Monthly Archives: February 2011
Around this time of year, most of us, and our businesses, tend to slow down just a bit from the normal dawn-to-dusk mad dash. We smile a bit more. We wave people in before us in traffic, and let others with less in their shopping carts go first in the grocery store. And we reflect. When I was working with Toyota, I learned the art of hansei (pronounced hahn-say). Hansei is the Japanese word for reflection. But its meaning is closer to introspection. Hansei finds its roots in Eastern philosophy and religion, but it is a profound skill to be mastered. Japanese school children are taught from kindergarten how to perform hansei, and it is a vital part of learning and improving. The key insight is this: Hansei is performed regularly, as a discipline, irrespective of performance! In other words, whether you got an A or a C on your … Continue reading
What happens when you say no? More often than not, in a business context, you end up getting what you want. It’s a wonder more of us don’t use no more often. Of course, reality isn’t that easy. We all want to please, make our customers happy, get the job done. If we keep saying yes, we’ll close the deal. Right? Not necessarily. This isn’t a call to start turning down every request that comes across your desk. But saying no can actually open more doors than you think. Telling a prospect no can actually establish a level of trust that may not have previously existed. If you say no to a prospect request, you’re being honest about what you can and cannot do. You’re not overpromising on something you might not be able to deliver. You’re establishing that you …
