In 2012, Desmond Hatchett, a Knoxville resident, made a big impression in the news. At the time, the 33 year old man was requesting relieve from his child support payments. According to news sources, Hatchett had 30 children by 11 different women. However, Hatchett struggled with his financial commitments with his children due to his low paying minimum wage job. For many people across the nation, this story struck a moral cord. Continue reading
Global affairs are often unstable. This month, Japanese stock market falters again, capping its worst single-week performance since the global financial crisis in 2008. Japan is not alone in its underperforming markets. Yet, globalization has connected countries through various elements. Financial markets are not an exception. This article explores issues of change in a global environment and discusses the merits of change agents in today’s organizations. Continue reading
In these difficult economic times, more and more working professionals are forced to spend time away from their families. Other professionals are advancing their personal agendas in hopes of getting to the top of their profession. This blog discussion examines how working professionals can implement goal setting for their own families despite their hectic schedules.
Like many professionals caught up in my work life and work family, individuals often do not take the time to use these proven principles in their own homes. Many couples are more selfish than their children are and don’t provide a healthy, nurturing environment for them. This reality speaks to the personal ambition and priorities of the individual within a family structure. Writer J.A. Littler speaks to the material motives and priorities of our society: “Everyone worships something.
While there may be no official religions or cults devoted to cars, money, fashion, or music, these pleasures of life and facets of society are all too often the overwhelming focus of people’s time, energy, and emotions.” Our society tells them they can have it all—money, power, and fame without any sacrifices.
Sadly, many working professionals provide their children a great standard of life; however, these parents are often setting their children up for failure. Many times the results of their labor are children who feel entitled and materialistic. The truth is something is being sacrificed in lieu of a successful career…your family. The following strategy is provided:
Families are the foundation for thriving civilizations, and strong communities are built by strong marriages. Consequently, working professionals need to challenge themselves to provide a more holistic approach for their lives. In this discussion, we evaluated how working professionals can implement goal setting for their own families.
Often, this reality is about balancing competing priorities. Les Brown, author of How to Become the Person You Always Wanted to Be-No Matter What the Obstacle, notes, “Your values are not set by government or church leaders. Your values give you consistency in the way you approach life…By holding to your beliefs, you can always stay on track toward your dreams.” Hopefully, working professionals can make these life changes for their families before it is too late.
Please feel free to share your insight on this subject.
© 2015 by Daryl D. Green
In life, sometimes it is the simple things that count, despite modern technology. In the next few months, I will be able to see 3-4 of my books published. Traditionally, it takes most large publishing houses 12-18 months before their books are published. As an independent publisher, I learned that the speed of products to the market place is a good way to beat a large competitor.
In fact, my success relates to a simple website called Elance.com, a freelance website that allow customers to solicit work from a variety of outsourcing services, which include programmers, designers, office support, translators, marketers, researchers and many other disciplines.
Elance.com allows a business to post a job opening and invites freelance workers who believe they have the requisite skills for the job to make a bid. The company charges a $10 fee to each business to post a job and also takes a small portion of what gets paid to contractors. Through this website, I have found some of the most talented individuals from across the world. For these services, it is a buyer’s market. Some people would argue that it is all about buying cheap labor for profitability.
In this scenario, developed countries appear to be exploiting underdeveloped countries. This is not always true. I have paid more in the past for the best talent. With that said, potential employers see a website that attracts over 500,000 talented freelancers. For the freelancer, there is an opportunity to bid on 48,000 jobs, worth $480K.[1] Therefore, a differentiating strategy can defeat a low-cost strategy on a global playing field.
Technology must be a management tool that is used strategically. Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, provides a framework for understanding the interrelationship between technology changes and a business success. Christensen demonstrates how successful companies have been overtaken by small disruptive technologies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGzXWO_anLI
The cell phone, undermining the profitability of the established communication networks such as AT&T, further showcases the impacts of disruptive technology. Sadly, more executives are unwilling to think strategically due to the wrath of their investors and financial pundits.
For example, Amazon’s revenue grew in 2012, but the details were lacking. Amazon.com’s revenue rose to 17.4 billion (35% increase) in the fourth quarter. However, it fell short of Wall Street predictions. According to VentureBeat, Amazon sold as many as 6 million Kindle Fires and its older tablet prototype.
Given this reality, the Fire would move ahead of Android tablets from Samsung and Motorola, making it only second to Apple’s iPad. Analysts were concerned that the $199 Fire would not make a profit. Additionally, Amazon.com is spending capital on clouding technology.
Maximizing profits on Fire as an industry leading tablet is a near-term strategy. However, CEO Jeff Bezos appears to have disappointed Wall Street with a long-term perspective instead of sacrificing shareholders with profits in the near term.
Innovators take note of disruptive change as positive turbulence in the market. John Gamble and Arthur Thompson, authors of Essentials of Strategic Management, explain, “Understanding the nature of competitively important resources allows managers to identify resources or capabilities that should be further developed to play an important role in the company’s future strategies.” Therefore, organizations which do not understand the importance of making sustainable growth by being more efficient will not be successful over the long-term.
Please discuss application of this topic in your organization and industry.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
[1] Elance.com
Finding the right performance measure in today’s organizations is like trying to determine for each swimmer the right temperature of the water to swim in the Gulf of Mexico (a great place to vacation). There are many variables to consider. Certainly, the amount of revenue produced for each customer would speak to the bottom-line of most organizations. In relationship selling, you have the personality factor.
In fact, Mark Johnston and Greg Marshall, authors of Relationship Selling, maintain that customers pick up on a salesperson’s attitude. Does good chemistry exist between the salesperson and the customer? That’s an important performance measure. When developing performance measurement with relationship selling in mind, good chemistry between the salesperson and customer should be a factor.
The amount of customer referrals can be an extremely good indicator, because this friendly act speaks to the issues of customer trust. Quality expert George Peeler argues that the key to designing and using systems that will build the traditional product source relationship in the Quality Era will be the creativity and commitment of management and customer insight provided through empathy. Successful organizations understand the attitudes and emotions of their customers. Therefore, connecting with customers would be a vital performance metric.
In being effective, businesses need to understand what to measure. Many times, organizations are measuring the wrong objectives or doing the analysis incorrectly. Johnston and Marshall argue for designing an effective measurement system which includes (a) what do we want to measure, (b) when do we want to measure, and (c) how do we measure. Therefore, it’s important that organizations create effective performance measures.
Yet, performance measures are very difficult. Management expert Stacey views performance measures as a process rather than an event, involving a series of specific activities for creating, implementing, and using performance metrics. Organization must be careful about using the right data collection tool to measure performance. For example, most people hate doing surveys.
Given this reality, organizations must carefully analyze the survey data for bias. Are they truly getting a picture of their customers? I found focus groups more useful. Peeler further explains that management must facilitate the processes of quality innovation through prompt action, removing barriers to employee performance by continually attending to process improvement. Regardless, management must establish a reliable performance measurement system for organizations. The bottom-line is that there is inherent risk with customer surveys.
Finally, businesses should be strategic and focused in their performance measures. If an organization wants to spin its wheel and go nowhere, having unclear direction is a great pathway. It’s important to have clear objectives and desired outcomes. The transformation process from where an organization is to where an organization wants to be is a clear application for performance measures.
Johnston and Marshall argue that specific, realistic, and measurable objectives are essential to a sales training program. They further acknowledge that salespeople exist in a highly competitive environment where a great deal of information must be assimilated for effective customer sales.
Please discuss organizational performance measure from your professional experience.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
Organizations should think strategically when creating value perceptions of their products or services. In fact, they should seek to establish a formal tiered system where possible. Strategic leaders have a long view on value creation.
Strategic thinking is defined as ‘the generation and application of business insights on a continual basis to achieve competitive advantage.’ In fact, strategic thinking focuses on value creation by enabling a provocative and creative dialogue among people who can affect a company’s direction.
Marketing expert Ken Favaro maintains that putting value creation first gives businesses two advantages over their competition in driving for profitable and sustainable growth: the first is capital and the second is talent. In fact, he argued that successful value creators never suffer from capital shortage.
Yet, this process shouldn’t be done in a vacuum. Customers and all members of the supply chain should provide input so that the expectations are clear. Businesses that pay more would get more benefits (i.e. certain perks, discounts, etc.). Therefore, the value proposition would be enhanced.
However, being strategically conscious about these business relationships isn’t simple. Value must be understood and sought out. Value is viewed as the perceived experience and worth gained from a product or service. Organizations should make their product clear to customers; some businesses need to introduce a tiered system, based on value-added services.
For example, if I want cheap fast food, I go to McDonalds. Therefore, my expectations are lower than going to a five star restaurant. Customers are very understanding when the seller’s value proposition is clear. Favaro further suggests that putting value creation consistently first requires leadership skills, discipline, and perseverance. He further challenged organizations to demand higher standards from managers who would jeopardize these business relationships.
Mark Johnston and Greg Marshall, authors of Relationship Selling, discuss that perceived value is in the eyes of the customer and varies. They further argued that customers expect and deserve consistency in the way an organization’s value-added message is put forth. Therefore, sales professionals’ biggest challenge is selling value.
Please discuss value perception of customers from your professional experience.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
Our youth program continues to grow at my church. Of course, it is a simple formula as our church is one of the biggest in the area. Church going parents make it mandatory for their children to attend church and participate in church services. However, when the children graduate from high school and became young adults, their attendance becomes very low or non-existent.
At that time, Velma Biddles was the youth leader and fairly new to the position. She and her youth advisors have seen the shift of young people’s attitude. If churches want to be effective with youth, they must change their underpinning message of: “Children are to be seen and not heard.” Our youth advisors started to deal with the root causes of matters concerning our youth. Sadly, many businesses are spending millions on symptoms. What about you?
Good problem solving can be an asset in an organization. Some organizations find themselves solving the wrong problems and getting less than desired results. Other managers assume that good technical staff members are naturally good problem solvers. However, this observation is not necessarily true. Effective problem solvers often have an intuitive skill set or enough training in problem solving for finding the right problems and making the best decisions.
John Gamble and Arthur Thompson, authors of Essentials of Strategic Management, outline the importance of filling key managerial slots with people who are good at figuring out what needs to be done and possess skills in effective implementation and in producing desired results. They note, “No company can hope to perform the activities required for successful strategy execution without attracting and retaining talented managers and employees with suitable skills and intellectual capital.” A problem can be defined as ‘an obstacle that stands in the way of achieving a desired goal.’ In fact, problems are divergences from the preferred outcomes.
The basic problem solving stages include: (a) Identify the problem, (b) Gather information, (c) Clarify the problem, (d) Consider possible solutions, (e) Select the best option, and (f) Make a decision and monitor the solution. High performing organizations move beyond superficial problem solving in order to get to the root causes. Good businesses realize that uncovering the real problems can be beneficial in many ways, such as reduced risks, cost savings, and greater efficiencies.
Jeff Butterfield, author of Problem Solving and Decision Making, argues about the benefits of talented problem solvers: “People who can identify, define, and solve problems are valued members of an organization.”
Like our youth advisors recognizing the problem and adapting appropriate solutions, today’s managers must be willing to move beyond their own bias to discover the real causes of problems. Too many managers seek to major in the minors. High performing organizations cannot afford to let this happen.
In general, effective problem solving can be a great competitive advantage for organizations. Formulating better decision making happens with more effective problem solving. Businesses with talented problem solvers will have a greater capacity for sustainable success.
Discuss your professional experience with problem solving in your industry or organization.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
Introduction
The purpose of this dialogue involves discussing the concept of Ethics from a moderate-induced pastoral perception. Ethics per se, as a universal model, involves or requires the decision-making acuities of any rational corporeal agent who intends to initiate or maintain a common, communal, and cultural balance among individuals.
As such, Ethics may be simplified by considering that the concept Ethics is a universal representative model that includes all the possible values, desires, and intents of human society. These components serve to form the ingredients that are molded and shaped to create a sort of utilitarian ideal.
This systematic decision-making process is then drawn to provide the ideal concept for what is to be considered as responsible and acceptable behavior. Because the ideal model is grounded in the dynamic and continual activity of harmonizing shared or ecumenical values against communal intents and desired objectives, Ethics then becomes both a suitable and most reasonable strategy for any extant structure that would be devoid of a practical methodology that assists in sustaining prolonging and strengthening the human-inhabited community. Very succinctly stated, Ethics, then, is the monitoring, sustaining, and prolonging of values and life using an acceptable set of agreeable contexts to avoid chaos at all costs.
Ethics from the Common Pastoral Perspective
From the common perspective, it is apparent that many individuals inhabit this cosmological domain we call society. We indeed, have or are sharing the commonness of possessing uniquely distinguishable attributes. Where this is not the case, then human behavioral characteristics would not be universally recognizable as uniquely separate and the simple adjective, individual and its supplementary cognates, would have no referenced or understandable meanings.
Despite the broad-spectrum of agreement that reflects the general idea that most individuals exhibit a tendency of being extraordinarily intelligent and competent to communicate and placate reasonable common practices on their own, unfortunately most of their efforts only result in creating or contributing to an undesired chaos.
Therefore, one of the most ultimate objectives of the ethereal community or spiritual structures, the church, is to assist in ensuring that the state of balance, growth, and maintenance is continued within this physical society to assure a continued existence and promulgation of the human species.
Unique differences do exist. External negative factors and the disproportionate presence of human values, illuminates the church, per se, as endeavoring to moderate the corpus of divergent human values and objectives with an intended hope of extending and bettering human society. Hence, the pastoral ministry becomes the church’s primary ordering instrument and may be considered as a useful and constructive vocation.
The church or ecclesiastical institution is but one agency among other ethical institutions such as business and commerce, court judicial systems, financial management corporations, and even merchandisers that exist. While each is uniquely different, all have similar aspirations and purposeful intentions aimed at maintaining, building, and cultivating, a useful and practical universal arrangement that both molds and shapes the common society of all. Merely addressing this common perspective regarding Ethics is not enough; the cultural perspective of Ethics too, must be addressed.
Ethics from a Cultural Balance Perspective
Having considered the vastness of the anthropological species, it is apparent that the present earth has a landscape that is draped and cluttered with many disagreeing ethnic groups, opposing religious beliefs and ecologically-damaging vocational occupations. Here, the sociological investigator or those who consider the boundaries of Ethics are met with impending difficulties in prescribing and designing an ethical system that truly benefits all and agitates none. This sort of scenario offers an opportunity to introduce the utilitarian model of Ethics in a cultural perspective.
Harsanyi (1986) states, “The fundamental assumption of utilitarian theory is that we ought to choose our moral standards by rational criteria…that we ought to choose the moral standards of the highest expected social utility” (Harsanyi, 1986, p 1). While the previous statement of Harsanyi (1986) does indeed, suggest an idealistic prescriptive remedy for what one should do in the instance of possessing an innate sense of “oughtness”, one quickly realizes that such a solution is not readily practical or socially accommodating because of the many differing cultural variances that do exist.
Again, in employing the “oughtness” concept, additional accumulative difficulties tend to surface; language barriers, societal customs, and religious beliefs, are often the most prevalent conflicts when considering utilitarianism. Despite this state of disunity, communication becomes an indispensable component regarding helping to balance the great cultural divide. Queries like “Whose global government is the most appropriate for all people?” “What political persuasion truly benefits everyone?” and “Whose academic description of Ethics is most readily to be believed?”
Societies have yet arrived at a most adoptable solution and the continual presence and practice of effective communication skills has helped leaders to sustain an operable state despite the world’s multi-faceted assortment of values, ideas, and objectives.
Ethics from a Communal Perspective
Imaginatively, there is an illustrative philosophical axiom that relates to the idea that if the physical world has sufficient amenities to sustain an individual people, then it must certainly also possess the capacity to sustain a corpus that contains every person. Revisiting the three components that are useful in maintaining an equitable balance of values against the intended objectives of all humanity, a simple and practical solution is to begin to view the world’s populace as a single immense community.
Although varying, culturally, and ethnically different, these observed differences truly make life an ongoing enterprise. Irrational creatures, being much more numerous and less adept in the skills of intelligence and transforming abilities, do exist in harmony. Humans, too, can co-exist peacefully if they would exercise their skills regarding communication. Many instances of miscommunication have ignited wars, isolated cultures, and decimated whole societies.
Sensibly, if the balance of human society is to continue, then more effective ways of ethical communication must be employed to retain the delicate arrangement of human society. Two inquiries to consider are; “What becomes of a society that lacks a set of Ethics to enhance its development?” and “What benefit does a set of ethical axioms do when an intelligent species has annihilated itself do to the lack of communication?” This scenario depicts that practical Ethics is not only possible but a necessity.
Please provide your personal or professional insight on the subject discussed.
(c) 2014 by Bruce Martin
About the Guest Blogger
Rev. Bruce Martin is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee and is a licensed and ordained minister of 35 years. He is a now-retired mechanical designer from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Rev. Martin attended the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia as a Civil Engineering major in 1974. He presently holds a Bachelors Degree in Systematic Theology from the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from the Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.
He also completed graduate studies in Divinity at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Presently, Rev. Martin is a 3rd year doctoral candidate in Education at the Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Rev. Martin was formerly the Senior Pastor of the Oakland Baptist Church in Louisville. While residing there, he taught New Testament Theology at Simmons College.
Reference
Harsanyi, J. C. (1986). Individual utilities and utilitarian ethics (pp. 1-12). Physica-Verlag HD.
Customers determine the value of a product or service. In today’s competitive environment, value creation is a corporate advantage. However, building this value is often difficult. People have different ways to assess value. Some folks use traditional ways based on some established reference point, such as a company’s price guide.
Yet, some ways are informal. In many countries, haggling is an acceptable practice of transactional selling. Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, authors of Marketing Management, explain how businesses must understand customer decision making processes for purchases. They note, “They [customers] tend to be value maximizers, within the bounds of search costs and limited knowledge, mobility, and income.”
Here’s a personal example. My family visited Mexico and began the great American tradition of haggling sellers to get the price of merchandise down. Radio host Dave Ramsey believes everything is negotiable. Anything that is worth the effort of negotiation must have passed the value threshold to the consumer. Paul Peter and James Donnelly, authors of Marketing Management, note that culture, social class, and reference group influences play an important role in consumer behavior.
Some risks are involved with purchasing. This reality has a bearing on value for customers. If decisions involve low risk, they are often done quickly with little thought. Yet, major purchases normally require more risks, like buying a house. Therefore, having a good relationship with the seller is important.
The buying decision stages are (1) recognition of need or problem, (2) determination and description of the traits and quality of the needed items, (3) research for qualified buyers, (4) acquisition and analysis of proposals or bids, (5) evaluation of proposals and selection of suppliers, (6) selection of an order routine, and (7) performance evaluation and feedback.
Mark Johnston and Greg Marshall, authors of Relationship Selling, maintain that many organizational purchases are motivated by the requirements of the firm’s production processes, merchandise inventory, or day-to-day operations. Therefore, customers are very value conscious on high priced items, such as cars.
Customers use varying methods to reduce their buying risks. Negotiation expert Carleen Hawn recommends five common sense approaches for effective negotiations, which are: (a) don’t bargain over positions, (b) separate the people from the problem, (c) focus on interests, (d) invent options for mutual gain, and (e) insist on using objective criteria. In most cases, haggling at a specific retailer involves a one-time transaction. Johnston and Marshall further suggest that value creation is what ultimately gets customers to come back. Therefore, businesses that allow haggling must build relationship selling components for repeat value to customers.
Discuss your professional experience with value creation in your industry or organization.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
Visionary leadership is vital to organizations that wish to exist in competitive environments. Yet, it is not enough to have only one visionary leader in an organization’s existence. Through their visions, leaders can articulate their values and principles.
Aubrey Malphurs, author of Values-Driven Leadership, notes, “An organization’s core values signal its bottom line…every organization must have a commitment to values that matter. The organization must passionately stand for something.” There are numerous examples where a visionary founder departed the scene. Consequently, the organization began to falter and in some cases fail.
For example, George Eastman founded Eastman Kodak Company in 1888, which later came to be known simply as ‘Kodak.’ Eastman was a high school dropout with an average intelligence according to academic standards of that time. Even though he grew up and had to support his widowed mother and two sisters, Eastman had a knack for business.
At the age of 14, Eastman worked as an office boy in an insurance company and later got into other business ventures. Eastman’s high energy, his gift for organization and management, and his entrepreneurial mind were all personality traits that helped transform his Eastman Kodak Company into an American industry leader. When Eastman died on March 14, 1932 at the age of 77, the company lost more than just its founder.
Due to the founder’s vision, Kodak become a dominant player in photographic film. In fact, the company controlled 89% of the photographic film market in America during 1976. Despite past success, the company lost its way. By the late 1990s, Kodak struggled financially due to the emergence of digital photography. This reality was strange since Kodak invented the core technology utilized in digital cameras. In 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy and sold many of its prized patents.
Many organizations have lost the sense of a dynamic leader with a compelling vision. Visions often are denoted as powerful images in one’s mind that compels him or her to action often at a subconscious level. To many, dreams and visions are the same thing because they often happen while someone is asleep.
Some people think about their dreams; others may talk about a particular vision. Yet, a visionary leader can share his or her vision and compel followers to make the vision become a reality. Visionary leadership can be defined as “the ability to create and articulate a realistic, credible, and attractive vision of the future that improves upon the present situation.”
Gregory Dess, G.T. Lumpkin, and Alan Eisner, authors of Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages, explain that leaders must develop and implement their visions. A visionary leader can do these things and more.
In a survey of executives from more than 20 different countries, 98% of these global leaders noted that a strong vision was the most critical trait of a good leader. Additionally, those surveyed stated that the ability to formulate a strategy to implement one’s vision was the most vital knowledge skill.
Consequently, it is not enough to have a vision; a leader must have the organizational skills and communication abilities to implement a vision. Today’s businesses need to create leadership development programs that stimulate the growth of visionary leadership from within.
Discuss your professional experience with visionary leadership in your industry.
© 2014 by Daryl D. Green
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