How to Handle A Crisis. (Don't Do What Imus Did.)

From time to time we face crises and need to know how to live through it successfully. Don Imus, a popular talk radio host in the U.S. is currently embroiled in a crisis situation of his own making and he doesn’t seem to be handling it very well.

In his April 4^th, 2007 radio broadcast Imus used a disparaging term (the meaning of which I am pleased to say I only partially understand) to describe the Rutger's University women’s basketball team, causing an uproar.

Imus hasn’t handled the repercussions very well, choosing to make an obsequious apology on, of all places Al Sharpton's show. Despite the apology, Sharpton and other opportunists continue to call on the networks to fire Imus and on advertisers to boycott his show. CBS suspended him for two weeks and MSNBC dropped him altogether. Advertisers scampered.

There is a difference between a crisis and an emergency, writes Alan Weiss in his book “The Unofficial Guide to Power Managing.” When a fire rages or a colleague bends over with a heart attack you act immediately. Those are emergencies. Crises, however, actually afford more time for thinking. To handle a crisis successfully, we must utilize the initial moments for clear, rational thought rather than rushing to respond.

Instead of apologizing and retaining his dignity by not allowing his pejorative slip of the tongue to be blown out of proportion, Imus seems to have panicked and subjected himself to the agenda of Al Sharpton & Co. Sharpton and his cronies do not care for principle. They are simply delighted with any opportunity to frolic in the spotlight.

With more time to think about what he was trying to accomplish in the aftermath of his slip of the tongue, the articulate Imus might have apologized and then launched a swift counter attack. If Sharpton cares so much for black women, why is he silent about radio shows playing rap songs whose lyrics make Imus sound like a lily-white toddler.

I don’t listen to the Imus show and from the little I know of him, I doubt society would be worse off if he is taken off the air. But there are lessons here about dealing with crises:

Slow down long enough to get a proper understanding of the situation. Don’t panic. Do get the facts. Don’t rush to act before you know clearly what outcome you are after. Don’t be distracted by loud, irrational voices.

In short, don’t do what Imus did.

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Caught in a crises? The Gordon Group can help. When facing a crisis your thinking must be crystal clear. Don’t go it alone. Let us work with you to contain the damage, identify your real objectives, plan the steps and work with you as you execute.

Resources for executives, managers and business leaders:

1. Dov Gordon's audio book, “If You Are Implementing Your Strategy – You Don’t Have One: How to Control and Grow Your Business.” Got to www.Superior-Strategy.com and listen to the first 25 minutes on me.

Read what others say about this audio book:

"The greatest compliment I can give a book or audio program is, 'It caused me to take action.' The second best is, 'It made me think.' Dov's audio and workbook program, 'If You Are 'Implementing' Your Strategy—You Don't Have One,' accomplishes both—and I do strategy consulting!"

-- Bruce Johnson, President, Make it Remarkable, LLC. (In a past life, Bruce founded and led his church from two to two thousand members.) www.BruceDJohnson.com

“Dov, your audio book on strategic thinking presents a philosophy and process that is clearer, more sensible and more actionable than any other approach I’ve seen. Additionally, I enjoyed the numerous real life examples you used to illustrate your points, especially the story of the Curta. - Skip Weisman, President, Weisman Success Resources, Inc. www.WeismanSuccessResources.com

2. "The Unofficial Guide to Power Managing" by Alan Weiss has a very useful section on managing in times of crises.

3. Michelle Malkin’s article listing rap lyrics that don’t seem to bother Reverend Sharpton. http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmM3ZGEwOWE2NWRlYWM2N2ZkY2Q3MWNlNmU1MTlhN2M=

Dov Gordon’s coaching and consulting helps business leaders in organizations of any size, around the world, to sharpen their focus, open their eyes to blind spots and take greater control over their businesses. To find out how you could benefit contact Dov. dov@gordongroupec.com

What Gets Us Into Trouble - Or, Why Ask Why?

“What gets us into trouble," Yogi Berra once observed “is not what we don’t know, but what we know for sure that just ain’t so!”

What gets us into trouble is when we know for sure what to do – but in fact we don’t have a clue.

I sat in on a meeting with a coaching client and one of his employees. The employee’s job is to study a market they intend to enter and help prepare the company for entry.

“The first thing we need to do, and I am sure of it, is get our website up,” the employee told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we need to set up a website, get it optimized in Google and see how the first few sales will go so I can better understand how the sales process should work,” he said.

“Wait. You’re telling me that you need to better understand how the sales process will work, and you’ve decided that a website is the best way to get there?” I asked.

“Yes, because any customer will ask to see our website before anything else.”

“That sounds like an awful expensive and drawn out way to determine how the sales process will work. How will you know when your understanding is sufficient? What is missing? What do you need to understand that isn’t clear now?”

“That’s a very good question,” he said and thought for a bit before rattling off a number of things: “I need to know how we will close with clients, what kind of agreements we will use, how we will invoice, how we will accept payment, how we will receive their files, process them, return them and generate back end sales… So I guess a web site really is just a small part of that…” he admitted. “We really need to work through the steps in the sales and fulfillment process so that I have a better understanding of how it will work.”

By simply asking “Why?” and listening to the answer I saved my client months of his employee’s time – and much of his own; time that would have been wasted on building the perfect chisel instead of sculpting a remarkable statue.

People often become attached to a specific tactic, idea, tool or path – forgetting to ask “Wait, tell me again WHY are we doing this?”

Dov Gordon’s CEO Thought-Provoker Questions:

1. How much time and expense is wasted on “knowing for sure when it just ain’t so” by people quickly choosing a tool (website, database, training program, compensation structure, marketing message, strategy, etc.) without really understanding what they are ultimately trying to accomplish?
   

2. Ask “WHY?” When someone says “First we have to do THIS,” recognize that “this” is a means to an end. What is the OUTCOME we want to achieve and what other roads can take us there? Have we really studied and compared the various alternatives? How will “this” alternative help us reach our goals?

3. Suggestion: Few people ask the right questions. In less than an hour and a half my audio book will teach you a few simple tools that will make you one of the clearest thinkers in your organization. The first third of program is free and available for immediate download at www.Superior-Strategy.com The program is called “If You Are Implementing Your Strategy – You Don’t Have One!” The full program includes a printable workbook to help you master the lessons. Why not check it out now?

READ WHAT THESE FOLKS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS AUDIO BOOK PROGRAM:

"The greatest compliment I can give a book or audio program is, 'It caused me to take action.' The second best is, 'It made me think.' Dov's audio and workbook program, 'If You Are 'Implementing' Your Strategy—You Don't Have One,' accomplishes both—and I do strategy consulting!"

-- Bruce Johnson, President, Make it Remarkable, LLC. (In a past life, Bruce founded and led his church from two to two thousand members.) www.BruceDJohnson.com

“Dov, your audio book on strategic thinking presents a philosophy and process that is clearer, more sensible and more actionable than any other approach I’ve seen. Additionally, I enjoyed the numerous real life examples you used to illustrate your points, especially the story of the Curta. - Skip Weisman, President, Weisman Success Resources, Inc. www.WeismanSuccessResources.com

To Go Beyond Your Core Business - Or Not?

Should you pursue a new direction or stick with your core business? How do you decide?

The November 13, 2006 issue of BusinessWeek featured a cover story about Amazon.com’s new web services. These services exhilarated thousands of potential customers even while Wall Street analysts gave it a thumbs down.

Amazon is now leveraging 12 years and billions of dollars of investment in building one of the most sophisticated Internet platforms by making parts of it available for others to use for their own businesses.

The new services are very popular with large (Microsoft) and small (numerous start-ups) customers alike. Says BusinessWeek: “Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, says he wants Amazon to run your business, at least the messy technical and logistical parts of it, using those same technologies and operations that power his $10 billion online store.”

One executive expects his startup to save $500,000 a year with these new tools and, not surprisingly, VC’s are urging their portfolio companies to take advantage wherever they can.

But Wall Street analysts complain that competition is increasing in online retailing, Amazon’s core business, and they fear these new tangents will simply distract management.

To me, the “core business” argument is nebulous. Sticking to one’s core business should never stand as so central a consideration.

These are the key questions a company must initially ask itself before deciding to go beyond its core competency:

1. Do we love this business? Does it fit with our passion? (Passion.)

2. Who cares and will they pay enough to make it profitable? (Strategy.)

3. Can we do this better than anyone else? Do we have the people, skills, talent and infrastructure to make this work? (Competency and Execution.)

From Jeff Bezos on down, Amazon.com is passionate about continually improving their online software platform – which is certainly one of the best in the world. They’ve been doing this for years in a variety of ways. In fact, one of the company’s directors argues that Amazon’s core business is in fact managing complexity, more so than online retailing. “Core business” or not, internet technology is certainly Amazon’s driving force.

There certainly seems to be a market for Amazon’s web services based on the enthusiastic response. If a small startup will save half a million dollars a year, that’s a service worth paying for.

The final question comes down to one of execution. Can they maintain the dual focus on growing their retail business while growing their new services?

This question is harder to answer from such a distance and therefore I won’t try to. Yet their record is good and many successful companies have various product lines serving different markets. Their track record seems to indicate they can do it. Until we see evidence to the contrary, this looks like a good move.