Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

Sharing insights on customer experience, employee engagement, and brand strategy.

Is leadership overrated?

Is leadership overrated? Leadership doesn’t happen unless you have followers. Being a great follower is a vital skill. Regardless of role, everyone is a follower. Even CEO’s follow the direction of the board. This topic is covered in an article I shared in Millwork & More, the magazine for the World Millwork Alliance.

Let’s start with a definition of followership courtesy of Rex Gatto Ph.D., BCC

“The willingness to cooperate in working toward the accomplishment of defined goals while demonstrating a high degree of interactive teamwork. Effective followers are active participants (partners) in creating the leadership process. Followers permit leaders to establish and keep themselves in control of a situation that is productive, efficient and people-oriented.”

Great followers get promoted. Look no further than Cubs GM Theo Epstein. Epstein won the honor of being Fortune’s Greatest Leader in 2017. He credits part of his success with followership. “Whoever your boss is, they have 20% of their job that they just don’t like. So if you can ask them or figure out what that 20% is, and figure out a way to do it for them, you’ll make them really happy, improve their quality of life and their work experience.”

How do you follow greatly?

Warning: This post contains a BIG ASS lesson

Big Ass Fans makes … well, pretty big fans. The first fan nearly two decades ago spanned 20 feet. The company prides itself on being customer-focused and having a direct line to its industrial, agricultural, commercial and residential customers. To bring this to life, they created a role called the Customer Advocacy Manager.

Since 2011, the Customer Advocacy Manager has been centered on making follow up calls to the customers. As a result, customers tend to take these calls seriously and open up more than if they were called by a salesperson.

Being proactive makes a huge difference. Studies have shown that fewer than 5 percent of customers will actually complain when they’ve had a bad experience. By following up, they are not only able to catch mistakes, but also improve processes and product by talking to all customers.

In the follow-up calls, they ask three simple questions:

1. Did you receive the product?
2. Do you have any questions?
3. Is everything OK?

Beyond simple surveys, are you picking up the phone to follow up with your customers to uncover issues and opportunities like Big Ass Fans? Simply saying following up is one of the simplest ways to build repeat business and referrals.

Do you see PROBLEMS or CONCERNS?

Do you see challenges with others as problems … or concerns? In Diamond Goldfish, co-authors Travis Carson, Tony Cooper and I explore the difference. Let’s start with the dictionary definition of each:

Problem – a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.

Concern – a matter of interest or importance to someone.

When we think of people as problems, we begin to see everything through the lens of being “unwelcome or harmful” to us. This leads each of us to take things personally. Furthermore, we may begin to inject the actions of others with negative intent—“this person is doing this to me because they are a problem.” There is almost zero chance of working together in a constructive way when people are viewed as problems.

The alternative then is viewing others as a set of concerns. What is “of interest” to them? What is “important” to them? When we come from this set of questions in our relationships with others, we automatically reduce pressure in the environment by removing the background of negativity. We begin to look at the world from different perspectives, not our own, and we are able to avoid any connection to infusing the action of others with negative intent.

Concerns are easily addressable.

“Some days you are the windshield … and other days you are the bug.”

“Oh my f—ing god,” Elon Musk blurted out as he realized things had gone horribly wrong with the launch of the Tesla Cybertruck. After a successful sledgehammer hit to the body, Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen then threw baseball-sized metal balls at two windows. Both times the windows smashed. As the saying goes, “Some days you are the windshield … and other days you are the bug.”

Snafu aside, Tesla lived up to its purpose. In Red Goldfish, Graeme Newell and I wrote about how Tesla fits “The Designer” purpose archetype. Designer brands empower through revolutionary products.

The symbol of The Designer archetype is Doc Brown from the movie “Back to the Future.” Brands with The Designer archetype are creators. They persist in building stylish products that change the world. They are wired to push through adversity. In the words of Doc Brown, “The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” I have a feeling that if Doc Brown were to build a pickup, it would look like the Cybertruck.

It might’ve been a different type of smashing launch then the company desired. Days after the launch the stock fell six points. That said, they’ll bounce back from this adversity.

Your call on the design? Thumbs up?

Who is your North Star?

Who is your North Star? We all stand on the shoulders of others. Who is that person for you? Mine is Theodore “Ted” Levitt. Levitt became a HBS professor in 1959. Over the course of four decades, he would become the leading voice on marketing culminating with his role as editor of HBR from 1985 to 1989.

Levitt doesn’t get enough credit. Let me share with you five of his gems:

1. Levitt on the purpose of marketing and the importance of experience, “The search for meaningful distinction is central to the marketing effort. If marketing is about anything, it is about achieving customer getting distinction by differentiating what you do and how you operate. All else is derivative of that and only that.”

2. Levitt on purpose, “Rather than merely making money, it is to create and keep a customer.”

3. Levitt on how people don’t actually want your product . . . they want the benefit, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”

4. Levitt on the importance of action, “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”

5. Levitt on little things, “Sustained success is largely a matter of focusing regularly on the right things and making a lot of uncelebrated little improvements every day.”

Who is your Levitt?

The Science Behind The Smile

Forrest Gump didn’t create the smiley face. Harvey Ross Ball gets credit for that moment of genius. An artist and ad guy, Ball was commissioned in 1963 to create a graphic to help raise morale for employees of an insurance company that had been through a few tough mergers and acquisitions.

The goal? Get the employees to cheer up and smile more. Just 10 minutes of brilliance and $45 later, the iconic black-and-yellow smiley face was born.

The Science Behind The Smile

Ball’s art has science on its side. Smiling and laughing release endorphins, “feel-good” chemicals that boost happiness and relieve stress and pain. Bonus: When you smile, you activate the joy region of the brain in a cool feedback loop—you either smile and are joyful, or are joyful and then smile.

“Smile” is the ninth and final factor of the H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S. equation. It’s the last in a nine blog series on Forbes taking a closer look at all of the factors that help businesses increase happiness to drive growth, productivity and bottom-line results.

The post looks at several companies creating happy moments that make employees smile.

Are you creating experiences such as awards and recognitions, special celebrations and acts of kindness to drive engagement?

EMBRACING WEAKNESS: South Dakota owns the problem

“METH – I’M ON IT.” South Dakota has a campaign to fight the growing issue of meth. The campaign is FLAWSOM and is drawing attention. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is embracing weakness and trying to take on the state’s methamphetamine crisis head-on. In a news release, officials underscored the importance of combating drug use. The state has twice as many 12-to 17-year-olds using meth compared to the national average.

Here’s a quote from Governor Noem in the release:

“South Dakota’s meth crisis is growing at an alarming rate. It impacts every community in our state and threatens the success of the next generation. It is filling our jails and prisons, clogging our court systems, and stretching our drug treatment capacity while destroying people and their families. This is our problem, and together, we need to get on it.”

The message is that we’re ON IT and owning the problem. They’ve created an ONMETH.com site with resources. The “play on words” campaign is meant to draw attention, but it’s getting lambasted by critics.

Noem has called the campaign a success given the attention. In a statement to The Washington Post, she called the initiative “a bold, innovative effort like the nation has never before seen.”

Question – Blunder or brilliant?

LESS IS MORE: How simplicity is the key to productivity and happiness

How does Apple, T-Mobile and Netflix take a Marie Kondo approach to business? My Forbes post a year ago looks at how simplicity is the key to productivity and happiness.

Productivity in the U.S. last year took a surprising sharp dip. The third quarter saw its biggest decline in 4 years. Hours worked rose 2.4 percent while productivity only rose 2.1 percent—thus the 0.3 percent drop.

Productivity is closely tied to employee satisfaction. One way to boost both is by doing less.

Yes, less.

The “Less is more” idea recently grabbed headlines and our attention when organizing expert Marie Kondo became a worldwide sensation converting clutterers with her minimalist KonMari method. It earned her a nod as one of Time magazine’s Most Influential People in the World. She’s the ultimate less-is-more guru, complete with a best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or and her Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”

The key to achieving “less is more” in business is embracing the K.I.S.S. method: “Keep It Short and Simple.” Or, the version you’ve likely heard: “Keep it Simple, Stupid,” which originated in the U.S. Navy.

The takeaway is simple: Do less to get more.

What can you do to simplify for your customers or employees?

Why Every Leader Should Be Using The Generational Matrix

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_color=”#692a81″ custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px|” padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”||0px|” padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#bcbcbc” text_letter_spacing=”2px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||0px|” custom_padding=”||0px|”]

LATE JUNE 2019

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23″ text_font=”PT Sans||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”72″ text_line_height=”1.1em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”270px” custom_margin=”51px||51px||true|” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”52″ text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” inline_fonts=”Montserrat”]

Why Every Leader Should Be Using The Generational Matrix

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||13px|”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px||3px|” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px” min_height=”74px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_image src=”https://stanphelps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/yo.jpg” title_text=”Tyler Couse” url=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercouse/” url_new_window=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#692a81″ max_width=”15%” custom_margin=”-48px|||” animation_direction=”off” animation=”off” saved_tabs=”all”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.23″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” inline_fonts=”Montserrat” custom_padding=”|||0px||”]

As Gen Z (born starting in 1997) begins their professional careers, we’re entering an era where we have five different generations in the workplace for the first time in US history, and all five of them can be in leadership roles. For leaders and managers, this provides a challenge. According to Carol Hymowitz in The Wall Street Journal:

“That means they must create opportunities for young employees to advance (or risk losing them) while also making sure veterans, whose skills they need in today’s tight labor market, don’t feel overlooked. And to maintain productivity and innovation, they must persuade employees of disparate ages to collaborate.”

Stan Phelps and Brian Doyle, authors of Gray Goldfish, created The Generational Matrix (below) to serve as a guide to help navigate this challenge. There are hundreds, if not thousands of articles and books titled “How To Lead Millennials,” or “How To Manage Millennials.” This is not that. The Generational Matrix, along with the material covered in Gray Goldfish, offer a more comprehensive view on what it means to lead and work in an increasingly intergenerational workplace.

Each generation has been shaped in part by their own upbringing, environment, and family. Simple generational categorizations can lead us to overlook this, so it’s become increasingly important to become aware of the many nuances and gray areas that make up each generation. Leaders can no longer have a one-size-fits-all approach to managing their employees. It’s not only ineffective, but with an increasingly diverse workplace, it’s a recipe for disaster because your employees will approach their work differently. As a modern professional, you must expand your understanding of intergenerational leadership, which will empower you to be more effective when recruiting, training, managing, and inspiring each generation.

Gray Goldfish approaches this by teaching you how to lead every generation in the context of your own generation. This means that you must understand your own generational tendencies as well of the tendencies of those you follow. For instance, Phelps and Doyle touched on the differences between Generation X and Millennials:

“We know that Generation X doesn’t always enjoy the touchy/feely aspects of leadership. At the same time, Millennials are used to and appreciate more frequent, positive feedback. Those styles don’t naturally go together, so Generation X needs to be particularly mindful of how to get the best out of their Millennial employees.”

This is one of many examples covered in Gray Goldfish, meant to highlight how important it is to be conscientious of the differences between yourself, who you lead, and whoever is leading you. The Generational Matrix acts as a valuable tool to remind yourself how to lead every generation, but only serves as a brief overview of the tactics and concepts covered in Gray Goldfish, written by Stan Phelps and Brian Doyle. If you’re interesting in navigating the gray areas to successfully lead every generation I encourage you to check out the book, and visit PurpleGoldfish.com to learn more!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.23″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.23″][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Seven Reasons Being “Weird” Can Be Great for Your Business

LATE JUNE 2019

Seven Reasons Being “Weird” Can Be Great for Your Business

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||13px|”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px||3px|” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_image src=”https://stanphelps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/yo.jpg” title_text=”Tyler Couse” url=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercouse/” url_new_window=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#692a81″ max_width=”15%” custom_margin=”-48px|||” animation_direction=”off” animation=”off” saved_tabs=”all”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.23″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.23″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” custom_margin=”30px||0px|” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” inline_fonts=”Montserrat,Montserrat Alternates”]

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone that would be thrilled to find out you thought they were weird. As a social defense mechanism, an aversion to weirdness comes naturally to most people. Growing up, most of us want to fit in with the crowd, and we may even suppress our own peculiarities in pursuit of that goal. What some people fail to realize is that these differences can be your greatest assets if you aspire to stand out among the crowd. Once you identify what they are, you can begin to leverage them to your advantage.

This concept can be applied to businesses as well, no matter the industry or size. Just like people, businesses that are different or unusual may find themselves among the “weird” crowd. At first, you may feel insecure about this, but that’s natural. The good news is that if you play your cards right, you’ll find that this is one of the best crowds for your business to be a part of. Once you become more comfortable with the peculiarities of your company, it’ll open the door to a world where you can exploit your imperfections in order to captivate customers. Your weirdness sets you apart, and any success you find from it will make it challenging to replicate.

Here are the seven reasons being weird can be great for your business from Pink Goldfish:

1. Being weird makes you rare… being normal makes you ordinary.

Scarcity increases value. Diamonds are valuable primarily because they are rare. Sand and salt are far less valuable, not because they aren’t useful, but because they are so ordinary and plentiful.

2. Being weird makes you original… being normal makes you easy to imitate.

The value of any product or service immediately decreases once there are acceptable alternatives. An obvious example comes from the world of work. When someone’s job can be done faster or cheaper by a computer or an outsourced contractor in another location, that job becomes less valuable. The salary for that position decreases and the likelihood of being replaced increases.

Original brands avoid imitation. They make it difficult to be replaced. There are no good substitutes.

3. Being weird makes you noticeable… being normal makes you invisible.

Fitting in and following the herd makes us invisible. If we do things well, no one can see us. If our business fits in, everyone drives right by. No one stops. They don’t know we’re even there. If they do stop, they don’t stay long, and they don’t buy anything because our products or services are just like everyone else’s. If we fit in, we don’t get any attention. And attention is one of the most valuable gifts we can get from customers.

4. Being weird makes you surprising… being normal makes you predictable.

As Chip and Dan Heath explain in Made to Stick, we are more likely to be persuaded by messages that are unexpected. If we can surprise someone, we create an emotional response. Our brain is programmed to release dopamine as part of an emotional response. Dopamine is literally the Post-it note for our memory. Surprising and ultimately delighting a customer generates experiences that are remembered and shared with others.

5. Being weird makes you memorable… being normal makes you forgettable.

We remember the unusual events in our lives, not the common ones. If no one remembers your brand message, then you don’t have the opportunity to influence them. The worst criticism that Simon Cowell, the caustic judge of American Idol, can give is that a contestant is forgettable. In contrast, one of his most powerful compliments is that a contestant is memorable. He recently told one female singer, “You are such a strange person. I mean that as a compliment.” We remember people and businesses that are strange.

6. Being weird makes you remarkable… normal gives people nothing to talk about.

When we see something different, we want to tell other people about it. Once people remember your business, the biggest challenge is getting them to tell others about you. As Mark Sanborn demonstrated in The Fred Factor, a story about his extraordinary mailman, if you are remarkable enough, someone might even write a book about you. Word of mouth is powerful for both individuals and businesses.

7. Being weird makes you influential… being normal makes you powerless.

If other people are sharing your message, it increases your influence because it enables your message to reach a larger audience.

These are simply the reasons being weird can be great for your business, the first of many lessons in the book Pink Goldfish, written by Stan Phelps and David Rendall. If you’re interested in learning how to exploit the weirdness in your business in order to captivate customers, visit PurpleGoldfish.com to learn more!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Previous 1 … 45 46 47 48 Next

I've had the pleasure of working with teams at:

Find Your Best-Match Program

With over 18 possible keynote speaking presentations, workshops, and GOLDFISH TANK programs available to meet your ever-evolving needs, I’ve created this 2-minute, 6-question quiz to help you understand which program is best for you and your audience.

Meet Your Presenter

Through keynote speaking presentations, hands-on workshops, and GOLDFISH TANK programs, I empower you to power loyalty and growth.

Hi, I’m Stan Phelps. I work with organizations that want to increase loyalty, drive sales, and promote positive word-of-mouth by creating differentiated experiences.

As an author, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator, my in-person and virtual programs stand out in a sea of sameness because I model my own message of differentiated experience (DX).

I leverage my unique collection of more than 5,500 case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with practical ideas that inspire action.

Every time we do business together, Something amazing happens in the world!

Through my partner B1G1, each program gives back to create global IMPACT

When we complete a GOLDFISH TANK, we give 1001 days of clean water to school children

When we complete a GLOBAL engagement, we give 365 days of clean water access in Peru, 120 days of learning aids in Malaysia, and 50 days of business training for women in Malawi

•

Stan Phelp's Blog

The Goldfish Chronicles

Is leadership overrated?

Warning: This post contains a BIG ASS lesson

Do you see PROBLEMS or CONCERNS?

“Some days you are the windshield … and other days you are the bug.”

Who is your North Star?

The Science Behind The Smile

EMBRACING WEAKNESS: South Dakota owns the problem

LESS IS MORE: How simplicity is the key to productivity and happiness

Why Every Leader Should Be Using The Generational Matrix

Seven Reasons Being “Weird” Can Be Great for Your Business

1. Being weird makes you rare… being normal makes you ordinary.

2. Being weird makes you original… being normal makes you easy to imitate.

3. Being weird makes you noticeable… being normal makes you invisible.

4. Being weird makes you surprising… being normal makes you predictable.

5. Being weird makes you memorable… being normal makes you forgettable.

6. Being weird makes you remarkable… normal gives people nothing to talk about.

7. Being weird makes you influential… being normal makes you powerless.

Find Your Best-Match Program

Meet Your Presenter

Every time we do business together, Something amazing happens in the world!

When someone downloads a GOLDFISH eBook, we give one brick toward building school facilities in Cambodia

Discover the Impact

Download Stan’s Speaker Brochure