Every so often I find that little nugget of oxymoronic brilliance that leaves me even more impressed by its unusual packaging. You know the ones I am referring to – they usually come as absolute surprises, speed up the greying process, and bring a rush of “Uh oh, what else am I missing”. The even […]
The potential of a team lies in its ability to work together cohesively. A less informed, less skilled team often beats a more informed, more skilled one that does not coordinate well. Just because you have the talent doesn’t mean you will win. Companies sell products and/or services. If we look at the selling part […]
Today I want to share some thoughts on a different type of economy. We are consumers, so everyday we trade our currency for products and services that we want or need. There is another, more hidden economy that we interact with daily as well. Remember, we are people first. Matters of the heart and mind have […]
With all of the mistakes and misunderstandings that happen every day, it’s pretty easy to spot the endearing trait of great leadership. Witnessing humility in action just seems to put me at ease. Seeing someone step into a situation and stand corrected takes great courage and a certain kind of humbleness. I respect these people […]
Facilities Maintenance is on the cusp of shining brightly in the new dawn of retail, shedding it’s role as the compliance officer of marketing or the go-to place for financial savings. The adversity and change these folks have experienced has forged strengths in nimbleness, adaptability, and economy. These skills are quite handy for retail businesses aiming to stay relevant to […]
A couple of times a year I have those “Aha” moments that help me pivot from the frustrating track that defines insanity. Its funny how when there is an elephant in the room, if it sits still and quiet long enough, people will forget that it is there. I used to have a pit bull for […]
People, Process, Product, and Performance – the often discussed four P’s of business that need to be monitored and improved to keep a business healthy. What doesn’t get a lot of attention are the changes one must go through as they rise in authority and play a different role in the advancement of the four […]
Building great managers and future leaders of a growing service business is all about teaching people to create and celebrate progress, to find the smart paths through alienation, and make it simpler for the next guy. Think about it – how would you define the performance of a manager that guides their team to accomplish […]
As providers of construction services in an industry buffeted by disruption, I have learned, and re-learned our opportunity lies in our ability to advance. How we deliver our services matters. The expectations set by the client are too often called “goals“. This is the part where excellence becomes elusive. Our clients’ expectations are NOT goals. […]
Something happened recently that really got me talking to myself. It was a humbling, empowering, invigorating, and actionable discussion, though my discussion partner wanted to do more talking than listening… Seriously though, I had a break through because of someone else’s bad “break“. I often talk about actively identifying potential unintended consequences of a decision. […]
I have been busy trying to initiate and deliver progress to the company. The uncommon sense of the activities is to remain balanced between the robotic strength of progress and the compassionate side of the disruption I am causing. Leading through change can be a lonely existence. The excitement of progress we create is only […]
Learning doesn’t happen without failure. Keeping our minds open through our experiences, new and old, allows us to learn through our experience. The other day I found myself at the crossroad of getting something done with constructive or destructive feedback. Mind you I am a firm believer that both types of feedback are needed – some habits […]
“How do you want to see this?” This question is like a key artifact – its very important and even more rare. Much like finding that key relic, understanding how someone needs to see something can unlock the invisible force that prevents the dots from being connected. The other day I had a conversation with […]
I am finally back from my road trip. I spent a lot of focused time thinking about two things – our clients’ needs and our strategy to meet them. The following words are reshaping the way our company is structured. Connect every activity to how it impacts our client’s experience. Know our strategy. Our company […]
“A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstance and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results – to see it, own it, solve it, and do it” – Connors, Smith & Hickman in The Oz Principle. Bad joke tellers know the entire joke inside and out. They have everything they need to succeed – […]
This week I am going to share a bit about feedback. I’ve written a lot about it from the point of view of the feedback provider. I’ve written in a way to help the provider provide the difficult and necessary feedback. The other side of finding success with feedback involves how well the recipient is […]
What is best or right, is often overlooked by what is convenient. One of my pet peeves is finding myself revisiting the same challenges over and over. My mantra is “Tomorrow’s challenges better be different than today’s”. I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback to remind people about prior messages and encourage discussions about them. This […]
I am a car novice. My skills with cars are limited to driving them. I cannot tell if I need a tune-up, oil change, maybe I can tell with an alignment, but thats about it. My guess is this is true of more and more drivers. Changing car oil at home used to be much […]
Can you believe we are in the homestretch of summer? Time is moving so fast! This week I will share a few of Thomas Watson’s quips that will hopefully make you laugh, think a bit, and put your ideas to work. It’s really about raising your game. Hopefully Tom’s tips will help. He was known […]
It’s amazing how much you have to do with what happens to you. Reading about or noticing ways to make a difference – do you seize them? Do you help others find their way, their success? There are limits to folks flying solo. T ogether E ach A ccomplishes M ore. Do you go looking for […]
We’ve been confronting our struggles of pointing fingers at goals rather than people. Last week we read about how we need to be respectful of one another, especially when we work together. We will definitely let one another down, so providing a bit of grace and understanding can help us find success more easily. With […]
Preparing a project to be successful is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. There are so many times where we endure what we anticipate and planned around, all because someone didn’t dot, their i’s, cross their t’s, or read their simple instructions. Have you ever made the assumption that since you have […]
This week I am continuing my recent messages about progress. Seems like many people are converging on the crossroads of “What is best for me versus what is best for us”. I often quote my brother with “My value to the company, is my value of the company.” This can be varied into other parts […]
Good Morning. I hope this message finds you well rested and ready to have some fun with your biggest challenges. Making progress climbing our own mountains can be gratifying and humbling at the same time. So many of our mountains are related to the way people respond to situations. Today I will share about the […]
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney sure had it right. Overcoming naysayers and the limits of what has been done gives me that kind of joy that is personal, satisfies the fire in my belly, and shared with the very few others that were there during the quest. Walt Disney created […]
I hope you all had a great holiday week. I was able to use the time to recharge with my family. I hope you all were able to spend the time exactly the way you wanted. This week I am writing about infrastructure and its importance to staying relevant through growth. I am sharing it […]
“Enquiring Minds Want to Know”. The mindless information shared through tabloids is great for entertainment. Its a terrible place to go for facts. When people put a spin on information in tabloids, we know not to trust it. Why is it so present in the business world? Maybe its because seasoned spinsters have the ability […]
Six months til Christmas…Wow! Where has the time gone? I need to slow down and learn something. This week I have a couple of statements from management writer Bruce Tulgan for you to read and process. Most everyone is a manager of a group at some time during their week – whether its a project, […]
I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day Weekend! I spent mine enjoying some mid-summer type fun – a little yard work, swimming, and, of course, some barbecuing. I noticed something interesting while I was working in the yard. The sun was beating down on me as I tried to dig into rock to plant […]
American History is one of my favorite topics to study. I love our country and marvel at it’s rise from faraway colony to the world’s super power. There have been major struggles along the way to success, including an attempt to self destruct. The internal bickering turned in political battles, and eventually became the war […]
Happy June everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your journey through the weekly messages. Here you are able to suspend all of your existing logic and look at situations from a different point of view. Knowing your perspective allows you to be a participant in the action. Knowing other points of view makes you a […]
This weekend we were able to celebrate a holiday remembering the men and women who died while serving our country. American history is full of gallantry and come-togetherness that would seem to defy all odds. I am not sure I would have the mustard required to do what was required of those doing their duty. […]
The internal battle between pride and truth often ends in a way that a sound mind wishes was different. Today I am expanding on “Are your actions justified or are you justifying your actions”. Too many times clear evidence is disregarded and learning is lost, keeping these people ignorant. This is a very real risk, […]
There is an interesting phenomenon I’ve noticed about the zoom lens on a camera – the better one feels about the way they look, the more comfortable they are with its use. Much like the lens of a camera, a mirror of our behavior can be just as intimidating. Today I am going to share […]
Maturity, the ability to respond to our challenges at the right time, in the right place, and in the appropriate manner, becomes increasingly important as we find more success. It is very easy to fall into the trap of becoming complacent in the way we do things or stuck at the level in the which […]
I know of a few ways to overcome difficult situations – get stronger, smarter, or more lucky. The luck part we cannot specifically control, but like Thomas Jefferson said “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”. We get better through our diverse and adverse […]
“When one door closes, another opens.” This common quote is often used in way to help someone pick themselves up after they failed at something or as a way to find a silver lining in a challenging situation. The patience to ask this of ourselves and to forgive ourselves for falling short can prove to […]
Staying grounded and focused can be difficult through success. This week I’d like you to consider the relationship between “responsibilities and boundaries”. Its a rather odd word combination, but it is loaded with uncommon sense . The simplicity and humility it provides is boundless. When people do not have any responsibilities, it can be hard for […]
The company’s goal of becoming other people’s favorite client/vendor/employer continues to be a guide for our processes. Coupling this with mutual respect for one another has prompted great improvements already, and these successes are creating the momentum we need to carry us further. Our potential continues to grow and many opportunities are being unlocked. Many […]
Internal battles with change are much like the bar fights of old westerns – everyone is disrupted, all kinds of things are broken, and many people are injured. The major difference is the visibility, or openness of the damage done. Its easy to see the physical damage done during the bar fight, so its easy […]
Through one month of this important first quarter we’ve already made significant headway on our key initiatives – our new software solution will be live this month, a key person is focused on creating standards of care to better support our teams, and we have a transition plan in place to create a third home […]
The way we approach transitions directly correlates to how well they unfold. Resicom is evolving from success to the company that sets the trend. To make this transition, our options must change from the easily identifiable “right” and “wrong” options into dilemmas – choosing between “great” and “great” options. There are many connections between how strong […]
Capabilities can be leveraged with the right leader. We need to look to utilize each persons capabilities, without the limits of our own. It takes a lot of trust to turn something over to someone. By defining what it is going to take for you to trust someone, they can actively work towards it, otherwise […]
One of my struggles during change management is overcoming the sabotage by people trying to avoid a loss of comfort. I recently went through a period where too many conversations about a person were happening without that person. This gossip is detrimental in most every way possible. Here is I told my team I was […]
“Words are just words until actions support them.” – John Fairclough So many promises and statements are made that just don’t sit right with us. They are the words we may have wanted to hear, but for some reason we don’t trust them. I’ve been told “I support your decision” and the like for years, […]
There is a huge battle being waged that SHOULD NEVER GO AWAY. It is the war between what is ideal and what is practical. Almost always, practical wins, and for good reason. With the developed methods, ideal and practical are too far apart. The big opportunity for innovation lives where an ideal is worth pursuing. […]
“Strategic Decisions must have multiple perspectives present. In our haste to be efficient, we are tempted to speed a decision. Discerning well between what requires additional perspectives and what does not can open up new opportunities and lower your risk. So take your time and get it right.” – John Fairclough
How do we endure overly stressful periods and come out of them significantly stronger, in a productive way? This is a challenge I have recently been pondering – the people that help me be productive have not been able to, loading up the work I became responsible for. It was a bit enlightening as what […]
Clients look for their vendor partners to be an extension of their team. In our zealousness to find ways to help, we run the risk of missing what is on the table to discuss versus what is currently acceptable. Here are thoughts on how to identify situations to question processes/methods of others. When a process […]
I’d like to challenge you to listen as intensely as you speak up. In other words, we are naturally driven to make sure we are heard, I’d like you to put in that much effort in understanding someone else’s point. Figuring out a way to suspend my logic and try to make a case for […]
“So, how do I look?” There are some questions that create instant crossroads. I want to tell the truth, I want to protect the other person’s feelings, I want to share productive thoughts. So many wants, so few ways to meet them all. All too often the answer is provided, even if it is not […]
For the last few weeks we’ve been talking about finding improvement opportunities and discerning what to put our efforts in. This week I want to share a few thoughts about building our company’s intelligence through TCUP (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure). Its purpose is to improve our performance – to prepare us for situations we expect […]
Just because you can does not mean you should… Last week I wrote about sweating the small stuff and how we need to look for the small items that reveal future breakdowns and address them proactively. This week I am writing about discernment. Our ability to decide where to use our resources greatly impacts our […]
There’s an old expression, you can’t see the forest for the trees. In business we work amongst the details of day to day responsibilities. That’s how we get things done, our products manufactured, our services sold. But we still need to step back and take a look at the big picture, especially if stalled in […]
We’ve had situations where it was simple to see our challenge and easy to understand it’s importance, yet I still failed to get the team focused on taking action. I found many of my frustrations were related to the level of urgency and importance people applied to our challenge. Leading Resicom has taught me many […]
I have three small requests of you today. They will make a significant difference in life. Raising Your Level of Influence. The level of your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first. The tools we use are the things we share – our competence, character, and care. Think about how […]
Information can cripple productivity. Too much of it can leave you feeling like you do not have enough of it – as clarity usually begs for more questions to be answered. In this way, information is really a tripping hazard. It’s value begins once it is converted into knowledge. How can we convert the information […]
When I hear people justifying their actions, my body goes into shock – my stomach turns, my eyes twitch, and I start to pace uncontrollably. Not really, but my blood boils and turns my face beat red. I am not sure of the science of it, but I think it is purely mental. For whatever […]
Are your actions justified or are you justifying your actions? – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
John Fairclough, Resicom CEO Resicom Founder and CEO John Fairclough has been inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame! Joining the ranks of entrepreneurs twice his age, Fairclough was honored with the induction on Thursday, February 24th at the Chicago Hilton. The Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies (IES) of the University of Illinois at […]
Not all dollars are created equal – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Man created language to be understood. It should be normal to understand what people convey to us. Fear, ulterior motives, and closed mindedness are the enemies of understanding.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Be green with your words… Use less of them to communicate your point.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“One of the most wonderful things you can do in this world is forgive others. We are designed to have flaws and make mistakes. If we emulate God, we are led to forgive. Giving someone the ability to recapture their dignity can transform lives. Do it often.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“If your team does not truly believe that you care about them, they will not follow you.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Change needs practice. And practice needs patience.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Complacency doesn’t make sense for a guy trying to redefine normal.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“We are all on a collision course with ourselves. Inevitably, our existing habits will be counter-productive to achieving our bigger picture goals. To avoid the crash, we need to regularly review how we are doing things and make adjustments as needed.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
My outlook on life changed radically by becoming the leader of a company. It took me a while to catch on to what was happening to me. I learned how important the path was to the destination. My answers were being sought out. Critical thinking was a strength of mine. People would ask my thoughts […]
“The clearer you are about why you want to accomplish a goal, the easier it will be to figure how to accomplish it.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Stop me when I’m making too much sense.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“The role of a leader is to serve his people. We absolutely must first serve the people who we want to lead. They must be able to rely on the leader as much as we hope to rely on them.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“When your team questions your motives and methods, you have lost their trust and you will not be able to influence them.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Much of the world is focused on answers. This unfortunate. Situations change, the earth turns, and our needs fluctuate. Focusing on static answers puts one at a disadvantage. Empower yourself by searching for the right question as if it were a buried treasure and treasures will find you.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“I’m the CEO. My job is to get out of the way. I work with smart people and trust they can accomplish their goals. So I make sure to focus on removing roadblocks for them and then resume getting out of their way.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“My role as CEO is to protect the company AND nurture it to grow.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“Don’t make your audience play Jeopardy. Giving your answer before asking the question puts your audience at a disadvantage. It will also reveal your biases. Make it clear what question you are trying to answer first. Then allow your audience to engage in answering the question too.” -John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
“When your team questions your competence, your ability to influence is shot.” – John Fairclough, CEO Resicom
