How long has it been since I wrote a new post? Two in 24 hours. Wow, I must be back in my office. Well, recently, I was in Indianapolis and saw a sales guy I know. He was mentioning he would like me to consider a job possibility. While we were chatting about stuff, I referred to their product. It is an incredibly robust retail management system. It is a POS system on steriods. It manages inventory, commissions, staffing, HR, customer information and who does what and when and to what extent. It rocks. What it does not do is enforce how a manager uses it and more importantly communicates the “things” to the team. It is missing the human part of the equation. Imagine the best computer in the hands of someone. Are you seeing it? It could be the greatest operating system or the most intuitive processing system and it will always rely on human interaction. This is my world. So I mentioned the same to the sales guy and said that what I offer is amplification to guys like you and the stuff you sell.
Amplification. I immediately think of my old record player and stereo system with the amplifier. Yeah, REO Speedwagen, Loverboy and Pat Benatar. I still think Pat Benatar is hot. She is what, 57? Go figure. I apply this concept to what I do when either someone is working with something systemic (as stated earlier) or if they are already pretty darn good at soft skills with their team (like leading, coaching or communicating). It implies I work with managers who are already good at what they do and what I offer is amplification to that.
Let’s say you have team of five. You have been their manager for a year and have found your rhythm and your ability to run the store, business and the team. What if you could learn one more thing that amplifies what you already do well? How would that feel? How would that impact your job?
How does this happen? Ready for my practically trademarked comment… “it depends”. For some it may be a workshop, or a book or a personal coach/mentor. Stop. Wait just a second. So what is it I am going towards? I am saying first, nothing stays the same in life. Second, no one wakes up wanting to suck. Third, if you manage a team of people, you have to constantly think on your feet because nothing in life is scripted. Therefore and lastly, you have to revisit how to do your job by defining (and redefining) it and growing how you do it. How often are you growing your skills? But, hey, I have a great system. My operations are smooth. I am fully staffed. My sales are good. Nothing is broke. Great, good for you. So what are you doing to amplify what is already great or good or decent or comfortable? Why fix what isn’t broken? This is a very common statement when an organization is running…ok.
So how does amplification fit into your management style? Well, for example, what thing can you add to your currently well-structured performance report? Step back and think about how that information matters. Think about the context as to why that number even occurred. In other words, that certain metric is down (or up). Ask yourself why. Dig into the root cause for the number. You see, a number measured in retail doesn’t just happen. Something caused it. Namely, what the sales consultant did or did not do behaviorally. If Skippy has a deficient statistic or metric, like closing ratio, it is due to something he did or didn’t do on the sales floor. The number is an effect due to a behavioral choice (cause). Another word for this cause-effect relationship is causality. If you get a report within seconds and it details all aspects of the business and you can review precisely what your business is doing, what or how do you humanize the causality of the results? Maybe that is your amplification.
So what to do? What is your amplification target?
Identify what makes up your job. Look at what can move, change, evolve or upgrade. Do not try to change your entire job, look at one thing. You may ask, how do I choose? Great question. Three considerations. One, pick something easy. Pick a thing or aspect of your job that can move quickly and without a lot of modification. This may be something that just needs a little tweek. Second, pick something that will absolutely impact an increase in the job. Maybe it will help efficiency, performance or team ability. This amplification will directly impact the business in an obvious and distinct way. Third, pick a thing that will ripple into other things. You amplify this act or behavior, and not just the immediate thing will elevate, but other related or logical things along with it. Regardless of the job or the systems which run within it, this ultimately is your decision. You decide. Your mindset dictates where your amplification occurs.
Your decision. Another moment in Indianapolis. My main delivery at that event was speaking and workshops. About 700 plus managers were at this event. It was day two and immediately following a night of drinking. I am sure you can put two and two together when you mix a twenty-something (or any age for that matter) and alcohol. Yep. I was speaking with a small group just before my workshop and they mentioned their peer slept in another room than the one he was assigned. He was a bit tanked and when asked why he didn’t sleep in his room, his comment was “well, I was already in the elevator.” I am not trying to be funny (that seems obvious, eh?). I am realizing there lies in any moment in our day to decide to be different. My question is does your decision amplify who you are or what you do?
Ultimately, amplification is a dollar-fifty word for simply growing your self, right? It is being aware of what you are doing now and then looking at what can change to improve your “whatever” it is. As I sit here and contemplate my day, I think about my project staring me in the face. I am thinking about how I can do this project in a better or faster or more proficient manner. My philosophy suggests that while I may have been successful in that task, I always look at what makes it better next time – how to amplify it next time. But then again, I could just let it be “same ole, same ole”. But that’s boring and it will be different next time anyway. It is my decision.
What does Pat Benatar, the guy in the elevator and I have in common? Nothing really. Except maybe that each of us will do something today. Are we growing or staying the same? Sorry, what will we amplify today? Excuse me, I have to get in an elevator in a moment.