I received an email last Thursday indicating that a client was no longer available because she served her resignation notice. She quit on a Thursday. I have yet to get the details regarding why she left abruptly, but I started to think why employees walk out the door before completing the notice period.

Fed Up!

There are some employees who are fed up with the work they do. They are tired of the overwhelming amount of work performed, co-workers who do the bare minimum, or with an arrogant boss. While the economy might be tough, and the job market soft, they don’t care. It’s time to make a move, and there is no reason to stay any longer.

Demotion

I know of a few colleagues who jumped ship when they were moved down in rank. In some cases, the pay was going to be the same, such as with a lateral move, but the position was inferior. The problem with a demotion is saving face. It’s difficult to look co-workers in the eyes when everyone is aware of the embarrassing situation.

What if you are now reporting to someone who used to report to you? As one can imagine, this is not any fun, and this will likely result in people looking for the nearest Exit. While some folks might look on the bright side and be thankful they are still employed, the majority will be resentful.

Preempting Getting Fired

Most of us have been in the situation in which the writing is on the wall. You might be skilled and hard-working employees, but your manager thinks otherwise. I’ve observed situations in which a mandate was made to cut employees by 10% in every department. If you are not well-liked by your boss, it’s obvious that you’d better start packing.

Should you wait to be fired, or is it better to quit first? I suppose HR law might influence your decision, but some people are unwilling to wait for the pink slip. Instead, they take a proactive role, and make the first move.

Let’s see how this conversation might go …

Employee: Nancy, I want to chat with you about something important.

Nancy: What’s up?

Employee: Well, I’m no longer happy here. I think it’s time for me to move on to something new.

Nancy: Ok. I guess you’ve made up your mind, right?

Employee: I hear that we are going to cut the staff, and you and I haven’t always been on the same page.

Nancy: It’s too early to tell how the cuts will take place.

Employee: I guess … but it’s time for me to go.

Quitting abruptly is tough because of the unknown. You are not sure exactly how the next paycheck will be earned. However, I have left a job before, and I remember the liberating feeling that comes from making this move. The drive home is peaceful when you take a step that you feel is right for you.

I recently caught an Asiana Airlines flight from LAX to Seoul, South Korea. It was my first time flying this airline, and the opportunity provided an excellent customer service lesson. I was impressed with how the Asiana flight attendants made the flight enjoyable by using their smiles. I commented to a friend that the experience was warm and pleasant mostly because the flight attendants made the passengers feel welcome.

The smiles from the flight attendants were genuine. One could tell they enjoyed their work, and they were willing to do whatever possible to make us feel at home. Their smiles made them feel approachable. Even though I flew in the “Economy” section, I felt comfortable asking for a couple extra Diet Cokes on the trip. When I did, the flight attendant responded, “Sure, Sir. I will get it for you.” For those of you who fly enough, you understand that many flight attendants often make you feel like it’s a burden to accommodate these simple requests.

#1: Your Smile Indicates Happiness

When you meet someone new, he or she makes a judgment about you within 3 to 7 seconds. This means you have little time to waste. By genuinely smiling when you first meet someone, you give the impression that you are excited about life, and that you are happy to meet that person.

From a business perspective, a smile can open the door for future business. You want others to feel comfortable around you, and our body language is usually the first indication of how receptive you are to meeting others.

#2: Your Smile Communicates Humility

Not every smile shows others that you are humble, but a real, warm, and sincere smile shows that you respect others. A person can show they are down-to-earth and approachable by smiling. You want others to feel they can talk with you, and share ideas.

A humble approach is critically important in a business setting. Your colleagues and employees are more likely to provide valuable feedback when you use a sincere smile to encourage participation. Further, a smile can calm others during a time of crisis or chaos.

#3: Your Smile Indicates Confidence

A genuine smile indicates that you are confident about yourself. It has to be real, and not forced. Research indicates that others can quickly determine if your smile is sincere.

Here are characteristics of a genuine smile:

• Involves the whole face, including the eyes
  Shown by a tightening around the eyes
  Other non-verbal communication reinforces your sincerity

Successful people attract others with their welcoming smiles. You make it clear that you care about others, and desire to know more about them.

An important takeaway here is that a smile makes you feel good. From a physiological standpoint, smiling triggers the release of endorphin, which send a message to your brain that makes you feel good, confident, and satisfied.

Smiling will not solve every problem for you, but it will allow you time to focus. More important, it will make you a happy person, and others will enjoy your company.

During my 13-hour flight to Seoul I learned that the flight attendants had mastered the skill of creating a positive experience for the passengers. It had little to do with the food, beverages, or comfortable environment. Instead, the terrific experience was mostly attributed to their genuine smiles.

Over the past couple of decades, I have started several businesses; some have worked, and some have not. Even those ventures falling short of expectations provided an excellent learning experience. In other words, I didn’t see much revenue, but I learned what not to do in the future.

Business ownership is not for everyone, to be sure. Starting a business means that you are fully accountable for all work, including marketing, IT, operations, finance, accounting, and janitorial services. You are first, second, and third on the depth chart.

For some, owning a business is in their blood. My grandmother had a talent for finding new work opportunities, and my mother has owned several successful businesses. For others, launching a business is spurred by a strong area of expertise, such as development of apps for mobile technologies. Finally, some are considering entrepreneurship because of the difficulty in finding full-time work during the recent downturn in the economy.

Here are three signs indicating that business ownership might be right for you:

#1: You want to control the level of income.

There are many who believe that self-employment is too risky. However, the counterargument is that working for others carries even more risk. Employers must only give someone two-weeks notice regarding termination, and losing one’s job is not always related to poor performance. Thus, even if you are doing well, you can be shown the door.

When you operate a business, whether as a global project management consultant or seller of luxury watches, you are largely in control of your income. By finding the right niche, and providing unparalleled customer service, you can create excellent wealth.

#2: You are not allowed to use your creative mind.

Bureaucracy is part of corporate America, and it’s getting worse. New regulations, such as SOX and HIPAA, are requiring even more controls, which lead to more layers of management, and createbottlenecks throughout the system. The more controls that in are place, the more red tape we encounter, which invariably stifles creativity.

Entrepreneurs are creative people. We have a unique way of visualizing how our product or service can improve the lives of our customers. When we cannot use our creative minds in the workplace, we start looking for business opportunities in which we are the decision-makers.

#3: You understand the magic word known by all business owners: Freedom!

Any true entrepreneur knows the importance of creating one’s schedule, and doing the work that is driven by passion and desire. This is freedom! When you are doing what you love, it’s no longer work. You enjoy getting to work early in the morning, staying late into the night, and even spending weekend time to complete your activities.

Rest assured that business owners spend the hours necessary to get the work done. The difference, though, is that they do the planning. They determine what work will get done, and when it’s scheduled. Having this control is important to entrepreneurs.

The right timing to start a business is different for every person. You can begin the process part-time. Get to know the business and industry. Build the skills you need, and put away the necessary capital to support the start-up process. Even if you are not ready to make the decision today, it’s critical that you begin researching the possibilities.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, avoid heeding advice from those with little knowledge about business ownership. If you have the passion, and the timing is right, go for it. If the product or service is right, and you provide excellent customer service, the chances of success skyrocket.

I was getting a haircut at a local barbershop here in San Antonio, and was amused by a hearty and energetic conversation among the barbers. One barber, a man in his 50s, went on a date over the weekend, and he talked about how gentlemanly he was with his lady friend. He opened the door to the restaurant, ordered her meal, and was quick to open the passenger side door of the car after dinner.

After hearing the story, the lady barber in the shop made an interesting comment: “I’m not too much into flowers. Just buy me one rose and give me the rest in cash!”
That statement reminded me about how we sometimes run our businesses. Instead of providing more value to the customer, we give them just enough to keep them happy. The customer has the appearance of saving money, but we failed to provide the level of service that can make a difference to that customer.

The Rose

You provide the rose to the customer when you do the bare minimum. The customer calls your company for cable television service. You take the order, issue the request to install, and make sure it gets done by the assigned date. That’s it! The rose is merely doing what the customer has on his mind at that time. Of course, the customer only paid for the cable television service, and nothing more. However, did you take the time to learn more about other needs you could satisfy for the customer?

Deliver the Dozen Roses

The impression a dozen red roses makes is more dramatic than a single rose. As the man, you have gone beyond expectations with this gesture, and she is going to appreciate your commitment to her. If she receives the roses at her workplace, your stock will increase exponentially. It’s a win-win situation.

The same holds true in a business. Instead of providing just cable television service, you can conduct a quick needs assessment over the phone to determine what other products are of interest to this customer. For example, you can offer the high-definition DVR, VoIP, and a maintenance program. To be sure, the customer will pay more for these services, but he will be happier because of the additional services. In fact, when you bundle the services, the customer saves in the long run.

Make it a Long-Term Relationship

I suppose those companies who give only single roses are short-term based, and are mostly concerned about making one-time sales. Differently, when you provide the dozen roses, or the package that is right for the customer, you are building a loyal and long-term relationship. You know that a satisfied customer is less likely to look elsewhere for the services you provide because you have gone the extra mile and given him the attention he deserves.

Avoid thinking that you need to do all the work for your company. One major weakness of many business owners is the need to control all aspects of the operation. The successful entrepreneur, however, adopts a different strategy. To make a business grow exponentially, you must focus on the key result areas (KRAs), and delegate everything else.
Delegation requires more than hiring a staff to do the day-to-day work. You must have a clear idea of the work that needs to be done, determine the right people who can perform the tasks, and provide the training to improve the quality of the product or service.

More important, the business owner must dedicate the majority of time to building the business. To do that, you must identify the areas that generate the most revenue, and spend most of your time with those activities. Avoid getting caught in the administrative trap. Doing paperwork, responding to routine emails, and running errands wastes your valuable time.

#1: Identify the work that defines your company.

In business school, you learn the importance of the mission and vision of the organization. For example, Apple has two important words in its mission statement: creative and innovation. Therefore, Steve Jobs was focused on providing the customers with products and services that were aligned with its mission. Most would agree that the iPhone, iPad, and iTunes are both creative and innovative products.

Before doing any work, take the time to jot down what makes your company unique. If your unique selling proposition (USP) is unparalleled customer service, you must spend the majority of the time on activities designed to improve the overall customer experience. To that end, you hire and train a workforce that understands the importance of wowing your customers. You can also develop an incentive program for employees who exceed expectations. In short, your entire day is consumed with activities that will provide your company with a competitive edge based on fantastic customer service.

#2: Open your mind to outsourcing.

The world is flat! If you have a mentality that work can only be done within the confines of your office, you are limiting the potential for growth. In fact, many businesses often fail because employees are an expensive fixed cost, and it’s difficult to find workers who have the specialized skills you need. Think of outsourcing as an employment process in which you hire on demand.

It’s imperative that you’re open-minded about employees who can work remotely. Today, you can hire both part-time and full-time employees from India and The Philippines who provide quality work at a fraction of the cost you would pay for a local employee. You can begin by outsourcing a small project, and keep building from there.

#3: Use “cloud computing” to run all facets of your business.

Just 20 years ago, software applications were loaded by using physical media, diskette after diskette. Most of the software back then was expensive, and had limited functionality. In most cases, you had to wait a week or so for the media to arrive via the US Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS. Today, through cloud computing, you have access to powerful and affordable applications that are downloadable from the internet. In just a few minutes, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program can be helping you nurture potential clients.

Automation is synonymous with delegation. In essence, you allow technology to manage the day-to-day business operations, including payroll, search engine optimization (SEO), and email marketing. With just a few hundred dollars per month, you can look like a major leaguer.

Those business owners who find it difficult to delegate will eventually fail. Success depends on your ability to focus on the KRAs. For that to happen, you must leverage the power of outsourcing and technology.

Building a successful business is more about maximizing brainpower, and less about a brute force approach in which you are adamant about maintaining full control over all operations. In short, the smart business owner focuses only on work that is closely aligned with the mission and vision of the organization, and everything else is delegated to competent workers, keeping in mind that outsourcing can provide a competitive advantage.

This past Sunday, Fr. Carlos delivered a message in the homily that captured my interest.

He described an online business that has done well with the following phrase:

Keep Calm and Carry On.

The Message

Each of us has a different perspective when we hear something we value as important. Each time Fr. Carlos provided an example of why we should keep calm and carry on, the takeaway resonated.

While there are obvious religious interpretations from the phrase, I would like to transfer the knowledge to the work we do in the business community. The focus of the message is the same, but the application is a bit different.

Don’t Worry About the Obstacles

Regardless of the type of work you do, you will face challenges. You should be worried if the journey is mostly smooth sailing. A week or so ago, I spoke to someone about my online project management training. She said, “It sounds like a great product, and I will make sure to get your foot in the door.”

When I hung up the phone, I was somewhat baffled. The organization she represents is well-respected, and becoming a provider must be more difficult than getting a recommendation from one person. In addition, I only communicated my product over the telephone, which meant she had not seen it.

From my years of business experience, I know that challenges are part of the game. As it turns out, she has not returned my emails or calls. What does this tell me? I need to follow-up with other stakeholders of the organization. In short, the challenging work begins. This is what I expected, and I now know the effort will be worth it.

Keep Spreading the Message

Fr. Carlos made it clear that we need to spread the message even when others are unwilling to listen. We must develop a tough skin, and know that what we are doing is right. When we communicate the vision of our organizations, we build a strong community. Just as important, we must stay calm and press ahead.

As leaders and managers of our companies, we must ensure our employees understand the expectations. It’s our job to paint the picture. We need to let them know that they can make a huge difference in our success. However, before they will take action, they must believe that our message is reliable and sound. As the messengers, we must have a plan that is carried out despite the number of apathetic individuals that we meet along the way. In short, it’s imperative that we stick to the plan.

Fr. Carlos reiterated that challenges are part of the process. If we expect a tough uphill climb, we can increase our energy and stamina to fight through difficult times. In business, making someone a customer is tough, but it’s even more taxing to keep them loyal to our products and services. Success requires dedication and patience, especially if we plan to build loyal customer bases.

I suppose the main takeaway that I learned from Fr. Carlos’ homily is the following:

When you believe in what you do and who you are, make sure to stay the course. Success will only come to those who fight through the challenges.

The other day while going through the CVS drive-thru to pick up a prescription for my daughter, I thought the coast was clear. I did not see any cars in front of me, which mean zero wait time. This is surely a welcome sight at the end of a long workday!

Not so fast …

As I turned the corner to make my way to the drive-thru window, I noticed an elderly lady and her dog leaning against the wall (actual pic posted here). This couldn’t be! I thought the CVS drive-thru window was made for automobiles. A person on foot must certainly be required to enter the store, and make the long walk to the pharmacy, which is strategically located in the back.

How much room do we give a pedestrian?

I had no choice but to wait for the lady to complete her prescription transaction. I put the car in the Park position, and soon realized that I was giving her the same spacing I would give a car or truck.

Was this appropriate? Given she is on foot at a drive-thru, do I give her more room? Less room? If my foot were to slip from the brake pedal, the potential for injury to the women and her dog is significant, especially since they are not protected.

Would I be legally liable if an accident were to occur? What was her liability for using this convenient service intended for automobiles? With my luck, the jury would likely have several pet-friendly folks, and little sympathy would be shown to me.

What role did the dog have in this situation?

To my knowledge, individuals can take dog into stores if they have a medical reason. I don’t think it was a seeing-eye dog because, while she waited, she was reading a drug form handed to her by the pharmacist.

Was she too embarrassed to take the dog into CVS? It’s possible she did not want to cause a scene or make things uncomfortable to other patrons? I’m also curious whether she had to wait behind another customer who was on four wheels? Did she assume that since cars have four wheels she could take her four-legged animal? I’m confused how she made the determination that she could walk-thru the drive-thru service.

Does it really matter?

The more I think about this situation, it’s likely I’m making a big deal out of it. She has the right to approach the drive-thru window in a car, a motorcycle, and even a tricycle!

What’s next, though? What if she was on horseback? Would the pharmacist alter the prescription to something that would help her mental stability? I don’t know, and perhaps will never find out.

When it was finally my turn, the order was processed, and I drove away … because that’s what people do when they go through a drive-thru! As I drove home, I saw the lady with her dog in tow. She appeared happy and relaxed, which confused me even more.

My son and I recently attended Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals pitting the Memphis Grizzlies against the San Antonio Spurs. The game was played in San Antonio, which meant that black and silver were the popular colors.

During a timeout, I asked Aaron, my 10-year-old son, to look for any Memphis fans. The task was to find someone dressed in light blue and white. It didn’t take long for him to spot a Memphis follower. The young man was sitting just to the right of us, and he even had body paint covering much of his body. I was able to sneak a picture that I posted in this blog.

The Fearless Fan

As a lifelong San Antonio Spurs fan, I was hoping we would quickly take command of the game. It’s uncomfortable when the home team is outplayed, and the visiting fans rub it in, even though they are greatly outnumbered.

I was impressed with the Memphis fan. He had to know that we were not going to welcome him. Plus, with the Grizzlies jersey and the rest of the flare, it was obvious that he wanted everyone to know his team preference.

Think about it, though, how often is anyone bold enough to walk into a room and take a stance. This is the type of person you might want in your company. This is the type of individual who is unafraid to share his perspective on a particular issue. He might not be right, but at least you will get his perspective.

He Never Stood Up

The Spurs took control of Game 1 by jumping to a big lead. In fact, the San Antonio team made 14 three-pointers, and many of them came early in the game. The fanatical-Memphis had a tough time finding an opportunity to cheer for his team. Even when Memphis closed to within 6 points in the 3rd quarter, he remained seated. I think he knew the Spurs were playing too well on this Sunday afternoon.

The Spurs extended their lead in the 4th quarter, and won by a score of 105-83. To beat the after-game traffic, we left with a few minutes remaining. The Grizzlies fan remained seated. Given that his team was getting trounced, I’m sure he felt more comfort staying in his seat.

The Point

What made this example impressive is that the Memphis fan knew there would be very few people in his corner. Regardless, he attended the game in hopes that his team would play well.

I understand the blue-and-white adorned fan never stood up and cheered his team. He was probably a bit shell-shocked that they were not playing well. But, he did show up, and it was obvious that he was walking into hostile territory. While the Grizzlies lost convincingly, he was able to make a point. He stood up for what he believed, and he made his presence known.

On that day, his team fell short, but my guess is that he will continue to take a bold stance. He has something going for him … this type of fortitude is a requirement of success.

Earlier this year, I received a gift card for a manicure and pedicure. This is not something that I do often. In fact, I can count the number of times on both of my hands. I’ve been quite busy with my work, so I decided to slow down a bit and take advantage of this perk.

Setting the Appointment

The nail spa is near my optometrist’s office, so I stopped and confirmed an appointment that followed my eye visit. It’s usual for the optometrist to run a little behind, but I had luck that day. He had a couple of assistants doing the prep work, which kept him moving at a good pace. I was surprised to hear that my vision remained steady for the past year. He said, “You’re doing okay. I looked in the back of your eyes, and don’t see any problems. Let’s keep the same prescription for another year.” Good news!

The Pampering

I drove the couple of blocks from the eye doctor to the nail spa, and walked in a few minutes early. It appeared that I beat the rush hour. I was greeted by a 20-something Vietnamese woman.

ME: I’m here for my 11 a.m.

HAN: Yes, Mr. Flores. I’ve been waiting for you. Are you ready to get started?

ME: I sure am.

HAN: Good! You can follow me, and we start making you feel better. You will also look much better.

ME: That’s good to hear. I’m ready to relax a bit, and from the look of things, I can definitely use a manicure and a pedicure.

HAN: I recommend that you get the “Gold Package.” You’ll get the manicure, pedicure, and foot massage. It’s only $55, and it’s pretty cheap!

ME: I have a $50 gift card, so that’s a great deal. I can give you a bigger tip!

HAN: Mr. Flores, what would you like to drink? We have water, Diet Coke, and wine.

ME: It’s a bit too early for me to drink any alcohol, and I have plenty of work to do, so I will take the Diet Coke, please.

HAN:  Sure! Let me get it for you. Go ahead and place your feet in the hot water. I’ll be right back.

Han returned a couple minutes later, and started the pedicure. Before long, she was doing the scrubbing on the sole of my feet. For the life of me I cannot hold still. It downright tickles! Of course, I pretended that it didn’t bother me, but I was close to losing it! I should’ve had the wine – or any other legal depressant!

I was surprised when Han stated, “Mr. Flores, you have pretty feet.”

“That’s nice of you to say. I think my feet are quite normal.”

Han and I had a good discussion during the treatment. I learned a bit more about her previous work in Vietnam, and even her long term plans. While I know little about this type of work, I was impressed with her pleasant attitude and attention to detail.

Upon checking out, she provided a business card with her hand-written name. I’m unsure when I will return, but I will make sure to ask for her. She did, after all, claim that I had “pretty feet.”

On a recent US Air flight from Phoenix to San Antonio, we learned that it would be the final work flight for Blaine (see picture), who worked for the airline more than a decade. The flight lasted just two hours and was uneventful.

However, Blaine had his fellow flight attendant take a picture while standing in the aisle. Passengers were informed that they could cover their faces or look away if they did not want to be part of the picture, but I think most participated. I was sitting right next to Blaine, and gave a big thumbs-up.

Planning for the Big Day

While observing Blaine’s routine, one would not have known that he was making his final flight. On this segment, he tended to the First Class cabin. He provided special snacks and alcoholic beverages upon request. He was attentive and carried a friendly smile.

On this flight, I was seated in Economy, right behind the front cabin (bulkhead). At one point, Blaine passed by me, and I caught his attention to learn more about his retirement plans:

ME: Congratulations!

BLAINE: Thank you! This is the final flight for me.

ME: How does it feel finishing up your career?

BLAINE: This is my second career, and I’m ready to call it quits. I’ve put in enough work over my lifetime. It’s time to enjoy the next stage of my life.

ME: Where do you live?

BLAINE: I actually have two homes: Phoenix and Vancouver, Canada. I really like Vancouver, so that is where I plan to spend most of my time. It’s a beautiful city, and I have many friends in the area. I will be there soon!

ME: It’s great that you are ready to make the transition. I can tell you’re happy.

BLAINE: I decided only recently to make this decision, and it feels right. I could work for a couple more years, but for what? The returns I can expect just don’t justify the investment in time. Don’t get me wrong … this has been a great career. I have met many great people, from co-workers to customers. I made the right decision to work here at US Air for so long.

After our conversation, I began to think about retirement. I understand it’s a “down the road thing” for me, but seeing someone who is right on the doorstep makes me pause and contemplate the decision.

It was obvious that Blaine was ready to enjoy retirement. From what he told me, he didn’t think about it too long. I understand that some people keep putting extra years in hopes of increasing the value of their retirement program, but there are downsides to this decision. When are you going to be happy? If you add $15,000 for two more years of work, will the investment in time be worth it?

The takeaway from my discussion with Blaine is that you should have a clear idea when it’s time to enjoy your life after work. Each of us will balance variables that are important, but the point is that the day is coming, and I want to have the same confidence that Blaine showed. He knew the time was right.