Getting Personal About Business

Ordinarily, business people do not find the morning talk shows and gabfests to be places of enormous business insight. More often, these shows are mildly entertaining and perhaps expose a side of humanity that most viewers find even more outlandish than their own. However, every now and again; there are moments of wisdom that one can extract from these shows and apply to business.

Something About That Man

Something about that man I don't like

One such moment occurred for me not too long ago while watching a Dr. Phil episode.  While the show was focused on a raging conflict between relatives (typical in-laws issues with the spouse of a married child), the homespun comment that the host used has applicability much more universally than just in familial spats.  Dr. Phil shared a story about his Father’s ongoing dispute with another person that included the line, “There is something about that man that I don’t like about myself.”

As I reflected on that line, the wisdom of it became obvious.  We often react strongest and have the most negative response to others when they remind us of what we don’t like about our own behavior.  It is in part because of our shame, lack of confidence, or other feelings about our own thoughts or actions that we react so strongly when we are “triggered” by another person’s demonstration or reminder of that in ourselves.

However, the issue of conflict and whether to avoid it, what to do when it flares, and techniques to use to prevent it from negatively influencing results is not as simple as suggesting that people just look within and make peace with themselves.  Conflict is very real and can have advantageous effects or deleterious impact depending on the way it is handled.

Importance of Relationship

The level of conflict is very much related to the intensity or closeness of the relationship.  We rarely have conflict with those we have little interaction, regard, or involvement with.  Further, we often view those people we do have frequent contact with, but also frequent conflict, as being “difficult.”  Yet, we are tasked with finding ways to be productive and constructive with them without allowing the conflict to interfere.

An article in a blog titled, “Dumb Little Man”  delved into this topic at length.  It explored the tendency we all have to “fight, flight, or freeze” when in the face of conflict.  The main point of the blog was to address different coping skills for managing conflict more successfully.

Suggested Tips For Handling Difficult People

1. Acknowledging your role: Accept  responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, actions, values, and perceptions that you contribute to the conflict.
2. Flexibility: Look for opportunities to compromise, problem-solve, or brainstorming of different options.
3. Focus: Identify the real issue of conflict and not react to the ancillary.  Is it the idea that causes conflict or is it the person him or herself that is leading to the conflict?

What Good Can Come Of It?

Conflict can be productive if it improves the outcome by forcing people to consider other possibilities or solutions.  To know if that is occurring, look for the following:

1. Clarification around important issues is achieved.
2. Solutions are reached (and agreed upon)
3. Members of a team or people seeking the same goal build a mutually agreeable outcome that allows them to create cohesiveness and to learn more about each other.

While conflict is not always pleasant, it need not be destructive.  By focusing on more than just being proven “right” and viewing it as a personal attack, conflict can serve to improve the final decision or bring people closer together.

One of the larger misconceptions among business owners, entrepreneurs, and even customers is that business decisions are primarily made on a logical basis. So, the effort in the selling environment is to share data, facts, questions and answers, etc. back and forth to create a matrix of quantitative assessment criteria. And if it is success and a sale we seek; we are more likely to squelch an impending sale than not.  In fact, when it comes to buyers choosing to purchase, it is the aspect of “trust” that will more often be at the core of that decision. 

1. Caring
2. Communication
3. Competence
4. Character
5. Clarity
6. Commitment

Caring

If the seller is unable to convey a sense of caring for the buyer, the buyer’s situation and needs, their goals and objectives; then the likelihood of a sale happening is reduced.  If the seller simply asks a series of questions designed to meet HIS or HER own needs (to get the sale), without showing a level of empathy, care, concern, or interest in the buyer – the absence of the “bedside manner” will hinder the progress of the sale.

Communication

If the seller is a poor communicator (interrupts the buyer, ignores the buyer’s “signals,” does not explain product or service well, does not respond to questions, etc.), the buyer may become confused or may fear that the seller is not telling the truth.  The ability to communicate WITH the prospect versus TO the prospect will separate the poor sellers from those that are likely to close a sale.

Competence

The area where most sellers spend the majority of their time and are likely to be at their best is in talking about their product or service.  Answering questions or providing insights on competitive strengths, how something “works” or differences between product models, etc. is often the strongest skill possessed by the salesperson.  A buyer will seek to confirm that the seller has competence and is an authority or expert on a product, but where the seller can further enhance that perception is by speaking knowledgeably about the way the product will “fit” with the customer’s environment (business or home) by including references to uses, connectivity, other considerations, etc.

Character

A seller is always being judged on their character and how they portray themselves. The buyer wants to assess if the seller is; kind, cut-throat, speaks poorly about  others, and if there is a misalignment between them (perception of seller’s morals and values and the buyer’s).  What passes for a joke, banter between employees, comments made to or about other customers, etc. are all indicators of the seller’s character and being interpreted by the buyer.  The more closely they mirror the buyer’s own views, the more likely they are to do business together.

Clarity

A buyer wants to be sure they know what they are buying, how it will work, what the process includes for acquisition, servicing, contracting, etc. If the seller is not clear on these essentials, the buyer will become loathe to do business with that seller.  The best product or service in the world will remain unpurchased if the buyer is not certain about the components of the transaction, use of the product or service, or other aspects of the purchase.

Commitment

The last thing to mention in building trust between seller and buyer is the level of commitment the seller demonstrates.  If the buyer senses that the seller sees the transaction as simply a sale to get closer to a quota, or treats the customer as an inconvenience to be tolerated and dispatched as quickly as possible; the buyer will be loathe to enter into a purchase agreement with that seller.  Inability to demonstrate a commitment to the buyer’s reality and sincerely offer to assist the buyer resolve an issue will hinder the likelihood of a sale occurring. 

While many salespeople are quite adept at talking about the features and competitive strengths of their products or services; it is the best among them that also are able to do so in a way that engenders trust and focuses on a relationship with the customer.  Traveling the six “C’s” of Trust can be choppy at times, but do it enough times and you will be cruising to success more times than not.

While catching up on documentaries recently, I came across a video of a few years ago titled, “I Am an Animal.” The video is an insight into the motivation and tactics of Ingrid Newkirk, the co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in accomplishing the goals and strategies of the organization.  While Ingrid and PETA are rather controversial with a seeming equal number of people supporting the organization as speaking ill of it; the lessons to be derived from it are plentiful.

While the documentary allows the viewer to explore many aspects of the dynamic between Ingrid and others, the following strike at the core of the issues for many entreprenurs:

1. Role of the charismatic leader
2. Branding
3. Relationship between Company Mission and strategy and tactics.

Role of the Leader

The video makes it clear that PETA is very much an extension of Ingrid’s driven views and that her involvement in PETA’s initiatives are hands-on and that she is aware of every initiative in which the organization is involved.  Her subordinates are seen as assets for her to leverage to achieve her objectives – until they are unsuccessful.  At that point, they are replaced, subject to her scorn and contempt, or counseled by her to change in order to return to her good graces.

Ingrid’s personal views drive the organization’s work and it is very much a reflection of her perspectives.  Subordinates are only tolerated so long as they support her unique views on any of the following: animal rights, methods of uncovering abuses, marketing approaches, or a whole host of other strongly held beliefs of hers.  Remove Ingrid from PETA, and the organization appears ill-equipped to maintain their momentum.  Almost as if by her design; no one else is permitted to make decisions that are not entirely approved or consistent with her approach or preferences.

Branding

On the positive side, PETA has become positively associated with some of the changes that have occurred among:

1. Slaughterhouses, cattle ranches, and farms used for raising animals for food production to ensure more humane approaches to animal handling (though Ingrid would prefer that there would be no use for any of these businesses as she views these as akin to prisons, concentration camps, and torture chambers that should be outlawed).
2. Fashion designers and retailers that incorporated furs into their designs without awareness or appreciation for the horrors of fur traders and the conditions the animals face in order to secure their pelts.
3. Research laboratories that conducted research that harmed animals (any animal research is seen as being unnecessary according to Ingrid and PETA).

While PETA has been credited with some advances and more progressive views about animal handling, they do suffer from a branding issue according to many observers or businesses impacted by their actions.  In short, the notion of PETA taking steps to draw attention to their cause, even if the attention-seeking activities has led to some very strong reactions among others (and even among those within PETA as another co-founder, Alex Pacheco has left the organization and is quoted as saying that Ingrid values attention to her cause at any cost and is willing to undertake more and more outlandish “stunts” to accomplish it.

Relationship between Company Mission and Strategy and Tactics

So strong is her desire to remain uppermost in people’s minds that the organization has staged events that are clearly illegal (break-ins, damaging merchandise or laboratory equipment, harrasssment, etc.) and designed to frighten others on the one-hand, and constructed to draw attention to the organization for stunts and events that have little to do with animal safety or research (nudity in public, throwing pies at people at news conferences, tossing fake blood, or even real blood at people, having sit-ins or taking over offices and retail stores, etc.).

At this point, while some people may support the organization’s goals; and others are vehemently against their methods (or even what they stand for or have accomplished), the question has now evolved into, has PETA lost their focus and has just become a Pain in the Butt (PITA).  When thinking about your own business approaches – how would you answer the questions:

• How different would your company be without you at the helm?
• What do constituents, peers, customers, suppliers, and others see as the company’s “brand image?”
• How closely do the actions of employees mirror the stated purpose of the company?

When thinking about building business in the new year, many business owners will consider tinkering with the compensation structures offered to their sales people.  However, there are some caveats to consider when planning how to best create a successful reward and incentive plan that motivates salespeople.  Being ignorant of these warning can lead to less than satisfactory results – and may serve to actually DE-motivate salespeople and lead to reduced outcomes.

The overarching goals of a compensation plan are to:

1. Reward the right outcomes - achieve results that build the business outcomes the entrepreneur seeks (market share, sales, profit, on-time payment, or other business results).
2. Motivate salespeople to strive for or improve on past performance.
3. Fairly provide proportional incentives and rewards based on an objective standard.

By accomplishing those few goals, the sales incentive plans (often referred to as “SIPs”) can be integrated into the daily activities of the salesperson and help provide the right focus, motivation, and ability to achieve objectives.  Unfortunately, that is not always the reality of how these plans are integrated and applied.  An outcome to be avoided is to purposely or inadvertently alienating the best producers or “A” level salespeople – while at the same time, providing appropriate inducements for the other salespeople to accomplish their targets.

Mistake #1 – Limits or Capping Earnings

Placing a maximum amount on the incentive plan serves to protect the pay owed to a salesperson from a company standpoint and is a way to manage expenses – but at the cost of demotivating salespeople, reducing the interest of salespeople to push for additional sales opportunities, and limiting results.  Imagine Geno Auriemma telling his players that every basket they score after they are winning by 20 points no longer counted to the final score!

Mistake # 2 – Reward the Behavior

The outcome of not having caps or limits on sales compensation means that it is possible (maybe likely) that the final income of the best salesperson/salespeople may exceed the income of the business owner.  Nevertheless, that is a commitment that a sales incentive plan should encourage.  Salespeople are tasked with selling.  If they do it well, they should be recognized and rewarded for it.  Not partially.  Not occasionally.  When a sale happens as a result of a salesperson’s behavior; it should be rewarded. 

The idea of unrestricted earnings for high performers is far superior to encouraging mediocre or poor performance – but maintaining a balance of salaries, bonuses, incentives, and compensation that remains true to a predetermined hierarchy of what “should” be the income.

Mistake # 3 – Clawbacks

As a hedge against unforeseen circumstances or changes in the market/accounts, businesses will occasionally include clauses in the incentive plans that allow them to change the parameters of measurement or even reduce or have a salesperson “payback” monies previously paid.  Aside from the legal matter that prevents that from happening in some states (though a sales rep can “volunteer” to return it – an outcome not likely to happen in reality without coercion).  If there is a need for this clause, it is an indication that the plan is not well structured and should not be used.  The only exception to this should be if the salesperson is engaging in illegal activity and has achieved results unethically.

Mistake # 4 – Overly Complicated

A sales incentive plan (SIP) should be easily understood and communicated.  If it requires numerous pages and clauses or overly legal language; it will fail to inspire and will serve to create a distraction.  Now, instead of working on selling behaviors, salespeople will work on understanding the plan, seeking the nuances within it, building defenses for performance, searching for loopholes, etc.  All of that can be avoided if the sales compensation plan can be reduced to just a couple of pages.

A recent post shared the advice to “lead with the headline.”  Providing the commission plan and calculation method upfront as opposed to leaving it in a page to the backhalf of a long document after all of the legal mumbo-jumbo has been covered.  The message to the salesperson is less about rewarding sales and more about protecting legal interests.

The competition for ‘A’ players in the job market is likely to increase over the next year or two.  The economy is improving and there is projected to be greater pressure to hold onto the true stars of the sales ranks. If you want to hang onto yours in 2012, avoid these common mistakes when designing sales compensation plans.

This time of the year presents some interesting decisions for businesses to make in terms of what to acknowledge, say, leverage, or ignore.  With so many different constituencies to consider (employees, customers, suppliers, and even competitors), the holidays are fraught with opportunities to stumble. 

This is the time of the year filled with anxieties along with joy

Employees

Employees often come to expect that they will be recognized during the holidays with some combination of the following:

• time off from work – it is not uncommon in some manufacturing companies to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off as vacation without charging that time against the employees’ vacation time.  Establishing expectations upfront so that there are no surprises is of paramount importance.
• Bonuses or additional pay – through the years it has become expected that employees will receive some additional compensation out of the largesse and spirit of the holidays.  Except, that when the “gift” is not given – the employer is then cast into the role of being a Scrooge.
• Parties – Many employees come to expect that there will be some get-together or holiday celebration.  Depending on the culture of the organization, it may be a more formal occasion where people get dressed formally, invitations are sent, significant others are included; or it may be a simple afternoon meeting in the conference room or an employee’s home where people bring their own home-baked goods or  create a potluck meal. The obvious issue for many is the use of alcohol at these functions and what it may lead to in a social situation occurring at work.
• Grab bags – a tradition of exchanging gifts among or between employees.  However, the cost, obligation, and tastefulness of gifts often leads to conflict in many companies if the “rules” are not clear upfront.

Customers

Customers often expect some sales, promotions, or discounts at this time of the year.  The hysteria around Black Friday being the most visible of this expectation.  However, there is another issue that businesses have to determine in communicating with their customers at the holiday time.  How should the holiday be acknowledged?

• Should it be ignored and not referenced for fear of offending someone?
• Should the neutral “Happy Holidays” reference be used?
• Should a specific reference to a holiday be used (Merry Christmas/Happpy Hannukah/Kwanzaa)?

Unfortunately, the chance to offend some segment of the customer population exists no matter what choice is taken (those that will be offended that nothing is said, that something is said, that the wrong thing is said).  However, that possibility exists throughout the year as well.  The important thing is to align with YOUR customers and not try to please EVERYONE.  Only market to those you wish to retain as customers or hope to solicit as future customers.

Suppliers

Suppliers often have an expectation that is more of an end of the year expectation than a true holiday expectation.  In order to make quotas or sales projections, some suppliers will expect their customers to make a large order.  Incentives (promotions, discounts, modifications to delivery or payment, etc.) will be offered to try to induce the customer into making a purchase.  The holiday will be invoked as a pressure to “get in the spirit of giving” or to act in a way consistent with the intention of the holiday.  The subtlity is often removed as suppliers attempt to “load” their customers up with inventory to “make the year.”

Competitors

Competition will often keep an eye on what others are doing to either mirror it or to differentiate from it to the market.  Be aware that in the current age of social media – there is even less that can be kept secret about plans.  While there is little that can be done to eliminate it entirely – be aware of the possibilities and plan for it.

You

Finally, act in a way that is consistent with the company’s (and often, that means your) values.  If the holiday holds a significant religious or spiritual meaning to you and that is part of the company’s “DNA” – then wave that flag.  If the holiday is a chance to leverage or harness business building opportunities – then do the things that allow you to do that successfully. Should the holidays be a time when the company shows appreciation for their good fortune by doing charitable deeds or making donations – then do that.

Finally, no matter what – may your company know only success and may you personally have happiness and pleasure this holiday and into the New Year.

It is no surprise to any B-toB (business to business) professional that the business is becoming more competitive and that opportunities are harder to come by with each passing year. So, it is understandable that when the mail brings a solicitation to respond to an RFP (Request for Proposal), that many pounce at the chance to share their creativity, business sense, and vision. Unfortunately, if the receiver was not involved in establishing the request in the first place, the chances of a successful outcome that leads to the job are rather dismal.

Chances of an RFP response being successful is very low.

The RFP process is designed to level the playing field for all respondents by providing the same information to all those being solicited. In so doing, none of the respondents is afforded an advantage or insider knowledge, unfair access to decision-makers, or insight into the process that is not available to any other supplier or vendor. By keeping all of those in receipt of the request; the belief is that the submitted responses can be evaluated and judged on a more objective standard.
Within the company seeking the responses, the process is supposed to be so above-board and fair, that it can withstand challenges of providing one vendor with different treatment than all others. The same standards are shared with all respondents and the same metrics for evaluating the responses are provided for all to see. There are no surprises as to what is expected by way of a response or how it will be judged.

The Peek Inside
If the truth be known, in many instances (not ALL), the entire process is partially or even completely rigged to slant in the direction of a particular vendor company. An objective review of the situation would uncover:

• This is a situation where the prospective client has identified their “issue” or “problem” that they wish to have resolved or addressed. While they may be quite correct in their assessment, because they rarely allow further questions or access to the person or persons who made that determination, this is quite similar to a patient self-diagnosing herself.
• Further, the client often then dictates what the appropriate solution to their self-diagnosed issue should be to resolve their predicament. So, not only has the “patient” self-diagnosed; but is now also prescribing what they need. How many competent physicians would cheerfully go along with that approach without benefit of conducting an examination of the patient?
• Then, while the RFP will often have some clause about pricing not being the most important consideration in evaluating responses (wording may refer to cost-effective being valued over cheapest); there is a pressure to sharpen pencils and deliver the lowest price possible because there are numerous others responding to the same competitive bid.

The Reality

What is a more likely outcome here is that the prospective client has either pre-determined what they need to have done and which vendor is to provide that service (often with the help of that vendor in crafting the RFP so that the “what counts factors” are heavily favoring that particular vendor’s capabilities, ability to meet tight timeframes, or unique offerings), or the RFP is being sent out by members of the prospective client organization that are hoping to get some free education and insight for a project that doesn’t currently exist, is not budgeted for, and is not a priority for the company. However, at the expense of suppliers that are eager to pitch their thoughts and approaches to a prospect that appears to have a “live” project, the internal employees will gladly take meetings and arrange for “reviews” of proposals. All the while, taking copious notes to further refine their understanding, possibly steal ideas for use on other projects, or to gain a better sense of possibilities. Is it “dirty?” You bet. But, it happens.
So, What to Do?

If one of those happy envelopes should arrive in your mailbox congratulating you on being chosen as one of the select few vendors approved to submit a proposal to a company, consider doing the following:

1. Ask the contract administrator listed on the document how they got your name and why you were selected. Have you worked with them before? Do you know any of the people at that client organization? Do you specialize in the work being requested? If you did not know of this opportunity before, it is likely that you are being asked to submit a response so that the client organization can claim under the veneer of impartiality to have chosen fairly (and not your company!).
2. Request a meeting with the appropriate senior executives to discuss their needs and expectations (often, this will be prohibited within the rigor of the RFP protocol). If refused, consider the likelihood of success. If they will not allow you to confirm your understanding nor give you access to people within the firm to correctly diagnose and prescribe – what is the potential that you are going to have a successful bid?
3. Call a senior executive at the company anyway and attempt to discuss the RFP. In a few instances, you may get them to talk with you. They may or may not have been a part of the construction of the original RFP (even if they are aware of it, it may have been delegated to a lower level employee). See if you can “re-diagnose” and “re-prescribe” based on a different set of criteria than the original RFP stated. This is a low percentage opportunity, but it is also one that is better than responding to a “blind” RFP that you were not a part of creating.

While RFPs may cause you to be giddy when they arrive because you are being solicited and did not have to chase the business, the reality of it is often that it is a path to a lot of work with very small chance of a return.

Corporate employees making the transition to being self-employed due to layoffs, following their passions or dreams, starting a new business in their spare time to supplement their income, or for any other reason will often take great pride in referring to themselves as the “CEO” of a business. With visions of grandeur dancing in their heads, the new business owner will see themselves as taking their rightful place alongside luminaries like, Richard Branson, Michael Dell, Donald Trump, and others.

What is the role?

While the thought of having minions doing their bidding for them and being able to direct staffs to immediately react to any new opportunities is tantalizing, the reality of the role is very different.  The chief executive officer role is less monarch and more of a cheerleader having to often perform flips and gymnastics to solve problems, keep people focused and motivated, and creating a vision for both customers and employees.

The CEO role is more of a cheerleader to customers and staff.

 A recent article that appeared on the blog “On Startups” covered the topic well.  The chief executive officer should consider him or herself to be the Chief Experience Officer.  The role is to transfer the passion and vision that they have for the company, products, and services to those that are customers, suppliers, and employees.  The goal is to strive tocreate an experience that is superlative in all of the following facets of the company:

1. Product – What is it the customer experiences when they use the product?  How does it add value to the tasks it is designed to address?  What pleases the user about how the product functions or completes the role it is designed to meet?  Are there things about the product that are frustrating or are seen as “just the way it is” when compared to other products available in the market?
2. Purchase – How easy is the company to business with?  How intuitive is it to identify the right product needed for a customer’s “job” or reason for choosing the product?  Was it apparent what was needed to get the product to work (supplemental purchases, other ingredients, parallel needs, etc.)?  Did the pricing reflect an intuitive understanding of value and benefits derived from the product?
3. Brand – Does the brand align with the buyer’s lifestyle, image, interests, etc.?  Is there a connection with the brand that is differentiated from other products within the market?  Or, is it seen as a commodity that is easily interchangeable with other products available?
4. Post-sale support – After the sale, what is the feeling a customer has with the product, brand, company?  Is it difficult to contact the company?  Hard to figure out what department or person to speak with to resolve an issue?  Are customers treated as complainers and problems or are they seen as valued and cherished?  How quickly and correctly are problems addressed and resolved?
5. Exit – What is the customer’s experience when they cease to do business with the company?  When they choose to leave and use a competitor, cancel a subscription or maintenance agreement, etc., are they communicated with to understand why or are they merely removed from the database?  What efforts are undertaken to continue the dialogue with former customers?
6. Employee – How are employees treated? Is it consistent across all levels (or regions, or functions) of the organization, or are some treated better/differently than others?  When prospective employees are being recruited or solicited, what is their impression of the company?  Does it change over time?  How are people separated from the company (are they treated fairly or harshly)?  Expecting an employee who feels as if she is treated poorly to provide a positive customer experience is not a realistic goal.

While being the CEO of a company may initially be thought of as the land of private jets, limos, fine dining, and hobnobbing with celebrities and the rich and famous; the truth is that there is an awful lot of work that has to happen in the trenches.  Being able to constantly improve upon the experience received by customers and employees is a necessity if a company is to thrive.  In this tough economy, it may be essential to even survive. 

As a CEO, your role needs to be about the aspects of your company that others experience and not about building your own experiences of being a bigshot and dictating to others.  The job is just too important to be that hands-off.

This past week has been rather difficult for many residents of the state of Connecticut.  There was a rare snowstorm that came through dropping many inches of snow on trees and branches that had not yet lost their leaves.  The weight of the leaves and branches led to many downed trees and power outages.  As jarring as that has been for many citizens of the state, the “drama” played out by the Governor and the CEO of CL&P in addressing the unusual occurrence has taken a back seat for me in a loss that is very personal.  However, there is a strong link between the two events.

The Worth of a Man

This past weekend a family lost their patriarch. A business lost their founder.  Many charities and social/civic organizations lost their chief organizer.  And, I lost a best friend.  However, my experience is no different than many other people’s.  People die daily and they leave behind loved ones, colleagues, co-workers, etc.  Yet, this time it is different.  And, it may be coincidence; but the power outage situation frames what he did best.  Mel Cooper was a planner.  He was a Certified Financial Planner by vocation, but he was so much more than that.  Mel Cooper was a person who saw his role as educator, nurturer, encourager, and most importantly; family man.

And, for those that paid attention to him, he was an excellent resource and provider of insight.  The Buddhist say, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” was never more true than when talking with Mel.  He was so filled with wisdom, experience, and guidance – that one needed to plan double the time they had initially planeed to speak with him in order to get the full benefit of what he had to offer.

Among the things that are uppermost in my mind that I have taken from my conversations with him that are worth sharing:

• Life’s pursuits often come down to the three “M’s” – money, material, memories.  One can chase the accumulation of money, but that will not lead to happiness.  Money has no value until it is spent.  Material possessions often become a way of “keeping score” for many people.  Yet, real joy and love is not found in purchases.  Even expensive ones.  The third M – memories is what Mel Cooper would strive to provide.  Time after time, he would remind people that were so focused on gaining additional returns from their investments that they would be far happier if they used the money they had to share or provide experiences for themselves or loved ones.
• His own business practiced what he referred to as the “path with a heart” – he led his own decision-making and those of his family members in the business with that uppermost in all of their minds. 
• You can’t take it with you.  Mel was adamant that life was to be lived in the here and now.  While he was a planner and spent lots of his energy in discussing how to save, providing insurances for unlikely events (and being prepared for the unexpected), and anticipating market futures, etc., he never lost sight of the importance of enjoying the beauty of the day of the here and now.  Whether it was a walk in the park, a sunset at the beach, a song being sung, or the growth of a flower – Mel lived in the moment.

Malloy and Butler

This all comes full circle when the week’s events played out in front of all of us. Whereas Mel was a leader of others and provided them with a vision of the future; Jeffrey Butler of CL&P comes off as nothing of a leader and based on the current power outages, he is not even a competent manager.  Malloy comes off better, but both of them had reason to anticipate the issues being confronted and hiding behind what they are doing (but not what they are accomplishing) just points out even more strongly how much they could use men like Mel Cooper to advise them.  Rather than make excuses, offer results.  Instead of doing what has been done before, be visionary and do something better.  Briefings and self-congratulatory messages may bolster their egos, but do very little to change the complexion of the outcomes.

My Three Ms

The state of Connecticut has awakened to new challenges, but I am missing my own version of three Ms.  I am longing for Mel, my mentor, and a real “mensch.”

Mel Cooper, Mentor, and a Mensch.

Mel Cooper – Rest in peace my friend.  You are loved and you will be missed.