Running a Business is Hard

I was pleased to speak at the Oklahoma Society of Association Executives meeting in September.  Running a business---any business—is hard.  You wear a variety of hats.  OSAE did a great job of concisely summarizing our topic for the day:  how thinking like an Orchestra Conductor can help you run your business.  

As Published 9/14/11 from http://www.ok-osae.org/default.asp?p=newsitem&id=12

Darcie Harris, CEO and founder of EWF International, told OSAE members at their September luncheon at Remington Park she had been losing sleep. Harris recently adopted a new software program for every aspect of her business and it wasn’t working. She thought about going through the process of researching available options, choosing another new program, and implementing it into her business again – and the worry was waking her up at 3 a.m. She was doing exactly what she advises others not to do: focusing on short-term needs rather than long-term goals.

Through EWF, Harris is a business consultant, mentor, coach, champion and advocate for female business owners and executives. In other words, she teaches leaders how to lead.

“We need to focus on the functions that move us forward into the future,” she said to a crowd of OSAE members. “We need to think long-term.”

She mentioned several big companies – Borders, Pontiac, Sharper Image, Ultimate Electronics – that failed to think long-term, became irrelevant to their customer base, and went under in a challenging economy.

“As leaders, we need to assure that our organizations will thrive, not just survive. To do so, learn to think like an orchestra conductor,” Harris said.

An orchestra conductor has four main roles, she explained. The first is to visualize the big picture, like the composer.

“Bring forth a bold vision, radiate its possibilities, and inspire others with the vision,” she said.

Harris shared a tale about a rescue station that did its job so well that it became famous. In her story, the station changed into an exclusive club for its admirers and eventually lost sight of its mission of saving lives. She said if the leaders lose sight of the vision, the organization will fail.

Next, Harris recalled an interview in which entertainer Garth Brooks described a practice he undertook before every appearance in a new arena. He would go out into the audience seating, find a point farthest from the stage, sit there and ask himself, “What do we need to give this guy so he gets his money’s worth?”

“The tastes and need of your audience are going to change and resistance to those changes is fatal,” she said.

Harris recalled a story by speaker and consultant Ed Rigsbee about a retail association that couldn’t adjust to a changing market. The failure to change drew protests from their vendors. Eventually, the vendors left the association, which led to its collapse.

“They couldn’t come up with a new business model. They were too invested in protecting tradition,” she said.

In contrast, Harris believes the entertainment phenomena Cirque du Soleil adjusted expertly.

“They took the best of the circus – the human gymnastics – and eliminated the most costly and controversial part – the animals,” she said. “They also took the best of the theatre – the stories and costumes – and left behind the egos of the star performers. They blended all this to create something artistic and entertaining, and that’s a pretty good investment.”

The third role of the conductor is to bring out the best musical talent from everyone else, Harris said.

“The conductor is the only one at the concert who makes no sound,” she said. “His power depends on his ability to make others powerful.”

Harris then described a supervisor at a Dell call center who had the foresight to be empathetic and understanding when a promising new employee had to immediately miss several weeks of work due to a family crisis.

“She balanced the needs of the company with the needs of the employee, kept him inspired and encouraged, and he came through for her when he returned to work,” Harris said. “She brought out the best in him and helped her company keep a good worker.”

The fourth role for the conductor is to be in charge of the process. They decide when things get done.

“The leader must have in place creative and imaginative strategies and plans for years from now,” she said. “You need good structure, good organization charts, good boards and committees. People have to know the desired outcome in order to be held accountable.”

To sum up the importance of the conductor, Harris offered this: “Planning and practice are everything,” she said. “Think like an orchestra conductor pulling all the elements together and you can’t fail.”

© 2011 by OSAE