Because we are still in January, I have decided to help you focus on getting 2019 started on the right track. My blogs this month aren’t going to be a rah-rah pep-talk (although, I hope they are somewhat inspiring), but offer practical ways to help you focus on your goals and achieve the success you desire in 2019. My goal is to help you and your business grow and reach its maximum potential. Today, let’s talk about the triangle of success.
Triangle of Success
Early in my career, I was taking a career development class the company offered. The course offered many of the strategies that you might expect, like determining what type of work you enjoy, like management or a technical career. We did exercises to help us find some of our strengths and personality preferences. The discussion was of course directed to help us find a career path within the company by helping us decide which career path (and steps to take) to be successful. If you’re curious, the results of the exercises did align with my interests and future career choices.
Aside from all that information, the HR Business Partner presenting the material suggested that there were three pillars to success. She referred to it as our PIE. PIE is Performance, Image, and Exposure. All three pieces of PIE are equally important to your success, and unless you focus on all three, you will not be able to reach your full potential.
Performance
Performance means exactly what you think it means: how well you do your job. Ironically performance isn’t related to how hard you work or even how well you think you do your job. Sometimes performance isn’t even how well your boss thinks you do your job.
Your performance is a measurement of how well you execute against a set of corporate or industry standards. Basically, your performance is an objective measurement of your production measured against a set of established standards. Standards might be: revenue generated, customer satisfaction scores, units produced, projects completed on time, projects completed in budget. Each of these things can be measured and evaluated against specific standards.
When you start measuring your performance, you can then compare your performance against:
- Peer
- Competition
- Industry
With this data you will know if you are within the top 10% in each category. If you find you are not within the top 10%, you can develop and execute a plan to get there.
Top performance demands top pay. Which means you can charge a premium for your goods or services. If there is any doubt, you can buy a Chevy and get to work, but if you want the “Best or Nothing” you buy a Mercedes. If you want “The Ultimate Driving Machine” you buy a BMW. There is a reason Mercedes and BMW cost so much.
Image
Your image is basically your reputation. Before I’ll buy anything from YOU, I have to buy you. I have to believe what you are saying. I have to trust you and I have to like you. Otherwise, I am buying on price or desperation and if that is the case you probably won’t get repeat business.
Before any business meeting, I’ll research the person I am meeting and the company. I will view Facebook and LinkedIn pages. I’ll Google you and I’ll Google your company. Also, I’ll look on Glassdoor and Indeed to see what current and former employees are saying about your company.
I do this so I know who I am doing business with and their reputation. Think about it, if we’re doing business together, I want to be able to refer you to others. I want to be associated with companies that demonstrate integrity, honesty, and strong ethics. Anything else will be a poor reflection on me.
When I research you and your company, what will I find? Most people tend to ignore the Glassdoor and Indeed reviews because they think they don’t matter, but they do. They tell a clear story of how employees (current and former) feel about your company. If everyone seems disgruntled, what can your clients expect in terms of customer serve? If there is high turnover, what can you customers expect from your relationship? And, if your LinkedIn resume shows you change jobs every 6 months, can they expect to build a relationship with you?
Image is the hardest of the three to control, but you can influence it. Make sure when someone looks you up, they see integrity, honesty, and strong ethics. When you meet someone, show the same qualities.
Exposure
Exposure boils down to who knows you and what you do. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a potential client about a service I offer. I was asked who was using the service and what types of results were they having. He was asking about exposure. This is why business book authors have CEOs write and endorsement, and why companies list their high profile business clients on their website.
Your company and personal social media sites are prime examples of exposure. Use these to promote your business in a positive light. When you and your employees are recognized in the community, share it on your social media sites. If you are invited to speak at conferences or for an organization promote it. If you do charity work, promote that as well. I’m not saying do charity for the publicity, but if you are sponsoring a 5K run, let people know.
To improve your exposure, do great things, and be seen doing it. Represent your company in charity or community events. These things get positive publicity, and get people talking. As Jeffrey Gitomer says “It’s not who YOU know it’s who knows YOU!” Get out there so people know you and your business!
This Week’s Challenge
What ways can you improve your performance? What is your image and reputation? Does it reflect who you really are? What are you doing to improve your exposure to help your business or career grow? Set a plan in place to improve your PIE and execute your triangle of success!
If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.