Natalie Clark

SOP

Natalie Clark — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:30:20 -0700

SOP - in business it stands for Standard Operating Procedures - a routine way of completing a frequently occurring tasks. All businesses have them, even those who are too postmodern to identify them as such. (Can you imagine the guys at Google having notebooks full of documented processes? Neither can I - but I'm be wiling to bet there's a "right" and "wrong" way for completing most of their common organizational functions.) Regardless of identification, SOP's help organizations ensure consistency of results. They help eliminate the fluctuating nature of human performance by providing step-by-step instructions with little to no variance. They are what allow businesses to identify how they do business. Although we all might not carry around a standard operating procedures notebook, most of us also have a set of practices that help us organize our life. They are our personal SOP's - the routines that we establish to ensure that we get the consistency of results that we desire. They are rarely perfect, and just like in business, they can not account for unforeseen environmental changes, but we rely on them to get everything that we need to done, and still have time for watching The Office.
However, society's SOP's have changed over time. I am reminded of this when I listen to Sugarland's latest song (for the non-country fans - Sugarland is a duo who's probably most famous for their leading singer recording a duet with Bon Jovi.) In a story of growing up and letting go, Sugarland traces the trajectory of a young girl's life. The final verse is about the end of her marriage - and concludes with her driving away from her now-estranged husband with nary a look in reverse.
The noteworthy part of this song is that the woman's disintegrating marriage is just another right of passage in the course of her life. Along with driving her first car and having her first crush, its just another step on the road. Perhaps its not quite to the point that leaving one's marital commitment is a standard operating procedure, but from the sound of the song, it's getting close.

And my challenge is this - if our personal SOP's are the routine ways that we are going to go about our lives - what's your manual going to say? When push comes to shove do you keep commitments or break them? Can we change the way we go about this business of living simply by changing those norms and principles that we acknowledge as acceptable? Or have we gone so far the other way, that there's not even a point in looking back

Road Signs

Natalie Clark — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:30:30 -0700

When you are younger, short road trips seem to take forever. I'm not sure where along the line our perspective on time changes but it definitely does. Although an hour drive now seems like a normal commute, a practice that I developed as a child still remains. I look for touchpoints that tell me how far I've come in my journey and when I can expect to me home. Growing up, when we would traverse the 91 to my sister and my dance performances, the Prado Dam in Corona, CA was one such monument. We used to say that it was my parent's dam because it was built in the year they were married and the year of their nuptials is painted brightly on its face. The fact that our country celebrated its 200th birthday that year, and was the real purpose for the 1976 acknowledgement, was incidental.

The amazing thing about the Prado Dam is that its still there to this day and that it has become part of my scenery on my commute to work. Many years later, dance performances far behind me, the monument still remains. And everytime I traverse by it it reminds me of happy memories of what used to seem like long drives to our destinations. I'm also filled with gratitude for my parents' marriage that has also lasted all these years later.

And that's what monuments are intended to do. They are suited to remind us of what has happened in our past, the accomplishments that should still be celebrated and the lessons learned. Which is why we should practice commemorating milestones with monuments. After all, it's not just our national history that deserves to be remembered, but our personal history as well.

As leaders its our job to create these artficats for our organization. We need to acknowledge milestones that changed how we did business or the successes that were achieved. These road signs serve as a guide for those that come after so that mistakes from our past are not repeated. They also serve as an inspiration much as the Bicennential Dam reminds me of my parents' partnership and inspires me for my own quickly approaching marriage.

We're used to road signs providing direction, and so they should. But they should also tell us what's gone before and remind us to continue on a good path.

First Comes Pride, Then Comes Marriage?

Natalie Clark — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:30:09 -0700

Before you start to think I've ventured into the politcal arena, this is not a blog about Proposition 8 in California. (If you don't know what that is, I'm sure you can explore the political contributors on ConversantLife.com and become fully educated.) No, this is about mixing celebrity quips with business realities. Do I still have your attention? Well, here it goes.

Recently, Jessica Simpson, newly minted country star and girlfiriend of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said of her beau, "I'm seriously proud of myself for letting him into my life." As Miss Simpson has been oft-quoted recently expousing on the magnificence of her boyfriend, this probably didn't catch too many people off guard. But it did me. After all, it used to be that we would hear something along the lines of "I'm proud that Tony would be my boyfriend". Nowadays we congratulate ourselves on letting someone have the pleasure of being involved with us.

Now maybe this isn't what Jessica meant, but I think the issue of pride is one that bears comment on nonetheless. When someone we know does well, we say to them "You should be proud of yourself". But the truth is, they shouldn't. Go to almost any book of the Bible and you'll read about the destructive power of pride. We shouldn't be encouraging anyone to be proud of themselves, unless we're wishing for their inevitable downfall. Nor should we be congratulating ourselves when we overcome obstacles such as a divorce, a failed stint on Good Morning America, and being blamed for the Cowboy's loss (for non-celebrity watchers - all were the fate of Miss Simpson.) Leaders especially may be tempted to extol their own accolades. They are often faced with the toughest challenges and therefore have the most to overcome. But let leaders beware, pride doesn't engender greater strength of leadership. Pride is what causes leaders to crumble.

So when we overcome seemingly unsurmountable obstacles to reached unplowed heights (or the number one country single in the nation), never should our response be one of pride. Instead let the words on our lips be ones of gratitude. Gratitude for the people God's placed in our life, and His grace that sustains our existence.

The Disciplined Leader

Natalie Clark — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:48:32 -0700

All of us remember a time in which we were caught doing something that we know we shouldn't be doing. If you are like me, you also a remember a time when you someone caught you in the act and your response was anger mixed with embarassment. For me, it was the time that my youth pastor reprimanded me for having a less than genteel conversation that someone had reported to me. He caught me dead-to-rights, but instead of humbling acknowleding my error, I preceded to defend myself and get angry at whomever at turned me in. I should have let my guilt lead me to repentance but instead it led me to try to figure out who it could be and what I could do to fix it so that wouldn't happen again.

As any child with loving parents know, being disciplined for wrong actions that we knowingly committed is never enjoyable. As the child of very loving parents, I know this first-hand. However, I wonder how many children stop and think of the weight that it places on those responsible for their care. Parents could probably attest to this better than I, but I doubt its a picnic for them either.

Parents are tasked with leading a child in the way they should go. In the same way, leaders - whether spiritual or professional - are charged with helping to provide direction for those that follow them. I doubt that discipline is a topic that makes it into many management textbooks. However, just because the word may be unpopular the concept still holds true. Disciplining, or holding accountable, those who we are given care for, is our responsibilty, regardless of the cost it may take on us. If someone we are managing chooses to commit a wrongful action (not just a criminal one - but one that violates God's standards) its our job to lovingly correct them. Sometimes it doesn't feel very loving, and rarely do they accept it as a demonstrate of affection, but it is in fact prompting them to choose actions that are more in-line with God's character. And through this, we are prompting them to be the recipients of Christ's grace.

Proverbs 3:12 says "the LORD disciplines those he loves" (NIV). As leaders may we be encouraged to do the same.

Name Change

Natalie Clark — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:13:19 -0700

I'm getting married in December. Along with planning the big day, and getting my condo ready for another inhabitant, part of the changes that are in store for me is a change in my name. It's a little strange when you think about it - all my life I've been known by one name, and now it will become something else. Because I'm marrying a great guy I consider it a honor that I get to take on his name. So despite the confusion it may cause my students and colleagues, I'm moving forward with the name change smack dab in the middle of a school year. I want to own my new identty immediately.

This also helps explain the name change in this blog. No, I didn't do it because I think that by being a married woman I'll become someone entirely new. Nor did I do it for some undiscovered psychological reason. I did it because I've started to really define what I want this blog and my writing to be about. Business is a broad topic and when I was first invited to join Conversant I didn't know exactly what my shtick would be. I've been slient for many weeks as I was encouraged to figure this out. And the conclusion I've coming to is that I'm about figuring out what it means to Communicate, Serve and Lead regardless of the position that one holds in their workplace. It's been impressed upon my heart that these three strains of organizational life is what creates the type of person we are from 9 to 5 (or whatever your work hours may be.) And its the intersection of these things that I want to be about.

My students are used to me harping on the importance of a brand name. As future marketers, its critical that they understand this. I even encourage them to figure out what their personal brand should be - what is it that they want to define them? At least when it comes to the Conversant Community, I have figured out my niche. Its the concurrents of life that I want to explore, discuss and discover. Hopefully you'll join me on the journey.

The Cost of Conviction

Natalie Clark — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:39:11 -0700

I am not much of a cultural commentator. It's probably sacrilege to admit that on a site that's dedicated to the interaction of faith, news and culture, but except for an inexcusable affection for celebrity gossip, there's not much about the popular press that gets my riled up. Maybe its because I tend to be a long-range thinker and the burning issues of today, quickly become the burnt out concerns of yesterday. Or maybe its because I tend to be a pretty cerebral processor (I once read a book about bookshelves which is anathema to most people) and things like the latest political maneuver or the Ebert and Roper's movie reviews aren't of great interest. I say all that to say, my opinion on the proposal to drill in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Reserve) is barely informed and probably worth less than the paper it would take to portray it. I tend to leave those things to the expert, alhough I would like it to cost less to fill up my car's gas tank. It turns out, I'm not alone in this.

A recent survey revealed that support for drilling in ANWR has increased substantially in recent weeks. Not surprisingly this corresponds with record-breaking prices for fuel. Noteworthy to me is that the conviction of many who felt it was wrong to drill in ANWR has suddenly changed when the felt the pinch at the pump. Not only have those who support it increased, but those who opposed it has dropped. I wonder if those who believed drilling in ANWR was wrong February, why would it all the sudden be permissible now? The only thing that has changed is the impact that not-drilling has had on their life. Meaning that the cost of their conviction is basically the cost of gas. Now that cost has risen dramatically it recent weeks, but in the grand scheme of things it still means there beliefs were sold on the cheap.

Now all of this could be a reflection of my cynicism. Maybe people have changed their opinion because they have become more informed about the issues or because they've realized how barren the ANWR region is. But Jay Leno's Man on the Street segment leaves me little hope of how informed people are. No, my guess is that they simply don't like to pay so much to get where they want to go. And to lower that cost, they're willing to make a change - not in their habits but in their convictions. Which kind of makes you wonder, how much value does public opinion hold then anyway?

A Four Quarter Game

Natalie Clark — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:46:09 -0700

Anyone who saw the Lakers implode on Thursday night is now very well informed of the fact that basketball is a four-quarter game. Up by over 24 points at the half, the Lakers manage to blow the largest lead in an NBA final game. GIve props to the Celtics though because the Lakers lost wasn't causes solely by their own incompetence. Doc Rivers' team did a masterful job of defending the NBA's MVP and winning the game one point and one block at a time.

I'm sure that much will be made of the game in sports annals, and I'm sure that many will use the analogy to illustrate other points. Let me be among the first. Playing to the end with excellence is what wins basketball games. It's also an important lesson in business and life.

Businesses have a cycle. After the founders leave, most businesses go through a crisis. If this hasn't already happened, it usually occurs thirty or so years into the organization's history. What has been the organization successful no longer works. Times have changed and adaption is necessary. Just like the Lakers couldn't adjust to the Celtic's smaller line-up, businesses continue to try to offer the same products and the same service and at the end of the third quarter of their infancy, they find themselves in trouble. The same is true in life. Those who don't play strong until the end find themselves similarily in despair. Achieving your goals means playing every second with them in mind and not relenting when you have them in sight.

The Celtics comeback will go down in the records book. At least until someone else overcomes an even larger deficit. Or the Lakers win the series and the Lakers achieve their own remarkable comeback. Because basketball is a four quarter game, but the series is still best of 7. And to achieve the ultimate prize, that's the statistic that matters.

Corporate Responsibility or Marketing Gimmick?

Natalie Clark — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:17:09 -0700

Variety, the trade magazine of the film industry, recently announced that the WB Looney Toon characters would be exclusively featured on a line of healthy eating products to be sold at Safeway. Of course, this exclusivity has its limits. The characters would no longer be featured on unhealthy foods except for "certain ice cream products or birthday cakes." I haven't taken a nutrition class in a long time, but I'm pretty sure those don't qualify as healthy, and I'm also guessing that those are some of the more popular unhealthy items for kids.

My cynicism aside (or at least that part of it), I find it noteworthy that the powers that be at the WB would choose to restrict their characters' license opportunities. Cast in the clock of corporate responsibility, this move creates a premim for the characters. Any upper-class marketing student should be able to tell you, using your brand to promote anything and everything quickly dilutes the power that your brand held. By limiting the types of products that these characters can promote, the brand owners actually increase the brand's value. Assuming these are characters that food companies want to have represent their product, they now have greater leverage in negotiations because their standards for representation has increased.

I think its great that companies would want to promote healthy eating and I think its great that companies make decisions that increase their value, and therefore increase their value to their shareholders. But let us not kid ourselves about what the motivation is. And let's not think that just because companies announce an intiative of "corporate responsibility" that we are no longer responsibile. After all, regardless of what character is on the packaging, isn't it really the parents' responsibility to promote healthy eating? If a parent can't convince a kid not to eat something just because Bugs Bunny is on the front, there are bigger problems than even corporate America can solve.

Uncommon Courtesy

Natalie Clark — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:58:39 -0700

In A Severe Mercy, a wonderful book about a fairytale love story that was present in reality, the author, Sheldon Vanuaken shares that his wife and he used the analogy of getting a glass of water in the middle of the night for the author as the highest form of courtesy. Thinking this through, one can see why this would be. Getting up for somebody else from the warmth of a bed into the cool of the night in order to meet their need for thirst is a simple yet profound way to treat someone as valuable - to treat them with respect. This level of magnanimity is rarely seen nowadays.

As some readers may know, this week officially ends my career in the business world. Well, technically that's partly true. I'm leaving my wonderful job as the Director of Marketing for a jewelry design and manufacturing company to teach business students full-time. My break from corporate life isn't exhaustive as I will continue to consult and write, hopefully improving my value as a professor. But in all likelihood, this will be the final "9 to 5" job that I have. (Quick sidebar - I've never in my life had an actual 9 to 5 job. Whomever coined that term, never worked in marketing.) Having spent my entire adult life training and working in this career, its a ending that comes with mixed emotions.

The purpose of this blog, however, isn't to mourn the passing of an era, but to share what I've learned in the leaving. When someone finds out that you are going to make a career of training the next generation, they are filled with advice as to what young people should learn. From "just be on time" to "dress for the job you want" to "make sure they know everything" people want their potential future employees to know what they need to be successful. And they aren't reluctant to share it.

What strikes me about the teaching advice I've been given is that most of these actions fall under the parameters of what people would call "common courtesy." In fact, many business mantras meet this criteria. A sales book I recently read called SalesBurst!! was filled with them. Listen. Ask Questions. Call Back the Same Day. Respond to an Irritated Customer with Respect. None of these things were rocket science and yet from all appearances the author had built a successful carrier teaching people to do them. One would have thought these individuals' mothers would have taken care of those lessons long ago.

And that's the truth I've learned. Common courtesy is anything but. In fact its occurrence is more of a phenomenon that an expectation. Being respectful of another individual's time, talent and resources is a scarce commodity especially if there's nothing in it for the other person. This is the reason so many businesses fail The traits that they believe they don't have to train for, do require training, because the common employee no longer possesses them. The companies that do it well are the ones that succeed.

Doing the uncommon is always what sets one individual and one corporation apart from another. Isn't it nice that innovation now comes at the hand of courtesy?

The Problem's Yours

Natalie Clark — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:35:57 -0700

You'll have to talk to someone else
I just didn't get around to it
I have to ask my boss
I know this isn't what you wanted, but . . .
That's not my job
That's not my fault

Whether your the employer or the customer, these are words you don't want to hear. And yet all to often, they are exactly the response you'll receive.

Organizational life in the 21st century has many challenges. All of these challenges are now more poignantly experienced as a result of the recession we're not having. Businesses today know that in order to succeed, they must make the customer king. Maybe that's why Business Week's recent list of most innovative companies is proliferated by company's who have a reputation of listening intently to customer feedback and delivering accordingly. These are organizations who employ people that know it is everyone's responsibility to deliver excellence, consistently.

Perhaps the most offensive of the aforementioned excuses, are the ones that disavow total responsibility for the outcome of their actions. Whether it's "that's not my job" or "you'll have to talk to someone else" each indicates a lack of interest in the situation. As a customer the last business that you want to do business with is the one that has absolutely no interest in you.

A friend once told me that when they worked at Intel the role was if you discovered a problem, you owned the problem, until the solution was found. Even if the problem was in a completely separate department, and you had notified the appropriate leaders, it was your responsibility to see it through to resolution. There was no passing the buck if that never occurred.

Owning problems that are our own is challenging enough in today's environment. No one ever wants to admit fault. Owning someone else's problems requires a wholly different level of commitment. But if someone sees a problem that is not their own through to resolution, than the likelihood is that they can be counted on to see any problem through to the end. In the final analysis, the one who owns the problem, also is the own that gets to decide how it will be solved.

We call these people leaders.