Perspective

by Don Harkey

I am a strategic thinker. I can take a situation and break it down, analyze it, rearrange it, innovate, and learn from it. In meetings, I can sometimes see the conversation as a chart and I often draw it on the board offering everyone in the meeting a visual from which to work from. I often talk about my continuous search for "clarity" on an issue, which is simply my ability to break down a problem into 1's and 0's (its simplest components).

I strive for control. I crave it. Not necessarily my own control, but the perception that something is moving forward deliberately. I love when I see someone anticipating a situation and acting to "head it off at the pass". When I work with companies or organizations, I try to get the leadership of the company to keep their eyes up a little on the road ahead. I want people to be prepared for any situation that can occur so that "control" can be maintained.

On Tuesday, my little girl went into the hospital.

I don't like feeling helpless. I hate roller coasters because of the feeling of being out of control. I know that life is not controllable, but that goes against my strengths. I want to analyze the problem and take action immediately.

This week, the problem was that my daughter contracted RSV, a common virus that can become serious in small children. The virus acts much like a cold and the primary issue is that it can decrease respiratory function. The hospital is filled with these cases this time of year, mostly babies or toddlers. There is no real "cure" since it is caused by a virus. The only thing they can do is give breathing treatments and provide oxygen when needed. The virus typically takes 4-5 days to peak.

This week, my wife and I sat by my daughter's hospital bed watching her oxygen monitor. While she was very sick, she was never really in danger, but we felt so helpless. Our friends and family were quick to respond with offers of aid and prayer. The prayers helped tremendously. It gave us all the strength to get through the week.

It all goes back to something that we all know, but we all like to forget. God is in control. These situations show us what is truly important in our lives. During those times of helplessness, it was comforting to quietly pray and just release the burden to God's willing Hands.

My daughter got to come home last night and enjoyed a great nights sleep. My wife and I also got a good nights sleep and feel like the worst is behind us, but of course, that is not really within our control.

I still like control. I am hardwired that way. It occurs to me that God hardwired me to be that way. God wants us to dream, innovate, and plan for our future, but he also wants us to keep a proper perspective on what is important. We are truly like children.

As you go about your day today, think about all of the things you are doing and how it makes a difference in the things that are truly important. Write down you biggest worries and then write down the most important things in your life and see if the lists match up. The noise of life distracts us and takes away our perspective. The news gives us more and more bad news everyday, but how important is the current value of our 401K plan? Yes, things are scary out there. The democrats are NOT in control. Neither are the republicans or the government or wall street or the president. God is in control.

Call me for strategic planning. Call God for Perspective. Praise God for bringing my daughter home!!

Galt Blog Submittals

by Don Harkey

Do you have an interesting article you would like to tell the world (or at least the readers of the Galt Blog)? Do you see a "Concept of the Week" coming up that you would like to write about? Great!

I am currently soliciting articles from experts in various fields, but I am sure I am likely to miss someone who has something great to say.

If you would like to submit an article, please submit it to info@galtconsulting.com for consideration. Include your name, email, and company website / information. I will use the information in the article, even including a link to your website if you desire.

Thanks for reading! Galt Blog's following is growing fast! As always, feel free to send any ideas for improvements, topics, or just send me your unfiltered compliments!

Networking 101: Lend a Hand

by Don Harkey

I have a secret. I'm not an expert at marketing. I know you are probably shocked, but its true! Even though my Dad taught marketing in high school for many years, I have never taken a single marketing class in my life. This proved to be somewhat of a handicap when I started my business, but I have sure learned a lot over the past few years.

One of the most effective forms of marketing is through networking. To put it simply, networking is establishing a network of relationships that hopefully point toward your business and lead you to new key contacts. While this sounds simple, it is actually a very unusual world for those who haven't really done it before.

Before I go on, I understand that most people think they know how to network. I did. Everyone knows people who know other people. This is basic networking, but the type of networking I am talking about here is deliberate networking. I am talking about walking into a room with 50 strangers and establishing meaningful and long lasting contacts.

The first question you might ask is "where do you network?". It turns out that there are a lot of people out there who want to network, so finding a place to network is not hard. Your local Chamber of Commerce likely sponsors several events per month designed for networking. Professional or service organizations are also great places for networking. Really, anywhere you can meet people is an opportunity to network. Once it gets in your blood, you are always networking.

That brings us to the heart of this article; "How do you network?". The first thing is that you have to drop the shyness. Keep in mind that others at a networking event came to network, so don't be self-conscience about sticking out your hand and saying, "Hi, my name is Don Harkey!" (only you should use your name instead). Networking events can seem chaotic and full of pressure. There are usually lots of people buzzing about flocking from person to person. I have even had people who view themselves as competitors of mine who shadow me and interrupt my conversations! No worries! If you just keep a simple networking objective in mind, you'll be OK.

Don't worry about generating business at the event. Just worry about making high quality relationships. The best way to make a high quality relationship is to listen and find a way to help the other person.

Sure there will be people frantically swarming around the room forcing business cards into people's hands along with mugs, T-Shirts, pamphlets, cookies, and whatever other type of marketing material they can carry. This is fine, but all it really does for the "mass networker" is fill up the trashcan outside the meeting area with their materials. You can't build a high quality relationship with 50 people in 15 minutes!

The best thing about the "high quality" approach is that it is much more fun and more natural. If you meet someone nice, reach out to them. Find out about their businesses and the challenges they face. Who is their ideal client? Can you connect them a resource or with another contact who can help them? Once again, the right thing to do is the right thing to do! In other words, helping people works!

OK. Your ultimate goal is to generate some work. I understand that. Think back to the work you already have or key opportunities you have had and how they came about. Very seldom does Person "A" walk up to Person "B" and successfully ask to be hired. Usually opportunities come from a complex and seemingly random series of events. I gave some good advice to Person "A" at an event who gives me an email for Person "B" who sets up a meeting with Person "C" who also knows Person "A" and Person "D" (whom you met last month) and wants to hire you.

Networking can be fun if you approach it the right way. Don't think about generating business, even though it is your ultimate goal. Think about genuinely helping out the people you meet. Listen to them. Don't be too anxious to get your pitch in. Often times, especially when talking to a small group, I won't even through out my business card or any materials. I just have the conversation and invariably, someone will approach me later and ask for my contact info (this is MUCH better than forcing it on someone). Have fun with it, listen, and lend a hand!!!

Where are You Going?

by Don Harkey

For many leaders, this is a difficult question to answer. As uncertainty surrounds us, especially in challenging economic times, this question becomes even more difficult to answer.

In concept, the strategic planning process I like to use is simple. Where are you now? Where do you want to be? How do you get there? This is a simple approach to a difficult problem.

First of all, the question of "where are you now?" is very challenging in itself. One method of determining this is to brainstorm a list of values that you feel that your organization has within a cross-functional, cross-level team. The next step is to discuss these values with the understanding that a true value is one that is truly (and currently) part of your DNA. If product quality is listed, for example, ask yourself whether or not quality is really part of your culture. If it is not, this is difficult to admit, but it is extremely important. If it is a core value, it doesn't mean that you are perfect... it just means that your organization naturally and universally works toward that value.

This process will naturally lead you to the next step. What about the values that didn't make "the cut"? Are these values that you would like to see your company have? This is the beginning of the "where you would like to be" discussion. If product quality is not a core value, but you think it should be, what can you do to get it there? What is missing? This leads to the next step.

What do you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be? This should be a list of actionable things that you can do. If you discovered that you could do better with quality, what kinds of things do you need to do to start to build quality into your DNA? (Hint: DO NOT HANG UP A "QUALITY IS IMPORTANT!" POSTER)

Strategic planning is actually a continuous process. Where are you? Where do you want to be? How do you get there? This is a moving target within a changing environment, so you can't allow yourself to be stalled by uncertainty. I am surprised by how many companies I hear talking about waiting for to see what is going to happen next in the economy or with the next government stimulus package. While these external factors will no doubt have a significant impact on many organizations, there is undoubtedly internal actions that would better prepare your organization for ANY external outcomes.

These rough times are actually an opportunity. Your competitors are likely flying in a holding pattern and waiting. You could be doing some low cost, high benefit activities like understanding and developing the people within your organization. You could be forming the basis for making your organization more nimble and quick to respond to outside factors in the market.

Knowledge of the future is an illusion. We never really know what is going to happen next. All we can (and should) do is prepare ourselves to handle change deliberately by gaining a true understanding of your organizations strengths and vision. This type of knowledge is never wasted!