Susan Schneider’s Blog

Are you in Activity or Action?

Activity: A deed or function; a state of being active. As we do it, we say: “I am really busy,” or “I have too many tasks to do.”

Action: An act that someone consciously wills; characterized by physical or mental activity. As we do it, we say: “I just signed a new client,” or “I have identified a new product.”

Can you see the difference? Most people today are mired in “Activity”. They are getting through the day with a laundry list of tasks just hoping they can stay at least one step ahead of someone catching up to them. When people are in “Action” they are focused; concentrating on a few select items that will help them or their company move forward.

My guess is that if each of us wrote a list of all of the things we did in a week, we would realize that a good percentage of the tasks could have been eliminated and no one would be the wiser. It would most likely be filled with a lot of “time wasters”. I will go back to my email post from last week. How much time do you think you spend answering emails that have no identifiable outcome or result? How many times have you found yourself not getting to anything else in a day but emails?

It is natural to associate “busy-ness” with importance; if we have more tasks, or more meetings, we must be making a measurable difference. Unfortunately, we are most likely just fostering an environment of stress for ourselves. The solution lies in our willingness to accept that we can choose to focus only on “Actions”. It may feel a bit uncomfortable at first and you may look a bit less “busy”, but I promise you will feel a lot more fulfilled.

Don't Make Me Scroll

One of the key components of my blog is that I try to get to the point quickly. I avoid making lengthy statements and aim to keep my posts under 300 words. I wish we could apply the same logic to email. I long for the day that Google, Microsoft or Yahoo comes out with some “pop-up tools” that share a new kind of email etiquette.  A few of the ideas I wish for are:

• The "Pick-Up-the-Phone" Alarm - this lets the writer know that the length of their text is now nearing a second page (the need to scroll). It forces them to answer a series of questions on "why" before they can proceed with their email.

• The "Stay on Topic" Alarm – a tool that notifies the writer if their content is keeping with what appears in the subject line. It removes the ability to address a multitude of issues that will only create multiple emails (see next rule).

• The "Three Times and You’re Out" Alarm – it puts a limit to the amount of times you can reply back and forth on the same subject, steering the writers to find a new way to communicate. Imagine an appointment box popping up on your screen.

• The "Do You Know What Time it is?" Alarm - this puts a time limit to when you can send important emails. Nothing critical should be sent at wee hours of the morning.

I am sure that I have just opened myself to a year's worth of criticism on any future email I send. I guess it’s the price I pay for trying to change the world, one email at a time.

A Pony in the Pile

A young boy who lived on a farm wanted a pony for Christmas. Christmas morning came and there was no pony near the tree or front door. In his disappointment, the boy disappeared. When he didn't show up for dinner, his mom went looking for him. She found him in the barn shoveling a huge pile of manure. When she asked him what he was doing he replied, "With all this manure there's got to be a pony in there somewhere!"

Our CEO is famous for reminding us to always search for the pony in the pile. In the midst of challenges, defeats and tribulations, there is always an opportunity to be found. We just have to be willing to look for it. The pony may have many different faces; perhaps it is a new idea or innovation, a redefinition of process or better yet, personal growth. It is no secret that when we face adversity and get through it, we grow as humans.

2009 has definitely been a year of “piles.” It would be easy to focus on all of the things that didn’t go well, but we have to remind ourselves daily to look for the good within the challenges, even as small as they may be. So instead of looking back and asking: Why? Why us? Why me? We can look forward and ask: What? What opportunities will appear in the midst of the chaos? What opportunities might come forward in the future? What opportunities now lie ahead of us?

Here’s to wishing you find your pony!

Fear or Faith

The choice is simple. There are really only two options. You can either choose to live your life in fear of the things that you cannot control, or you can choose to have faith in the things you can control. Fear is paralyzing. Faith frees us.

I know that life and all that comes with it can be overwhelming and scary. All you have to do is watch TV or read a news article and it can literally become numbing. Take the health care bill. Do any of us really understand the impact? The idea of trying to sort out the details is complicated and requires an education and pay grade well beyond most of us…well maybe.

Whether it is the health care bill, the recent unemployment numbers or a friend that was just laid-off, there are plenty of reasons for us to be afraid. But really, how does spending time carrying this emotion around help us? The reality is…it doesn’t. We can only control those things that lie in our immediate path. Yes, we can educate ourselves and have an awareness of the bigger “global” picture, but to the extent that we let it fill our mind requires boundaries and limitations.

Having faith isn’t easy, but it is necessary. When you have faith it allows you to open your mind to possibilities. Each day, I take the approach that I would like to see “one” positive impact. Just one. I am not asking for the world to change overnight but if you add up one a day, that at a minimum gives you 365 reasons to be positive each year.

On a final note, I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday. We can truly be thankful for so many good things.

And the Oscar goes to...

Not me. And it wasn’t really the Oscars, but in my mind it felt like it. You may have noticed a Stevie Awards logo on my blog recently. Last weekend, I was in New York City at the International Women of Business Awards as a finalist for Blog of the Year. And I have to admit, it was exciting. I was all ready to present my acceptance speech, even willing to give Beyonce partial credit if that is what it took. Unfortunately, I was beat out by a rather awesome website that celebrates women taking C-Suite positions.

My point of blogging on this topic today is not to toot my own horn, but to thank all of you weekly readers. Someone asked me what inspires me to write a blog each week. In addition to fulfilling my love and need for writing, it has really been the continual support of all of you. Your feedback, emails, and ideas for new topics is what makes it sustainable and a lot of fun along the way. I just reached the two-year milestone of writing Wednesdays with Susan and look forward to writing long into the future.

So, while I didn’t win, I did get the chance to sit with some pretty amazing women. Some of them received awards for best executive, best entrepreneur, and 50 other categories from companies all over the world. I don’t want to exclude my male readers today, but for all of you women out there who manage your careers and your families, continually striving for excellence each day, I just wanted to say congratulations. It is no small feat.

"The Go-Giver"

Every once in a while I come across a book that I feel compelled to share with others. This week, it is "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I don’t want to spoil the book for any of you, but I am going to go ahead and share the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success; they are just too good to keep to myself. I am sure the authors won’t mind me spreading their message (free marketing, right?).

1. The Law of Value - Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
2. The Law of Compensation - Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
3. The Law of Influence - Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.
4. The Law of Authenticity - The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
5. The Law of Receptivity - The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

The phrase "value proposition" has most likely been overused. I fear that "out of the box" thinking or "re-inventing the wheel" have begun to lose their impact. But for the sake of an inability to come up with anything better, I will reference it here. This book does an incredible job of reminding us of some of the greatest virtues…treat others as you would like to be treated. Give more of yourself, more of your time, and more of your knowledge. Growing others will bring twice as much to you in return.

The message is clear. If you are only in business or investing time on something with hopes that you will earn more money, gain more recognition or fulfill an immediate need, you will find yourself heading down a dead-end road. To be truly happy and satisfied, it requires giving of ourselves first.

It's Time for a Negativity Diet

Forget the Zone or Atkins…we may be in need of a negativity diet. Did you know that some experts say that 80% of our thoughts are negative? And guess what that does to our conversations? I would challenge you to try trimming back the negative “trans-fat” thoughts in your mind. A colleague challenged me to do this last week. She admitted that it is not easy; while we have great intentions, the negative thoughts can take over.

So I began thinking. What are some of my negative thoughts? Like French fries and Halloween chocolates, I sometimes find myself focusing on fat and sugar-filled thoughts like…the stock market, unemployment rates, a less than desirable 401K portfolio, and whatever else comes to mind…crime rates, the education system, the list is endless.

To begin, I make a conscious decision. I can only focus on what I can control. My actions, my behavior, my thoughts; I train myself to get on a “positivity diet” full of fruits and vegetables, filling my mind with thoughts like…the future is not cancelled…within today’s problems lie the greatest opportunities…innovative ideas.

In the end, you have two directions you can take…positive or negative. And unless you are planning on moving to a different country, or leaving the workforce in the very near future, I really can’t see why anyone would choose the latter.

What Does Success Look Like?

...and how will you know when you’ve reached it? We all strive for success, whether it is in our professional or personal lives. Unfortunately, we often don’t have a good idea of what success looks like. A few weeks ago, I spoke about creating a vision. Now I think it is important to outline what the success of that vision entails. Envisioning success can be applied to major events - like what you hope to achieve in years to come, or to short term goals - such as completing a project.

Often when I am with clients, I will ask them, “What three words would you use to describe a successful partnership?” I always find it interesting to hear what they have to say and truthfully, sometimes I am caught by surprise with their answer. I am reminded once again, if you really want to know how people feel or what they need, you simply have to ASK them.

I personally feel like those companies in the client services industry put themselves at a great disadvantage when they assume what others need. You are not doing yourself any good by assuming you know what your client wants. In fact, it most likely puts you at a disadvantage. In service, we make the mistake of thinking that by asking questions, we are showing incompetence, because if we really knew our client, we would know what they want. The reality is your client’s needs are changing quickly. What they needed last year or even last week may be changing as I am writing these words.

There is one thing I can promise you. No one ever complains about being asked to share their opinion. I know I can speak from personal experience...why do you think I love this blog so much!

The Art of the Nudge

You can’t get people to do what you want by pushing them. You can’t get people to do what you want by being passive. Somewhere in the middle lies the art of the nudge. The art of the nudge is the ability to point people in the right direction by giving them enough information that they come to the decisions themselves.

Nudging is truly an art. So often, we think that by being forceful in our approach, we will help them see the light…faster. Or, we hope that if we lay enough subtle hints, they will eventually find the answer. Neither provides a win-win approach.

One of the mistakes people make is setting “internal” time clocks on when people should come to an understanding of a new idea or future concept. Just like in life, everyone needs to process information in their own time.

So what does nudging look like? It looks like coming forward with an idea, but not anticipating an immediate answer. It looks like asking thought-provoking questions that allow people to consider new options. It looks like being open to an idea even if your part of the idea may need to be modified.

At the end of the day, it comes down to servant leadership. The ability to lead others by serving them with information, with recommendations, and with ideas they haven’t considered before. Just put yourself in the position of others - how would you want to be approached?

Good News! The Future is Not Cancelled!

Thank goodness, I wasn’t ready to pack up my ball and go home. Seriously, I had to laugh when I heard this quoted at the National Relocation Conference last week. What a great line of optimism with a bit of tongue-in-cheek to the “glass half empty” folks who think things will never turn around. Sometimes we need to hear this straight-forward talk.

After spending a week in Chicago with over a thousand people from fifty plus countries, I am here to tell you that whether or not you agree with Bernanke that the recession is over, the attitudes of individuals are headed in the right direction. Most of the people I talked with have come out of their bunkers and are preparing for recovery. Is it all evident on the balance sheet right now? No. Will it be in the first quarter? Maybe. But those who have survived are preparing for better things to come. They are not waiting for things to get back to the way they were; they are re-inventing, re-investing, and re-defining their services.

I know that I spend a great deal of time focused on being clear about your vision; on a business level and on a personal level. As someone once quoted, “We are limited not by our abilities but by our vision”. This important stuff can wait no longer. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You would be amazed what starting with a few words written on a piece of paper can do to begin the journey.

There’s another important element… surround yourself with positive people. For every few optimists, there are pessimists lurking in the corner. For me, last week’s conference was just what the doctor ordered; a prescription for a plethora of positivity. Whether you attend an event or meet with a co-worker, keeping up the positive attitude is half the battle.