Play the Full Table

During my family holiday visits, we played lots of ping pong - a favorite indoor sport for ours. Over many games and tournaments certain players dominated, and a clear trend emerged. The consistent winners used the full ping pong table to their advantage. They kept opponents moving, guessing and reacting to an array of shots in different directions with varying ball speed and spins. Some shots would barely glaze the edge of the table and fall to the floor for a winning point.

Like an inexperienced ping pong player, the uncertain leader plays it safe – hitting a gentle, predictable return to his competitor. During uncertain times (like today!) most leaders and business owners play it safe. This means that if you want to distinguish yourself during tough times, the bar is pretty low.

Now is the time to play the full table! Don't restrict your strategies to the sure shots. While your competitors are playing it safe, try new shots, explore the edges of the table. Throw something different at your competition to keep them on the defensive - keep them guessing. Don’t necessarily abandon proven strategies, but try putting a new spin on your shot by exploiting a new niche or leveraging an underutilized marketing channel. increase your exposure in the marketplace and improve your customer service vs. cut back on both. While everyone is playing in the safe zone, explore cost effective ways to play more aggressively.

Playing the full table also means tapping into the variety of skills, knowledge and creativity that you and your team possess. Invest in the minds and hearts of your team to yield riches of ideas and commitment. A fully engaged team is the only sustainable competitive advantage… .in good times and in bad.

This economic downturn has forced us into a new world with new challenges. Take a new approach by turning traditional mentoring on its head and let your younger team members teach you. Put some new minds on an old problem. You have everything to learn and nothing to lose. You will likely expand your repertoire of shots with newfound perspectives, insights and strategies.

The goal of playing it safe is to survive. The goal of playing the full table is to thrive... to win. Let’s play to win!

Shift into Reverse

Mentoring is an effective way to pass on experience and knowledge within an organization. Companies in all industries have formal and informal programs designed to hone their talent and sharpen their competitive edge. However, the technology revolution has created an ironic twist to traditional mentoring. Today, it's not uncommon for a young, entry-level worker to have a better understanding of technology or some aspect of the operation than his manager. Hmmm?

As a result, many organizations are shifting into reverse. They're asking front line, shop floor, or young tech-savvy employees to teach the "old dogs" (that would be me!) new tricks. This approach is typically employed when senior leaders need to better understand operations, customer preferences or new technologies.

Remember what Picasso said, "It takes a very long time to become young." So, even if you don't have a formal program, try hanging out with your younger staff, even those who might be younger than your own children – a guaranteed eye-opener! You might discover that you are so far out of the loop you can't even see the loop. You can create your own form of reverse mentoring. It could be as simple as asking your children and their friends for feedback on your product/service/idea. Be ready for brutal honesty! If you don't have children accessible, then borrow your friend's. In either case, the children will feel valued and you will get valuable feedback.

Also, the next time you hire an intern, make a concerted effort to listen to and learn from them. Yep, learning can be a two-way street even with interns. No doubt, younger, fresher eyes will see things differently than we will. Their insights might even be shocking, and if we can keep our egos in check, they could lead to powerful breakthroughs.

The music industry is on the leading edge of showing how reverse mentoring and young/old collaborations can not only work but JAM! Last month's Grammy awards were a stellar example. Robert Plant (from Led Zeppelin) and Alison Krauss lead the evening with five awards. We also saw cross-generational performances by Stevie Wonder and The Jonas Brothers, Al Green and Justin Timberlake and Sir Paul McCartney and drummer, Dave Grohl. It was 43 years earlier that McCartney first appeared with The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Before you jump in feet first (or head first in this case), consider these keys to successful reverse mentoring as well traditional mentoring relationships:

• Create and maintain an attitude of openness to the experience.
• Dissolve the barriers of status, power and position.
• Commit the necessary time.
• Have a game plan/goal.
• Define rules of engagement.
• Actively listen.
• Be patient.
  

If you are trying to move ahead of your competition, try shifting into reverse with your mentoring.