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“What Odor?”

One of the things we try to do at Broad Insights is begin by diagnosing situations. I was working with a hog farmer up in Ohio, and I wanted to take the time to have him walk me through his process. So we started with the small piglets and sows, followed through to the weaned pigs, and so on. I walked through all the barns, and I had all this gear on to make sure I didn’t contaminate anything (they have to be very careful of diseases). When we got to the end of all those barns, I turned to the farmer and said, “Ed, do you ever get used to the odor?” He looked at me quizzically and said, “What odor?” Of course, that made us both laugh.

I got to thinking about that, and I thought about how we all get used to our culture, our environment. Our organizations may not have anything quite as pungent as the odor of a hog farm, but I think we do get used to the culture and don’t challenge the norm like we should. We lose the ability to see things with new eyes, or with a critical eye. Our coaches challenge leaders to do their best to step out of their culture—sometimes it takes a third party to help!—and ask, “What are we really doing here? What needs to change and improve?” Don’t let yourself or your organization become immune to the smell of things going wrong.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

Finding Your Landmark

You probably travel quite a bit by air, as I do. One of the things I enjoy is looking for landmarks as I’m flying into my local airport. I try to find one landmark that tells me where I am relative to my destination. It’s interesting to me that until I find that first landmark, everything looks the same. There have been times, especially on cloudy days, when I didn’t even know the direction of my approach. And when I find that one landmark, everything begins to clarify. Oh, okay, there’s that water tower. I know that shopping center, that neighborhood, etc. But until then, I’m very lost.

I think organizations encounter similar situations every day. For an organization, landmarks look like a vision statement, mission statement, and strategic plan. Plenty of people—employees and business leaders—are frantically looking around trying to figure out where to go. They’re working hard, making very good time, but are they going in the right direction? Just like I need a landmark when I’m in a plane, they need a great landmark—like a clear strategic plan—that says, “Here’s what we’re all about, this is what’s important, this is where we’re going, and this is the way we’re planning on getting there.” That can be very, very helpful for organizations.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

Insights From Proverbs: Contention

There’s a proverb that says, “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down” (Proverbs 26:20). I talk a lot about being fearless, confronting people, and talking to people, not about them. I think that asking questions is a critical part of leadership, but there’s also prudence in knowing when not to talk, when not to be a “whisperer.” There are times when something is said or done inappropriately and you’re wise to confront that behavior in an appropriate and timely way. There are also times when it’s better to not add fuel to the fire. Maybe if we let things go, if we don’t whisper or talk to others, that will cause the contention to quiet down.

Gossip is cancerous to an organization. Be a leader who doesn’t engage in gossip, and who confronts it head on. Gossip creates fuel for the fire. When it goes away, contention will quiet down. We want a peaceful organization! We want a dynamic organization, a team that’s not complacent, and we want to be moving forward. But contention is always dangerous and destructive. Anyone who is adding fuel to the fire needs to be confronted and challenged.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

Broad Insights Client Designated “Best Place to Work”

Congratulations to our client, Worthwhile, who was recently named as one of South Carolina’s Best Places to Work! This is no small feat, and we celebrate their accomplishment. We’re also proud of Joseph Bartosch, Broad Insights coach, and his role in coaching them to this achievement.

The Genesis of the Goal

Several years ago, we had the joy to begin a coaching relationship with Worthwhile, a Greenville-based technology innovation company. One of the initiatives Joseph introduced was identifying SMART strategic objectives. In that discussion, Worthwhile’s CEO expressed his desire to see the company become one the most desirable employers in the Upstate.

The first vital step in committing to that objective was determining how it could be measured. Opinion wasn’t enough. Joseph worked with Worthwhile’s leadership to chart a path toward measuring and improving employment desirability.

First Step: Survey

First, we administered a reputable third-party employee engagement survey. It included standard quantitative questions, as well as a number of qualitative questions soliciting employee input and feedback.

Second Step: Evaluation

The survey results were benchmarked against tens of thousands of other organizations. We were pleased to discover that Worthwhile already ranked very highly in many areas! Lower-scoring areas were targeted for improvement.

Third Step: Improvement

Using the anonymous qualitative input from the employees and ideas drawn from best practices and our coaching experience, Joseph worked with Worthwhile’s leadership to create and execute an intentional and strategic improvement plan.

After three years of following this process—survey, evaluate, improve—and exceeding improvement goals (10% each year in low areas), Worthwhile applied to the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s Best Places to Work. The Chamber conducted a thorough assessment, not unlike the one Worthwhile was already using.

In their very first year applying for the designation, Worthwhile received a remarkable #3 listing in the Small/Medium Employer category. We’re so delighted to have been part of this journey and to see them receive this clear marker of achieving one of their strategic objectives.

“This honor would not be possible without the help of Broad Insights. Joseph and the team have kept us true to our culture for over 3 years, consistently refining our way of doing business while tracking our employee engagement. We consider Broad Insights a true partner in building a destination workplace.”

—Dan Rundle, CEO of Worthwhile

Could You Be a Coach?

If you are enthusiastic about growing businesses and helping people, you may have considered becoming a business coach. Perhaps you’re burnt out at your current job, ready for the next phase of your career, or simply at a crossroads in your life. If that sounds like you, here’s an ideal next step:

Attend our Fall Professional Development Event on Thursday, September 20, 2018.

Broad Insights is holding a multi-day retreat for our coaches at gorgeous Lake Keowee, and we’re inviting a handful of prospective coaches to join us on Thursday at no cost. Our guests will meet the entire Broad Insights team and benefit from top-notch professional development training and exercises.

We’ll discuss topics like:

  • Client Retention
  • Cultivating COIs
  • Sales
  • Idea Exchange
  • Coaching Psychology
  • Blindspots
  • Frontstage / Backstage Client Experiences

Any professional can benefit from this training, and it will be absolutely invaluable if you’re a prospective coach or a business leader. We’ve found the combination of a new environment and stimulating conversation to be especially powerful in catalyzing new ideas and providing fresh perspective.

Space is limited. If you would like to join us at this remarkable event, contact us at info@broadinsights.com. We can’t wait to grow together.

How to Ensure Your Business Lasts

If you’re like most of the business owners we work with, you spend a lot of time focused on the hard day-to-day work of growing your business. But all too often, that hard work goes down the drain when the time comes to sell or to pass business leadership on to someone else.

If you want your business to survive beyond you, you need a good succession plan, and for a successful and smooth transition, that planning should start sooner than you think. Whether selling or transferring to the next generation, you’ll encounter challenges, many of which we’ve seen again and again in other companies we’ve coached. Most business owners find those challenges daunting and, consequently, completely avoid the topic of succession. That’s natural, but it’s bad for you and bad for your business.

We want to make talking about succession a little easier. That’s why we’ve prepared a detailed whitepaper for you:

8 Questions Every Owner Should Ask Before Selling, Transferring, or Retiring

Download it here

If you don’t have a succession plan ready for your business, this whitepaper will be invaluable for you. If you have questions or want help crafting a plan that fits your goals, get in touch.

Are You Seizing Opportunities?

When you think about seizing opportunities, do you first think of new business opportunities? I think most people do. After working with so many businesses, I think seizing opportunity is really about being proactive as a leader. Here are some of the ways you can seize more opportunities.

Last Friday, I was with a new client of mine and I called together the whole production team, about 10-12 people. I introduced myself as the new coach and then asked, “What could we do to get a little bit better? What things frustrate you? What is it that you can’t believe we’re not doing right now as a company?” I received a lot of great ideas, and the next day I had a conversation with some of the leadership about the ideas. I often meet with clients and have these types of conversations. As a leader, you have to seize the opportunity to get better, seize the opportunity to have a conversation, seize the opportunity to empower your people. Your team has thoughts, opinions, and ideas that could help your company grow.

Another opportunity to seize is leadership development. What are you doing to develop your leaders? I have a client that provides customer service to thousands of customers. We’re always talking about ways to improve their team and their customer relationships. How can you develop people within your leadership team and allow them to build their base of knowledge across the company? Are there new ventures you can pursue that allow your leaders to grow in new ways? Are you developing your emerging leaders? There’s an opportunity for you. Are you training people across multiple functions? That’s an opportunity.

We’ve talked about seizing people’s opinions, seizing opportunities to develop your people, seizing feedback. Now we’ll get around to business opportunities. What business ventures can we creatively think about? I have a client with over 5,000 customers, and they have a wonderful sense of trust in those relationships. So I’m asking the questions: How do we parlay this trust into more business? Can we take this trusted reputation and vet a trusted partner to have a revenue share venture with our customer base? What strategic alliances are available to us? What can we do in terms of benchmarking? What is the market doing across the country? Can we collaborate with non-competitors in the industry? Look at new business opportunities with the resources you have. You might be surprised by what is already available to you.

Seize the opportunity to be better. I hope this is helpful and causes you to be inspired to seize opportunities to take your business to the next level.

Seizing opportunities is one of four areas that business owners should focus on. Read about the other three.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

#1 Advice for Becoming a More Effective Leader

Being a leader isn’t based on someone naming you a leader. It’s about whether you have followers or not. The most effective leader sets the direction of the company and provides clarity.

Sometimes I’ll talk to business leaders and they act like people are showing up to work and trying not to follow their lead. The truth is, very few people wake up in the morning and head off to work with the intent of doing their jobs incorrectly. So instead of looking around trying to figure out where things are going wrong, we need to look in the mirror.

And when we do that, we often find that we’re not providing clear direction. Many leaders get excited about new ideas and well-meaningly cause confusion. They have a new idea, they’ve read a new book, and that’s the flavor of the month. All that change gives people a lot of uncertainty about what is important.

As leaders, we can’t be reactionary. It’s tempting to do that. But we have to set a course and stick to it. It’s often better to not be doing the most optimal thing than to change priorities too often in pursuit of the optimal. Do an assessment of your business and get good counsel so that you can pick a clear course. Go deep on a diagnostic—look at your strategic plan, people, sales processes, finances, marketing, etc. Get a facilitator if that will help (it usually will). When you have a clear direction, communicate that and stick to it.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

Insights From My 92-Year-Old Father

For Father’s Day this year, I interviewed my 92-year-old father. I wanted to record his wisdom for myself, my children, and even future generations. I think his insights are valuable for all of us. Here’s what he had to say after looking back on his long life.

Enjoy life, because it will soon be gone.

Be careful what you do and say, because it will come back to haunt you.

Cherish your family.

He talked repeatedly about how thankful he was for his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and other family members. At the end of a full life, his most valuable relationships are with his family.

Choose a great partner.

“If you want wonderful children, you need a wonderful partner to start with. I was pretty dumb when I was young, but I made good decisions when I got my wife.”

Invest in the people around you.

When asked about his biggest regrets, he talked about people he wished he had helped more, especially people who were hurting and needed support.

Have faith when you can’t see the future.

He talked about moving cities and pursuing a job that led to meeting his wife and shaped the course of his career. He had no idea at the time how much those decisions would affect his life. None of us know how a single choice can transform our future.

Don’t regret the speed of life.

He said life goes fast, but you can’t regret that. Live life to the fullest while you can. For him, that includes living in honor of God.

Conclusion

Are you living your life in a way you won’t regret at the end? You know, here at Broad Insights, we work in business coaching. But business is made up of people, and we never want our coaching to lead to a healthy business and an unhealthy individual or family. Business is only one part of life. I hope that you will find this insight from a long life as challenging as I have.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

Insights From Proverbs: Gossip

As a leader, one of the things you will have to address is office or company gossip. Some people say gossip is just human nature and we need to accept it; I don’t agree. I think about Proverbs 26:20: “For lack of wood the fire goeth out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.”

There are people who just stir the pot, and there’s an appropriate way to address those people, but it isn’t to be indirect. Over the course of my career, there have been many situations where I had to sit down with people privately and talk to them about their approach to interpersonal relationships within a company. It’s imperative to do so kindly and in a non-reactive way. And I think it’s very important to be cautious about assuming motives or being accusatory; that’s a very dangerous road. If you can appeal to people and show them how gossip can be destructive, I think the right kind of person will rise to the challenge of changing that communication.

Be very clear that gossip isn’t a behavior you can tolerate, and that your company can’t prosper in an environment like that. Then give the person an opportunity to change that behavior.

–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.

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