How to Avoid Being a Technician in Other’s Clothes

Without question, one of the hardest things for a person to do in business is to take the next step from being a great worker to becoming a successful leader.

Most people start at the bottom of the employment chain as a “technician”, working hard to produce a consistent, predictable product, service or solution as mandated from above. Whether it be a craftsman developing widgets, a coder producing code, a banker managing transactions, a salesperson making sales, a repairman fixing appliances, etc., these technicians do their jobs day in, day out. Some do it so well that they soon are promoted to the next level, that of manager or leader.

Others might decide that they can do the work as well if not better than their boss and choose to venture out on their own and start their own business. In other words, they jump from being a technician to a self-anointed entrepreneur.

Naphtali HoffDecember 11, 2017Impactful Coaching & ConsultingComment

What’s Your One Sentence?

In his bestselling book Drive (pp. 154-155), author Dank Pink references a conversation between Congresswoman Claire Boothe Luce and President John F. Kennedy. Sensing that the president had too many competing agendas, she sought to focus him by asking him to think about his “one sentence”.

Each great person, she said, has a single sentence that describes him/her. For Abrhama Lincoln, she said, it was “He preserved the union and freed the slaves”. In the case of FDR, a fitting single sentence would be, “He lifted us up from the Great Depression and helped us win a world war”. Because of his competing agendas, Luce felt that Kennedy’s one sentence would instead become an overly muddled paragraph.

We all can have single sentences that describe us, even if our contributions are not as deep and lasting as the aforementioned presidents. Whether they say something about us as individuals, as leaders or as community contributors, having the ability to construct a single sentence that captures our essence can serve as a great guidepost and motivator.

Get to know the job well

My first leadership experience was the most unusual, most unexpected and most fleeting management role that I ever held. When I was a high school senior, I was asked if I could provide supervision in a kosher restaurant in Manhattan on Saturday nights. I didn't live too far from the place and wanted to earn some extra cash, so I agreed. The position, I was told, included oversight in the kitchen, and, because I could be in and out, manning the cash register.

The first night was going pretty smoothly. It took me a short while to learn the inner workings of the establishment's kitchen and how to operate the register. Not bad, I thought, for $10 an hour. But then, the head waiter told me that I had a phone call.

"Is this the manager?" asked the woman on the line. "Manager?" I thought. I hesitated, thinking that he had called the wrong person to the phone. I asked her to hold and went back to the head waiter. He explained to me that every kosher supervisor who works in that restaurant is also the manager, so yes; I was the right one to answer. I picked the phone back up. The woman, by now confused and a bit annoyed, asked incredulously, "are you sure that you're the manager?" With the confidence of a censored child I meekly replied to the affirmative. Let's just say that I've had better leadership moments than that one.

business, coaching, leadershipNaphtali HoffNovember 27, 2017Impactful Coaching & Consutlingleader, leadership, learningComment

How being thankful can make their day… and yours

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, our national focus shifts to thanks and appreciation. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for thanks, hoda’ah, comes from the same root as the word for acknowledgement. What this means is that we can’t really show our appreciation without first acknowledging what others have done for us.

So as we prepare ourselves for the Thanksgiving spirit, let us take a few minutes to think about who has made a positive impact in our lives, both large and small. Then see what you can do to offer thanks, such as by calling them up, sending them a quick note, or perhaps even a gift. (While saying thank you is certainly a wonderful gesture, I suggest that, whenever possible, you jot it down on paper. This allows the appreciation to linger on, and creates a deeper bond. I personally keep a folder of thank you notes that offer a quick pick-me-up and bring a smile to my face.)

When you offer thanks, remember to specify why you are appreciative and how that made you feel or what that did in terms of assisting you in some way. Such added detail deepens the gesture exponentially and helps reinforce the behavior in others.

Naphtali HoffNovember 20, 2017Impactful Coaching & ConsultingComment

Your approach to problem-solving: diet or regimen?

Until recently, I had never dieted. I simply didn’t need to. I come from a family of fast metabolisms and was always able to eat more or less what I had wanted without worrying about added girth. Even when my waistline started to expand, it wasn’t significant, certainly not enough to truly conscience the idea of dieting.

In addition, I had seen what happened to so many others who had set out to diet. Too often, they failed miserably. Some were unable to stay sufficiently disciplined. Others lost the weight that they wanted (and often even more) but quickly gained it back. If I was going to do something about my weight, it would have to be done in a way that I would achieve a different, more sustainable outcome.

So recently, when I decided that it was time for me to again fit comfortably into some old clothing, I put myself on an exercise regimen, rather than a diet. Though I had knew that weight loss comes primarily through changes in one’s eating habits, I felt that if I could first become disciplined establishing a demanding exercise regimen, I would be able to create a more sustainable approach to healthy living and, as a result, weight management.

business, coaching, leadershipNaphtali HoffNovember 13, 2017Impactful Coaching & Consultingleader, leadership, diet, workout, problem solving, regimenComment

7 Steps to Effective Delegation

Article after article speak about the challenges for leaders and small-business owners to relinquish control and delegate. Why? Delegation is a foreign concept for many who think that they need to hold all of the cards or to have their spoons in every pot. Those who are willing to share responsibility may not invest the time into doing so strategically or may not even know how to go about it.

Trust is one crucial element to effective delegation and teamwork. You have to believe in your people in order to empower them. But it takes more than willingness and trust to delegate effectively. Others important components include:

Decide what to delegate. Start with a small project or one that doesn’t have to be completed in a specific way. This keeps the temperature low and the end goal in sight.
Pick the right person or group. Take time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your team. Select those whom you’re confident can do the job well. They should be self-motivated and comfortable working without constant supervision.

Naphtali HoffNovember 6, 2017Impactful Coaching & ConsultingComment

7 Tips to Avoid Office Fatigue

If you’re like many people, you probably spend much time battling work-station fatigue. You’re cruising right along getting work done and then, gradually at first, you feel your body beginning to slow down. Your eyes get heavy, your concentration begins to wander, and then you’re either running over for a cup of coffee or a power drink. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that you’ll start to nod off at your desk and have to hope that nobody notices.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of adults don’t get enough sleep. The CDC says most adults need at least 7 hours per night. Obviously, an under-rested body will seek to have its need met, even when it’s not the most convenient time for your work needs.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a couch nearby or a company R&R area, you can grab a quick power nap when tiredness begins to set in. And there’s nothing wrong with doing so. In fact, a number of companies have begun to recognize the benefits of letting (and even encouraging) their people to grab a few mid-day z’s.

Naphtali HoffOctober 30, 2017Comment

Why and How I Started My Podcast

Starting a podcast is quite the experience and something that I had no intent of doing just a short time ago. Sure, I was aware of the wide range of podcasts and how some podcasters had achieved great things and developed wide followings. But with everything else that I had going on, and with zero personal experience with podcasting (as a listener, let alone as a host), I simply had no plans of adding this to my bucket list.

My perspective changed when I published my first book, Becoming the New Boss. I had approached the writing / publishing process a bit naively, thinking that if I produce a great book (which my mother says I did), the interest would simply follow. All I would need to do, I thought, was get it done, share it with my networks and do some advertising, and voila! I would have the next NYT bestseller (or at least an honorable mention).

But after speaking with my publisher (a small, growing Left Coast mom and pop, not a plush, big-time Lexington Avenue outfit) and other authors, I learned quickly that I would need to become the CPO (Chief Publicity Officer) of my book, in addition to everything else that needed to get done.

Naphtali HoffOctober 23, 2017Comment

Learn to Become A Perennial Champion

Post-prayer conversation at synagogue this morning with Cubs fan:

Me: (Yankees fan, tied 2-2 in ALCS) - Good morning!

Him (Cubs fan, down 3-0 in NLCS) - Well, it's a good morning for you!

Me: Well, it'll just be that much sweeter when your team rallies!

Him: (Laughs)

Me: I hope that you’re not content to go back into your cave for another 100 years of misery.

Him: (Half laugh) Well, we don't want to be greedy

Me: (Smug Yankees fan) Why not?

Him: We can't win it every year!

Me: (Summoning my inner George Steinbrenner) Yes you can!

Naphtali HoffOctober 18, 2017Comment

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