a professional services firm specialized in international ecosystem development. We provide “Alliances as a Service” to enable our client and partner firms to work together to grow their revenues and capabilities.
– Strategic Alliances
– Commercial Partnerships
– Ecosystem Development
– Mergers & Acquisitions
– Member Firm Organization
– Global Business and Technology Network
– International Business Development
– Advisory Boards and NGOs
I swear, I must have been transported into an alternate Universe this week, where I was an actor in a sitcom. Something resembling “I love Lucy.” You know how sitcoms are written, there is always the main plot with a few sub-plots working. By the end of the show, all the plots converge on one common theme. Yes, I was living through a sitcom episode in my alternate Universe.
It began a week ago Friday evening when my wife’s car wouldn’t start. She was at a job site which required the car to be towed to the nearest Dealer. It sat there until Monday when the Service Department opened.
As she is a residential contractor, she rented a car to keep her projects on track. Unfortunately, she fell in love with the rental and decided it was time for a new car. It must have been the electronics package. Naturally, I protested! Her car is ten years old but hasn’t even cracked 100,000 miles. In fact, it is very reliable and has had few problems. From my perspective, the car isn’t even broken in. We have been married for 43 years, so I knew how this would unfold. My best logic would be deployed to no avail. I could only hope to minimize my losses by working at the margins. By the beginning of the week, we weren’t speaking much. Houston, we have a problem!
I realize that most purchases are made on emotion and later justified by tortured logic. Surprisingly, I have come to believe that is not limited to the consumer world. All too often I have seen that scenario play out in the business world. This is was our sub-plot.
Monday, I met with a senior consultant for the local office of a National outplacement firm. He invited me to explore an opportunity to collaborate. I told him how we help our members understand and adapt to the new employment paradigm. I explained my view that we are all ‘free agents’ in a dynamic environment. Professionals will move between W-2 and 1099 status as tenures become shorter and shorter. We have little control over the employment situation created by the digital transformation of the economy. He invited me back to speak to his clients.
Tuesday, I moderated the monthly meeting of the BENG Atlanta Chapter. Our featured speaker, Erica McCurdy, a Master Coach, and ITB Partner facilitated a discussion entitled “Not every problem has a solution.” The gist of her message was don’t confuse situations with problems. There is a difference. A situation is a state of being; a confluence of events beyond one’s control. Situations require one to adapt whereas problems require solutions. Was it merely a coincidence that I was hearing this message from Erica?
It’s useful to know the difference between problems and situations to focus your energy on things you can change. If you try to change things that cannot be changed, your state of mind will suffer. By resolving things that can be changed, you will reduce stress and improve your life, especially if you eliminate unproductive effort.
Successful people view problems as opportunities to grow, improve, and adapt. For them, problems are a part of life. Their positive attitude toward problem-solving improves their outcomes.Experience makes future events easier to traverse. We should accept problems as a normal, unavoidable condition of life.
I spent the rest of the week evaluating situations and problems. As I dissected what I assumed were problems, I realized that some were situations. In these cases, I found opportunities to employ my leadership skills.
This week unfolded within the context of my wife’s desire for a new car. I had a situation. She had a problem. When she sets her mind on a course of action, I become a spectator. During our marriage, I can’t remember winning a major battle, but I’ve had success at the margins. Guys, I think you know what I mean. While I became more obstinate, digging in my heals, she negotiated a better deal. I lost, of course. I knew I would. My life was imitating art. Today, she is very happy with her new car. I live on to fight another day.
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Reflecting on this past week, my focus was on exercising my coaching skills. That comes as no surprise as coaching is fundamental to my leadership responsibilities. I was a bit surprised by the breath of my coaching responsibilities, though. It began by helping a client get his job search on track and ended with a coaching client finishing her PhD requirements. Most of the week was spent with my consulting team and prospective consultants. Interestingly, one of those prospects is a Mexican Citizen who wants to open an office for us in Mexico City. I like her passion and vision for developing Latin America.
The common thread to these discussions is what I call “the three pillars of success for independent consultants;” networking, public speaking, and writing. These three skills are the key to success in most if not all occupations. Another way to characterize these skills is Marketing. The objective is to be viewed as an expert in your field, someone who can be hired with confidence.
Professionals and Craftsmen must master the skills of their profession. If you’re an Accountant, you must know how to record transactions, balance accounts, and prepare accurate financial statements, among other things. A carpenter must know how to make precise cuts, create square corners, and minimize waste. In both examples, one must be familiar with codes, regulations, and best practices for the industry. That is a baseline requirement to compete.
If you want to build a business or expand your practice, you need a lot of people who know your capabilities, who can recommend you to prospective customers. So how do you accomplish that goal? Networking, public speaking, and writing.
I’ve written extensively about the importance of networking. It is necessary but time-consuming and inefficient with regard to the number of people you can influence at any time. It cannot be avoided, however. The relationships one builds by networking creates trust, facilitating referrals. A referral from a trusted colleague is a powerful introduction.
The second and third pillars provide leverage. Public speaking is a viable way to influence many people at the same time. It provides a platform to demonstrate your professional credentials to an audience eager to hear your message. Isn’t it better to sell your product to 20, 40, or 100 people at the same time than by talking to just one person?
Receiving public speaking invitations requires you to be adept at presenting general information about a relevant topic. By demonstrating your command of the issue, you indirectly sell your services. This isn’t about direct selling; it’s about reinforcing your credentials. No one wants to listen to a 40-minute infomercial, but they will listen to learn how others have resolved common problems.
Writing blog posts or articles provides even greater exposure and more latitude over the subject matter. Before the internet, the traditional method was to write articles or editorials for publications in industry magazines, newspapers, and periodicals. Today, we have many more options including social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and your company website. Additionally, you can create podcasts and YouTube videos to reach a larger audience. Supporting your writing campaign are email marketing applications like Constant Contact, AWeber, and Mail Chimp. Grammarly is an application that helps you with your grammar and punctuation, a digital editor as it were. With all of these resources available at modest cost, why wouldn’t you develop a writing discipline?
Distributing written information provides leverage that can easily put you on the national, and international stage. I have proof positive based on my conversation this week with the lady from Mexico City. The point is to present material that is interesting, relevant, and easy to read. Over time, you will create a loyal following. These fans are potential clients, ambassadors supplementing your selling efforts. Writing articles or blog posts leads to an expanded business development platform.
The three pillars are mutually reinforcing. Once you develop a message, tested and honed by networking, you can easily move on to public speaking. Public speaking takes your message to a broader audience while writing takes your message to a far larger audience. It’s a natural progression where one activity builds on the other. Plan for success as an independent consultant by mastering the Three Pillars!
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Professional coach, consultant, and mentor with years of experience leading teams in support of CEOs and top leadership. Passionate about my community, veterans, women’s leadership initiatives, and teens. Strong and capable administrator. Able to make strategic decisions with limited information. Understanding of confidentiality. Capable of handling challenging situations. Comfortable creating content as well as presenting to groups. Well read, educated, and traveled. Atlanta native. Versed in change management theories as well as differing cultural change initiatives. Linkedin
The Atlanta chapter of the Business Executives Networking Group (BENG) is a multidiscipline, independent group of job seekers, those currently employed and business networkers, who are willing to help others. Current membership includes mid to senior level executives with over ten (10) years of business experience. Past attendees have come from the financial management, information technology, legal, manufacturing, engineering, transportation, logistics, distribution, and general management industries. We actively seek new members from all disciplines.
Monthly meetings are structured to help each member get the maximum benefit.
BENG Networking Meetings:
Are approximately two hours in length.
Are typically held monthly.
Range from 10 to 30 attendees, but the average is 20.
A skill building presentation.
Allows each attendee 30 seconds to introduce themselves, talk about their background and expertise, and to present their Target Companies and networking needs.
Please bring business cards and your marketing plan if you have one.
Networking meetings provide members with an opportunity to sharpen their networking skills, meet peers from various disciplines and share business opportunities and job leads.
I’m reading Strategic Connections, an interesting book about networking recommended by a friend. So far, I have found it to be insightful. This past week I came across the author’s list of the 10 biggest mistakes members make. It was amusing and to the point, but sadly truthful. I thought those insights needed to be repeated. However, I’d take a different tact and make the point more positively.
If you plan to join a networking group do so with a strategy in mind. What are you looking to gain from the relationships you develop? Is it for professional development? Or, maybe your intention is to generate more customers. Then again, maybe it’s just for fun and fellowship around your favorite hobby. Whatever your objective, be clear about your expectations and make a commitment to the group. Otherwise, membership is pointless.
So, you’ve joined a networking group. Now that you’re a member, plan to enjoy the full benefits of that association. Your first objective is to become an active participant. Make a commitment to attend every meeting you can. Arrive early and leave late. Don’t come to hear the speaker or enjoy the breakfast and leave. If that is all you want from the group, save your membership fee. You can eat breakfast at home and watch the subject matter on YouTube. But, don’t expect to get any referrals for new opportunities.
Attend the meetings with the intent to be remembered. Stand out from the crowd. An easy way to stand out is by the way you dress. Ladies may wear a distinctive piece of jewelry. I know gentlemen who’ve established a persona by wearing a vest. A vest is stylish, but not commonly worn and will get attention. I like to wear shirts with French cuffs, even if I’m not wearing a suit and tie. Women often wear distinctive pens or scarves to be different. Flag pens, company pens, or even pens from civic associations are noticeable. These ideas also serve as conversation starters. Having a distinctive style is a good start, but you still won’t be noticed if you stand in the corner by yourself. Get into the crowd, mingle, introduce yourself to a stranger. Ask questions of the presenter.
The second broad theme is to interact with others. Don’t hesitate to walk up to a group and introduce yourself. After all, it is expected. It’s the point of networking, meeting people you don’t know to expand your network. Join in the conversation. Show interest by asking questions. That’s how relationships are formed. Don’t spend your time talking exclusively to people you already know. If you find someone standing alone in a corner, go introduce yourself. Often, you’ll find these folks interesting, albeit on the reserved side. And while you’re interacting, focus on important topics relevant to the group. Save discussions about the weather and sports for other occasions. If you’re new to the group, try to learn about their culture, norms, and protocols.
The final point is to become involved in the group. Look for opportunities to demonstrate your competence and leadership skills. Take on an assignment to help the group. Recently, Paula a member of ITB Partners volunteered to organize a Speed Networking Event, over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The event was a big success. Paula was recognized for her initiative. You may volunteer to speak on an important topic or serve on a committee. If your group meets for breakfast, organize an after-hours cocktail party. Show your commitment and your ability to plan, organize, and follow through. These activities demonstrate your competence, leading to more referrals.
Networking is the most effective way to land that new job or to expand your business. Approach the concept with enthusiasm and a plan. As with any skill, networking can be learned. With a little guidance and practice, you will gain confidence. Confidence leads to credibility and credibility leads to opportunities.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Enjoy a Spring Evening in Midtown making new network connections over Beer, Wine, and hors d’oeuvres.
When: March 26, 2019 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Building off the concept of Speed Dating, this event is designed to practice and improve your networking skills with a number of people, in short, intense meetings.
The fun begins at 4:30 p.m. with beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres. A $15 Cover Charge is required.
Our Host, Global Showrooms is located across the street from the Midtown Marta Station on 10th street, at: 10 10th Street NW, Suite 150, Atlanta, 30309
Last week I talked about building a
foundation for success. This week I was walking the walk, immersed in the
concept of building healthy cultures. I have long been interested in
developing nurturing cultures, so once again I was in my sweet spot. The
fun began late Monday afternoon, meeting a founding partner to talk shop and
other things over cigars and Guinness Draft. One of our primary topics
was the values we need to reinforce to build a better culture and
company. He is a big proponent of the 5C model, but I will save that for
a later date.
Tuesday morning, I facilitated the monthly meeting of the Business Executives Networking Group, The BENG. Gregg Burkhalter was the featured speaker. Greg positions himself as the LinkedIn Guy. He’s an advocate for personal branding via LinkedIn. Before the meeting, Greg told me that he’s been doing more work for corporations, helping their employees become effective LinkedIn users. I found his revelation shocking. I remember when people were reluctant to join LinkedIn. They feared their employer would see their profile and think they were looking for another job.
Greg said that employers realize
that their employees are their best ambassadors. Now, they encourage
their employees to become active on LinkedIn. Apparently, this has become an
upgrade to many cultures. The cynic in me would say “it’s about
time.” With so many people using LinkedIn, employers don’t have much
choice. It makes sense to embrace LinkedIn, gaining leverage through their
employees’ accounts. At least it seems to be a positive step in the right
direction
Wednesday evening, I enjoyed a cigar and a beer, or two, with a millennial friend, Chris. Chris and I met through a mutual friend. He was about to publish his book on millennial happiness and I had just published mine. He’s since built a consulting career as an expert on the millennial condition. Our meeting was meant as check-in and catch-up. Chris said that he’d recently completed a presentation to Google and delivered a Ted talk. Currently, he’s moving beyond Millennials to the larger population of career professionals. Eventually, we moved on to discuss the similarities and differences between Millennials and Baby Boomers from a cultural perspective. Chris, like me, is involved in helping companies create more effective cultures.
Thursday morning, after closing a deal to recruit another consultant, I moderated our Executive Leadership Team meeting. Although I facilitate these meetings, I try to avoid dominating the discussions. I want to ensure that everyone’s voice heard and respected. From a leadership perspective, I like Nelson Mandela’s example, be the last one to speak. I believe these values are appropriate for our culture.
Later that afternoon I met a potential client whose company is going through Chapter 11 reorganization. I was referred to them to help engineer a turnaround. The meeting was mostly a “getting to know you” session. It seemed to be dragging on until I asked their opinion about what needed to be done. The meeting became much more productive after that. The CEO became animated about the need to penetrate a different segment of the market. She told me that their primary business development function was her networking through trade associations. They weren’t doing much of anything in the way of electronic advertising, or using social media. It was interesting how the conversation changed after I asked for her thoughts. I believe it solidified our relationship.
Friday, I facilitated our monthly member’s meeting. The speaker was Josh Sweeney of Epic Culture. Epic Culture works with companies to build better cultures and thereby, improve performance. The topic of his conversation was “Culture First Hiring.” In other words, focus on tje best fit for the employer’s culture, assuming they meet the skills and experience required of the job.
It isn’t often that I’m able to spend an entire week working on my favorite issue. Building a healthy culture is most gratifying. Yes, it was a good week!
Thank you for visiting our
blog.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Gregg Burkhalter, “The LinkedIn Guy” presents to the BENG Atlanta Chapter, March 12, 2019. Gregg is an awesome presenter who always delivers! In every presentation, he brings new tips and techniques to make your LinkedIn profile best represent your personal brand.
Having a background in Strategic
Analysis and Planning has served me well during my career. It has been
especially useful when coaching clients and building my start-up. My
passion is sharing my experience and training folks on the fundamentals of
strategy development.
This week I had three opportunities
to indulge my passion. Meeting with several members of our Executive
Leadership Team regarding our Strategic Review, I listened to their thoughts
about growing our brand. I talked with a prospective client about a senior
level search. We discussed the ideal candidate profile for a small,
growing enterprise. And, I spent time working with my consultants
developing diagnostic tools to help our clients identify risk and
opportunities. I was in my sweet spot and it was exhilarating!
Strategy is about engaging an
optimal combination of resources to meet an objective and create a competitive
advantage. The strengths of the enterprise are the foundation for
strategy. These strengths are required to ensure success. Has
anyone ever suggested that you take stock of your weaknesses and build a
strategy around them? I don’t think so. Crafting strategy must
be grounded. A mismatch of desires and capabilities will be disastrous.
Do the firm’s resources; people, processes, systems, and cash flow support the
strategy? Strategic analysis will create filters to sort out these issues. For
the best result, focus your analysis on people, processes, and systems, as well
as the strength of your brand. The result of your work will validate
objectives and begin the process of strategy formulation.
A company’s objectives must be
relevant to the current state of the business. Is a solid foundation in
place to execute the strategy? Are your people engaged and aligned? Is
the culture solid and supportive? Are processes and systems in place to
track performance and hold people accountable? Procedures and systems are
necessary for management to provide guidance, track progress and take
corrective action. Are financial resources available to support the
strategy? Is the company’s brand equity strong enough to ensure
success? If the answers to any of these questions is no, intermediate
objectives must be considered.
There is significant downside risk
in pursuing an objective that hasn’t been properly validated. Confidence in the
leadership team will be shaken. Overall, morale will be diminished.
Rebuilding confidence will become a time-consuming distraction which may
put the primary objective out of reach.
Likewise, if the culture doesn’t
support the initiative, the organization may become mired in their own
confusion. Creating buy-in is mandatory. A lack of support will
create resistance and derail success.
If a new hire is required, one must
understand the time it takes for that person to become effective. It may
take three to six months to fill the position. On-boarding, and ramp-up time must
be considered. Becoming an effective contributor could take a full year’s worth
of effort. Setting performance goals for a new hire, should be pushed out
one year, and even then, the incumbent may not reach their full potential for
two or more years.
I am reminded of a marketing
strategy a former employer attempted without validating the building blocks for
success. I thought the basis of the concept was sound but needed more
testing. Instead, the company executed a national roll-out without buy-in
from the organization. What seemed like a viable concept, became a
complicated program that layered on new packaging, a contest, and bounce-back
coupons. Communicating the value proposition for the initiative was a
monumental task that failed miserably. Before launching the campaign, I
asked the VP Marketing why he was opposed to starting small, then building on
the concept over time. I had recent experience in a similar situation
which I thought to be relevant. He told me that he needed a big win to improve
the morale of the department. Not a convincing rationale, I
thought. Ironically, this failure further demoralized the
department. A brilliant concept, in my opinion, was never realized
because they went for a home run instead of a series of base-hits, to use a
baseball metaphor. They didn’t build a foundation for success. The
concept was never tried again.
I realize that time is of the
essence in this highly competitive, disruptive environment. However,
mistakes are costly and time-consuming. Big mistakes at a critical time
in a company’s development can be fatal. Good leaders understand this dynamic
and its tradeoffs. Often, an objective requires intermediate steps to be
realized. Is the foundation ready? If not, people, processes, or
systems need to be addressed.
When developing strategy, one must have a clear understanding of the company’s strengths and capabilities, as well as the timeline and resources available to realize the objective. In other words, success begins by building a solid foundation to support your strategy.
Thank you for visiting our
blog.
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019Leslie Kuban facilitated a Panel Discussion for the Atlanta Chapter of The FENG. The topic of the discussion was ‘Alternatives to Traditional Employment.” Ms. Kuban, Owner of Frannet Atlanta, and Member of ITB Partners assembled a panel to discuss their motivation and experience leaving traditional employment to own a business.
The panelists talked about the need to follow your passion when picking a business. They reinforced the need for confidence to strike out on your own. Perseverance through difficult times was recognized as a fundamental requirement. All agreed that the major reason for starting a business is to gain control over one’s life and career, especially in a highly volatile environment where tenures are short.
FENG Panelists 2-13-2019, Left to Right: Ed Bauer , Leslie Kuban CFE, Jim Weber, Mercedes Conception-Gray, Chris Ruttle.
The Panelists assembled by Ms. Kuban included Ed Bauer, Franchisee of Fitness Machine Technicians; Jim Weber, President New Century Dynamics Executive Search, and Managing Partner, ITB Partners; Mercedes Conception-Gray, Regional Director, Patrice & Associates; and Chris Ruttle, Franchisee Owner/Manager at Best in Class Education.
The Financial Executives Networking Group is a 501(c)(3), founded in 1991 as a forum for senior financial executives to share job opportunities and experiences. Members have held titles such as Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Treasurer, Managing Director, as well as Vice President of Tax, Mergers & Acquisitions, or Internal Audit.
For more information about franchising contact Leslie Kuban at lkuban@frannet.com
Reflecting on this past week, my focus was on exercising my coaching skills. That comes as no surprise as coaching is fundamental to my leadership responsibilities. I was a bit surprised by the breath of my coaching responsibilities, though. It began by helping a client get his job search on track and ended with a coaching client finishing her PhD requirements. Most of the week was spent with my consulting team and prospective consultants. Interestingly, one of those prospects is a Mexican Citizen who wants to open an office for us in Mexico City. I like her passion and vision for developing Latin America.
I’m reading Strategic Connections, an interesting book about networking recommended by a friend. So far, I have found it to be insightful. This past week I came across the author’s list of the 10 biggest mistakes members make. It was amusing and to the point, but sadly truthful. I thought those insights needed to be repeated. However, I’d take a different tact and make the point more positively.
