Excerpt from The 100/0 Principle, by Al Ritter

What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It’s The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.
Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.
The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.
STEP 1 – Determine what you can do to make the relationship work…then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.
STEP 2 – Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.
STEP 3 – Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don’t take the bait.
STEP 4 – Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don’t respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.
At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the “Knower” and shift to being the “Learner.” Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like “that won’t work,” “I’m right, you are wrong,” “I know it and you don’t,” “I’ll teach you,” “that’s just the way it is,” “I need to tell you what I know,” etc.
Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like “Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation,” “I could be wrong,” “I wonder if there is anything of value here,” “I wonder if…” etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!
Principle Paradox
This may strike you as strange, but here’s the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

Leadership Revevance

Properly aligned, dynamic organization cultures are a powerful force in business and are essential to elevate a company to the next level. Such cultures instill tremendous intangible qualities – employee loyalty, high morale, passionate engagement, innovation, and the willingness to seek change. All of which significantly impact tangible results – reduced operational and training costs, enhanced customer service, profitability, and revenue growth. The key ingredient here is “leadership relevance.”

What are you doing to develop relevant leaders within your organization? Today’s leaders must develop the wisdom to identify with today’s employees who span four different age generations, come from diverse and multi-cultural backgrounds, possess a wide-ranging work ethic, and varied thinking style from what most are accustom.

History reveals wisdom is the most valuable component of leadership. It is the other extreme from arrogance and autonomy. Much of wisdom stems from our desire to understand our true self, our strengths and weaknesses. This is the right first step, but leadership relevance requires that we demonstrate a continuous commitment to excellence, a caring attitude, noble character that earns the trust of others, and a calming responsive demeanor in adverse situations.

Wisdom is often viewed as the cumulative knowledge attained from a leader’s years of experience in his/her chosen field of expertise. So what is a young leader to do who doesn’t have the years of experience? Successful leaders learn what they need to know. The young leader must understand that wisdom is a character trait, which must be painstakingly developed as the leader expands his/her perspective on life. Never underestimate what you already know, or refuse to act on what you know is right. Gut instinct is critical to the success of every leader. When wisdom calls, listen. Never refuse the wise counsel of others or the opportunity to discuss elusive issues amongst your peers. These are traits that distinguish you as a relevant leader and one who is committed to your people.

When Wegman’s Food Markets of Rochester, NY, was recognized in 2005 as the number one company on FORTUNE Magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For,” Robert Wegman received accolades for his understanding of leadership relevance and building a great organizational culture. It is noteworthy that Wegman’s motto is Our Employees Come First.

In their book, The Service Profit Chain, the authors (Heskett, Sussa, and Schlessiger) make the case that, “no matter what your business, the only way to generate enduring profits is to begin by building the kind of environment that attracts, focuses on, and keeps talented employees.” Unfortunately, during the “dot.com craze” many corporations became focused solely on the shareholders and lost focus on their employees and customers. I contend if you focus first on your employees, they will take care of your clients/customers, who in return will tell many others just how awesome your company is, and your shareholders will be most pleased with the outcome.

Data from the business schools of Emory, Stanford, and Harvard further supports this philosophy noting that for every 1% improvement you make in service climate you drive a 2% increase in revenue. Of course, it’s the leaders who must create the right emotional climate.

Your ability to demonstrate leadership relevance resonates your values and vision throughout the organization and is a driving force in building a dynamic culture, which will sustain creativity, innovation, and profitability for years to come.

Roger Blackstock is Founder & CEO of Peer Synergy Group (www.peersynergygroup.com), an Atlanta based organizational leadership and executive performance enhancement firm. Roger also serves as a Group Chairman for Vistage International (www.vistage.com), the world’s leading chief executive organization with more than 14,000 members in 16 countries. Blackstock is a U.S. Army Veteran, business executive, and trusted advisor to CEO’s with over thirty years experience. For more information you can reach Blackstock at roger@peersynergygroup.com or 770.530.2383.

Common Networking Mistakes

Common Networking Mistakes Networking is a term that didn’t exist (academically) until almost 40 years ago. It’s a word uttered in and around the business world every day, yet is unclear to most as to how it actually works. Still, it’s a fundamental tool to the success of any business. By definition, the term networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships. It’s not schmoozing; it’s not just handing out business cards, selling, marketing or small talk. Those activities are part of networking, but unfortunately, many people’s misunderstanding of the term causes them to network ineffectively. The following are some habits of unskilled networkers, and they can stand in the in your way of developing mutually valuable relationships. So, next time you attend your Chamber or Association meeting, keep these ideas in mind so you can offer the most value to your fellow networkers. Habit #1: Attitude Much like the development of any skill, networking begins with attitude. Unfortunately, unskilled networkers have the wrong attitude. If you’ve ever attended a networking function before, perhaps you’ve encountered businesspeople who act in the following ways: The hard sell – they believe networking is about one thing and one thing only: selling products and services to everyone in the room. Business only – they’re not there to make friends. They’re not there to have fun. And they’re certainly not interested in developing mutually valuable relationships. It’s all about me – they don’t take the time to help and share with others, but rather focus on their own needs. In other words, they can’t spell “N-E-T-W-O-R-K-I-N-G” without “I.” Attitude is fundamental to effective networking. In fact, it’s the most important habit to understand. Habit #2: Only Dig Your Well WHEN You’re Thirsty. The key to successful networking is making your friends, establishing contacts and developing relationships – before you need them. Getting what you want by helping others get what they want first. Networking should be a big part of your marketing plan! Enter the unskilled networkers, who only network because: a) They need new customers b) They have a new product or service to sell c) Their boss forced them to do so Take my friend Bill, for example. He’s quite successful in the insurance business; however he recently approached me about using networking to obtain some hot leads. “My numbers are down. My manager is on my back. I gotta get out there and start networking…or else! What do you suggest?” “Networking takes time,” I explained, “and you can’t expect to come into loads of business or dozens of potential clients without developing the relationships first.” As you already learned, networking is the development and maintenance of mutually valuable relationships…over time. If you try to dig your well WHEN you’re thirsty, you may never find a drink. Habit #3: Dealing Out Business Cards is a terrible habit, and it happens all the time. Have you ever seen people distribute 173 of their business cards during the first 5 minutes of the event? They move as quickly as possible from one person to the next. They don’t make eye contact, they don’t ask to exchange cards – they just deal them out. This is guaranteed to make people feel puny and insignificant. Notice these unskilled networkers don’t spend time actually meeting and establishing rapport with new people; but rather concentrate on giving out as many cards as possible. Your business card has no value when they are dealt out without conversation. Habit #4: Unskilled networkers don’t wear professional looking name tags. When you wear a name tag it makes you much more approachable and helps people remember you and your name. Remember that when you wear a name tag you will always be able to measure the benefit by the conversation that results from people that approach you. When you don’t wear a name tag you will never know what you lost as a result of not being approachable! Habit #5: Unskilled networkers not only attend meetings with their friends and/or coworkers, but they talk and sit with them the entire time! These are people with whom they’ve worked 5 days a week, 8 hours a day for the past 3 years! This is not a good technique to maximize your company’s visibility. This habit creates an elitist, unfriendly attitude. And think how uncomfortable this makes the one or two people sitting at the table who don’t work for that company! It’s unfair to them because they’re unable to meet a diverse group of people with whom to develop mutually valuable relationships! Remember: If you’re sitting with YOUR company – you’re sitting with the WRONG company. Habit #6: Unskilled Networkers believe there is only one specific time and place for networking. It’s called “A Room with A Sign Posted Outside That Says So.” In other words, they only network when someone forces them to. They don’t believe networking opportunities in places like elevators, busses, supermarkets or parks. That’s it? A measly half hour for networking? Doesn’t give you much time, does it? The truth about networking is that it can happen anytime, anywhere. There is a time and a place for networking – it’s called ANY time, and ANY place. Network to win in 2010!