Latest Blog Entries from Jones Loflin

Vegas Marketers Being Intentional

2012-05-21T13:00:55Z

Last week I was working with a corporate group meeting in Las Vegas. Getting into the taxi, I was immediately bombarded by attempts to get me to spend money. A TV monitor was advertising various shows, buffets and activities in Vegas. The back of the front seats held coupon books for everything from skydiving to t-shirts. And the top of the taxi had a large sign highlighting a limited time performance of The Phantom of the Opera. The marketing continued as I went to the hotel. Even the elevator had a TV monitor giving me more options for restaurants and shows.

Those marketing anything in Vegas know they have to take every opportunity to get themselves in front of a potential buyer. There are just too many other opportunities waiting to take someone's money if you miss your moment.

It's the same with how we need to look at our quest to get better results. We have to use every available resource at our disposal in such a way that it encourages those results to become a reality. Miss one chance, and you could suffer missing the "jackpot" you're really hungry for.

Being "Extremely" Intentional

2012-05-17T13:01:05Z

Joe Mihalic knew he needed to change. Having gotten his MBA almost two years ago, he realized that even though he was making regular payments on his student loans, he still owed over $90,000! And if he continued to simply make the regular payments, he would pay over $42,000 in interest.

So Joe decided it was time to get intentional about paying off his debt. He set a goal of paying off the debt in one year, but because of his extreme efforts and focus, he paid the loan off in 10 months. He sold stuff, took on part time jobs, stopped going to movies or eating out and a number of steps to attack his debt.

Joe's efforts are but one example of the amazing results we can achieve if we are intentional about making it happen. You can learn more about his journey at No More Harvard Debt.

Emergency Cookies And Change

2012-05-14T13:00:40Z

While sitting on a plane waiting to taxi to the runway, a heavy thunderstorm erupted over the airport. With the pouring rain, gusty winds and strong lightning, it was only a matter of time. Yes, the pilot came on the pa system and said, "We are shutting the engines down until the storm blows over." Forty five minutes later the storm is still a menace and now there are no less than 30 planes waiting to take off when the storm actually clears. The collective mood among the passengers was simply "arrrrggghhhhhhhhhh!"

The lone flight attendant had helped ease the frustration by passing out cups of water, but when the announcement about the 30 planes awaiting takeoff was made, the warm thoughts about the free water was forgotten. The flight attendant, not willing to allow the mood to become hostile, started passing out biscoff cookies-not just one pack, but two or even three. The mood quickly lightened. I overheard the attendant tell a passenger, "These are our emergency cookies. It had not been long enough to really justify using them, but I didn't want to wait. Give this guy a raise!

When change is hard, it's easy for people to lose sight of factors that are out of everyone's control (like the weather) and to develop negative attitudes. Good leaders know they need to pass out some "emergency cookies" quickly or people can become even less cooperative as the change progresses. Examples of some cookies we can use to help soothe ill feelings caused by the storms of change include:

Acknowledging that the change is difficult but reminding them of how they have persevered through worse situations in the past
Creating opportunities for people to laugh and relax. You may have to spend a few dollars (cookies cost money) but it's an investment in improving their morale and willingness to stay the course.
Have as many personal conversations as possible. People have different needs they sense you sincerely care about their anxiety if you at least listen to them as individuals.
Bend the rules but be clear about your reasoning. You don't want to train people that when things get hard in a change that they can simply violate company policy or standards, but if you give a sensible rationale about your actions, most people will not expect it to become a habit.

Our flight arrived about midnight. When we touched down, many of the passengers clapped and as we disembarked, you should have heard the accolades given to the flight attendant. Amazing what a few emergency cookies can do.

But It's So Beautiful and Fragrant

2012-05-10T13:00:34Z

At first glance, the green vine in this picture seems appealing. The attractive yellow and white flowers are even more inviting because of their sweet aroma. Yes, this plant looks like something perfect for the landscape. And if you believe that, I will gladly sell you some poison ivy plants for your flower beds.

The plant in the picture with the flowers is honeysuckle. While it looks harmless in this picture, it actually is growing unchecked in a small natural area of a landscape. It's a weed. And as you can see, it's growing over the other plants in the area.

Many of us allow a different type of "honeysuckle" to grow in relation to our schedules and commitments. We say "yes" to something that, on the surface, looks inviting and may even be something of interest to us. Once we allow it to take root, however, we soon find that it can strangle our time and energy in ways we never imagined.

What's the alternative? Take the time to recognize how any new commitment or obligation could grow in your schedule, and be vary wary of adding it unless you set some clear limitations on your commitment level BEFORE you allow it to start growing. If not, don't be surprised if it overtakes your mental landscape just like the honeysuckle in the picture.

Leaving People Behind In Times of Change

2012-05-07T13:00:53Z

Doesn't this Canada Goose look lonely? In a large metropolitan city all by himself, wondering what he should do? it's just not his nature to be alone. Canada Geese typically are typically always found in pairs or flocks. Did the others just leave him?

This could be the same way some people in your organization or family feel as you navigate through a change. Most people really want to get on board with a change, but often have let fear overcome them and isolate themselves from others. And the longer they feel left out or alone, the harder it will be to move them forward in the change. You may need to slow down with the execution of the change just a little so you can help others see the benefit in moving forward-and HOW to take the next step forward.

Don't worry about the goose in the picture. If he doesn't get run over by all the traffic, he will eventually meet up with another lone goose or even a flock of geese and will once again be part of a team. What about the people around you? What would help them more quickly get back on board with you or your team in a time of change?

The Balancing Act of Being Intentional

2012-05-03T13:00:25Z

While at the airport waiting to board a flight, I realized that I had a tight connection and would not have time to grab lunch before the next flight. So, I hurried to the closest deli and began sifting through all my seemingly healthy choices. For some time now I have been very intentional about trying to eat better while traveling. The only problem was that every salad or sandwich had at least 35 grams of fat! It was then that I spied my new best friend... a turkey breast sandwich with only 7 grams of fat. My mom would be so proud!

As I sat down to eat lunch I casually looked at the nutrition label and was mortified to see that the sandwich had 83% of the daily allowance of sodium! The number 3 ingredient, behind turkey and the flour used to make the bread, was salt. While a little less excited about my choice, I knew that I could combat the overload of sodium with extra water throughout the day.

When we are intentional about the choices we make, there will most always be repercussions or potentially negative impacts of our choices (I call them "Weeds" in my new book). Our goal should be to make the choice that has the greatest potential to help us achieve our main goals, and plan for how to manage the other circumstances that come along with making that choice (like getting enough water to combat the sodium in the sandwich).

Too often we keep looking for the perfect choice to materialize, and it rarely does.

A GSA Harvest!

2012-04-30T13:01:09Z

I do a significant amount of work with federal government agencies, including the military. About 3 years ago someone from one of these agencies mentioned that I should get a GSA (General Services Administration) contract because it would make working with my company so much easier. I did a little investigation and found that the process to be certified and receive a contract was not easy. In fact, when printed, the GSA application is about the thickness of a phone book from Boston! And companies typically pay thousands of dollars to third party companies to walk them through the approval process. I decided to put things on hold.

About 20 months ago I made the decision to seek a GSA contract for my company. I gave Belinda, my accounts manager, a link to the application and simply said, "Let me know if you think we can complete it." A week later she came back and said, "I think we can." Twenty months later, we hold a GSA contract due to Belinda's amazing work (and my brilliance in recognizing someone of her tremendous talents).

In keeping with my process of always analyzing my "harvests" I can see several reasons why we were successful with our efforts. They include:

Giving someone the time necessary to do a thorough job with the task. Belinda spent untold hours poring over the application and every detail. If I had rushed her through it, mistakes would have been made, and we would have been rejected more than once.
Building a positive business reputation. Part of the application included getting reports from past customers. Because we had provided a quality service to our clients, we quickly found several willing to complete the surveys for us.
Being professionally persistent. When we submitted our application, there must have been a billion other companies trying to receive a GSA contract. Belinda stayed in consistent contact with our GSA examiner and quickly gave clarifications or offered additional information when needed.
Remembering to look at the situation from someone else's perspective. Several parts of the application seemed to have little relevance to a training company like ours and it was frustrating to complete those sections. When we stopped to remind ourselves that GSA uses the same application to review training organizations, defense contractors and office supply companies, we could see the relevance in those sections.

And lastly, knowing that we had done our best was of great comfort. At times it seemed like we were destined for failure with this initiative. In those moments we took solace in the fact that we had done everything humanly possible to complete the application correctly. And on April 23, 2012, we finalized a HUGE harvest!

How To Fail In Times Of Change

2012-04-26T14:00:50Z

A recent article in the USA Today had a number of practical tips about how to fail in times of change. Although the article was created for entrepreneurs, the advice is good for any individual or organization seeking better results in times of change. Some of the tips included:

Fail fast. Develop ideas quickly and then get them out the door. Facebook and Google have specific plans to try new things quickly.
Fail forward. Fail in a way that moves you or your company into new products or services.
Fail smart. Failure is useful only if you are learning something from it.
Fail cheap. Launch the smallest viable version of what you need to get the job done.
Fail with integrity. People who worked with you this time will most likely be willing to work with you again if they believe you are person who can be trusted.

Using these tips won't keep you from failing, but it can help ensure that any failure is a step in the right direction toward making the change a reality.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Limiting Fun Limits Your Success

2012-04-23T13:00:32Z

In a recent study by the Trident Fun Index, Americans were found to be lacking in their moments of fun. Nineteen (19%) even said they couldn't remember the last time they had fun. The reasons given included lack of money and time.

While the word "fun" needs to be defined better to further understand the findings, it does highlight the need for change in our thinking. These moments of fun are crucial to reviving our motivation and even recharging our physical bodies (think about how you feel after a good laugh). Leaving them out of our day decreases the resources we have to deal with the challenges in our life that are not considered fun.

Eighteen percent (18%) of the respondents even said they didn't do anything fun on a daily basis. What about you? What are you planning on doing today that you would consider fun? Leaving it out of your day is just setting you up for less than blue ribbon results.

You can read more about the survey here.

What Do You Stop For?

2012-04-19T13:00:42Z

While unloading materials for a training program at a military base, a short blast of music came from the base pa system. My host for the training, along with everyone else in the area, immediately stood at attention toward the base flag as the US National Anthem played. I was honored to be able to participate in this patriotic act as well. After the music finished, we returned to our normal routine.

My sense of pride and respect for those individuals on the base, military and non-military, was affirmed as everyone stood at attention. In the distance I could see a yard sale going on in the parking lot, and even the small children stopped and stood silent while the music played. These individuals on the base, more than anyone, know the sacrifices made by their family members and friends.

It made me wonder... what are the kinds of things I deem worthy enough to stop what I am doing and pay tribute to-even if it is only for a few seconds? What moments do I have during my day where a better use of my time would be to pause and reflect than to simply rush off to the next activity or try to make the next deadline?

What can you stop and show respect for today-even if it's only for a few seconds?