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Business Rule #47:
Know When to Stand Back
April 3, 2006
(PAGE 2 of 2)
What I did next was just as important. I got out of their way and let them do what they do best. If you’re lucky enough to cast a talent like Jack Nicholson or Meryl Streep, you don’t tell them how to read lines. If you hire the right professional, ninety percent of your job is done. You may have to offer some guidance at first, but then the best thing to do is stand back and let the pros work. The result for the “Jump Start Your Sales” audio lessons (soon to be available at jumpstartyoursales.com as MP3’s), was that it received a great reception, getting called “concise yet comprehensive” and “the gem of my tape library.” A shameless plug, I know.
Think of how differently Lenny’s teammates and Donald Trump would have responded if he had just explained at the outset that he’s not musically inclined and asked what else he could do to help out.
Over on the Synergy team, Sean may not have delegated much work to his team, but he was smart enough to let the musicians do what they do best. He added the instruments into the mix one at a time and was delightfully surprised by how good their jingle sounded. It seemed easy—and it was. If you’ve got the services of trained professionals, they can make your lyrics literally sing.
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The texture of the Synergy sound was modern, catchy, and fun. It had a beat, and we caught even The Donald dancing to it. By comparison, the “traditional” jingle produced by Gold Rush sounded dull and old-fashioned. Not the best way to announce a new product to the market.
The Arby’s executives declared Synergy the winners and credited their triumph in part on their superior lyrics. “You can’t get it anywhere,” went a line in their jingle, telling everyone that Chicken Naturals are only available at Arby’s. Gold Rush’s failure to mention that these new Chicken Natural Sandwiches are an Arby’s exclusive helped land them in the boardroom.
Bryce was good about standing up for his team. He spoke up for what a good job they had done, not to mention the fact that they had set their differences aside and pulled together. Lenny once again pulled the foreigner act. He may have a different native language, but that doesn’t mean he can’t write a song in English. In fact, Lenny’s European sensibility could have been a benefit, offering a fresh perspective. Donald Trump had this one pegged—Lenny just didn’t feel like participating on this one. But ultimately, Bryce was the one responsible for his team’s performance and was the one fired.
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If you hire the right professional, ninety percent of your job is done.
