The Makings of a Group

The ultimate pursuit in business. To attain a group. A true team. Loyal, focused and driven to attain the goals of the group. It's fantastically difficult to attain but virtually indestructible once created.

Here are the makings of a group as I see it:

1) Everyone is focused on an agreed upon goal. In other words, there's a mountain and everyone see's it and is focused on climbing it without any deviation or distractions. The goal needs to be completely known throughout the group, intertwined into everyday actions, targets and programs. "What will we do today to take the mountain?" Get a goal, make it known and pursue it.

2) The group thinks in futures, meaning that everyone in the group is focused on their future within the group. Where will we be in 2 years, 5 years, 20 years..... This then breeds loyalty to the group and therefore strengthens the group as a whole. A great group is one that no one would ever want to leave.

3) The group works as a unit, synchronizing every action and coordinating efforts. No individuals are in the group, only one unit that operates as a unit knowing and acting with every area, division and department fully reliant and responsible for each other.

4) No internal chatter about another group member in a derogatory way. Any person that seeks to bring down another within the group is immediately ousted.

5) Everyone in the group plays to their strengths and covers others weaknesses in order to push the group forward and be strong as a group.

6) The group encourages, acknowledges and pushes each other within the group forward to move toward the goal.

7) The group has a set of rewards and penalties for hitting targets and missing targets that is agreed upon and known.

8) The group treats the goal as a game and play's the game to win. Let's not be bashful here, the goal is to win. Second place is as good as last place.

9) The group thinks big and set's large targets to become the elite in their field. The group also doesn't allow anyone to think small and set tiny targets that are undesirable. If we're going to go after it, let's go after the entire cake to eat it while letting others set targets for slices that they don't eat.

10) Everyone in the group acts and operates as a complete professional. There is no tolerance for amateurs that cause problems and cause the group to have setbacks. Only professionals make it in a real group and the group members expect the very best performance out of each group member.

That to me is 10 criteria of a powerful group that would overcome any obstacle or barrier. Our agency seeks to attain these 10 points daily in order to become a fierce competitor in the global business playing field. To me, people are the essence of business and the very fiber of a group as listed above. If you can attain a real group that operates this way and works together then anything is achievable. One of the senior goals of your company should be the pursuit to create a real group. Figure that out and you have the keys to prosperity.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

Adversity is Your Friend

In business and in life you are constantly faced with adversity. I think there are two ways to approach it. 1. succumb to it and let it beat you up and knock you around or 2. deal with it head on, grab it by the scruff of the neck and throw it around to overcome and benefit from it.

I realize that nobody would select option 1 but to be honest many people actually do allow option 1 to happen to them rather than take control and create option 2.

Adversity is your friend. It's there to challenge you. You can learn a lot from adversity and create better strategies and policies going forward. You'd be a fool not to. When adversity presents itself, the difference between hugely successful people and failures is the way they deal with problems and adversity. Successful people look at the angles, the benefits and the opportunities from it including how to prevent and avoid it in the future which ultimately makes them stronger.

Use adversity to get better, smarter and faster. Don't let it beat you up or slow your progress. It's a blessing in disguise. Learn and expand from it. Me personally, I typically take a little step back from it and look at what occurred and then analyze it from a distance, perhaps even take a run outside to think it over and then I come back to address it gun's blazing with a full throttle "bring it on" attitude! I wouldn't have it any other way.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

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Aim Small - Miss Small

There was a line in the movie "The Patriot" where the character Mel Gibson plays is about to ambush a group of British soldiers to save his son. He tells his other two son's to remember what he has taught them.... "aim small miss small"

The other day I was in a meeting with our production team and while we were discussing strategies to attain client reaches, that exact phrase came out of my mouth... "aim small miss small" which lead to this blog.

It's a great concept and relates exactly to business and client growth. Focus your efforts. In other words, identify a segment you want to go after by profiling who you sell to now. Who buys from you? Then take aim at that small segment and go after them heavy. We are not aiming at the whole audience here, we are aiming at your audience. The people most likely to need, want and buy your products or services.

Why waste your time, effort, money and energy chasing around the entire audience who will most likely never buy from you anyway. Focus. Aim small miss small. Define the audience and go after them. You will "miss" a few within that audience, meaning you won't sell or close them but you will "hit" a lot of them and I can guarantee you that that small audience that you aim at - actually makes up a huge number which is most likely more than your company could ever take on as clients.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

Being a Martinet About Neatness...

I was reading an old book by David Ogilvy today and he makes a comment about how he used to work in a professional kitchen in France and the head chef, Mr. Pitard, was a martinet (one who enforces strict discipline) about being neat. He had the chef's clean the kitchen twice per day to ensure the quarters were spotless. David Ogilvy carried many of these lessons over to his agency which grew to be one the best and biggest of his time. 

David's comment for his agency was this, "Today I am a martinet in making my staff keep their offices ship-shape. A messy office creates an atmosphere of sloppiness, and leads to the disappearance of secret papers." 

I tend to agree fully. I am a bit of a neat freak myself and always keep my quarters in ship-shape. I also tend to get a lot more done than the average person, I think partly because I operate in a neat orderly fashion. It's worth taking a look at yourself. Do you keep your office immaculate? Is everything where it should be? If not, I'm willing to bet that you are loosing valuable time and opportunities. 

It takes next to nothing to learn this discipline of being neat. I have met a huge amount of very successful people and have observed this trait - no habit and discipline,  in many of them. Practice it. Start making your quarters neat and tidy this week and you will see that your level of production will rise as well as your personal sense of moral and satisfaction. 

- Robert Cornish

CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group

Sales, Selling Your People and Getting People to Sell

What role does sales play in your company? Have you recognized the fact that every person and every opportunity is another angle to sell? Let me clarify. Sales is intertwined into every aspect of your company.

You need to sell your products and services to your target market. You then need to sell and keep selling your people on the company, the task at hand and on your new clients that were just closed which motivates them to get the job done and carry forward what was sold. You then need to get people in your company to sell to your clients, your prospective public and the employees to constantly carry your company forward.

While there are many posts/titles in any company, everyone has a role in selling. A smile to a new client walking through the door sells. A welcome email to a new client sells. A follow up call to a client sells. Everyone in the company plays a role in selling to either cultivate new business, cater to and maintain current clients to ensure they are happy and are constantly sold on your company or to keep the team focused and motivated. The executive team, managers and CEO alike all sell the people of the company on the goals, future, mission at hand and on their specific tasks to motivate people to get the job done.

Sales is a central part of your company and is by no means isolated to simply bringing in new business.

Keep this closely in mind and review every aspect of your company if you want to stay competitive and grow your organization. Lose sight of this and you will lose the game. Sales is a company wide sport. It takes a team approach and everyone must be aware of the game and rules of the game.

- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group