The Award-Winning Monthly Resource for Professionals

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OUTCOME FOCUS REPORT
Circulation 36,116
Issue 65 – February, 2007
Publisher: Anne Warfield
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© Impression Management Professionals 2007
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1) How To Jump Start Your Year!
2) Outcome Focus™ Approach - How to get project managers to adjust to
  changes in a project when they don’t want to change?
3) Anne's Aha
4) Resources To Learn More


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1.  How To Jump Start Your Year!
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"Anne, I just had to call you today to share with you the success I have
found using the Outcome Focus™ Approach in my big client meeting.

The meeting was a huge success! We walked ADDING $10 million of additional
business with them! My company is thrilled and the client is thrilled.

Anne, in the past I would have focused on what we wanted and how to get
it. I can't believe how much Outcome Thinking™ has made in impact in
growing my business and my relationships by focusing me on the Outcome
instead of the process. Thanks a million...or make that $10 million!!"
JH

See the secret isn't in being slick when you present, it’s about how to
have your character and integrity shine through so people are magnetically
drawn to you.  A must for Management, IT and Sales!

Upcoming Outcome Focus™ Presentation Experience dates:  

    March 12-13, 2007 (4 spots left)

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"Anne, I used these skills to successfuly save our company $100,000 in one
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PR, Target

Upcoming Outcome Focus ProGOtiation™ Experience dates:

    February 26-27, 2007 (3 Spots left)


Follow this link for more information,

http://www.impressionmanagement.com

or, email us at mailto: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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2.  The Outcome Focus™ Approach
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To use as a training tool:  

Present the situation below to the group and have them brainstorm how they
would best handle the situation. Then share the Outcome Focus™ answer and
see how it relates or differs from solutions the group found.

How to get project managers to adjust to changes in a project when they
don’t want to change?

Situation:

Anne, due to the pressures of a BIG project reaching it’s
final stages and the need to meet due dates—the project managers are
desperately making decisions and seem to be stubbornly holding to those
decisions, even if they are no longer appropriate.  It seems they are just
doing what they can to meet the due dates and not what is best for the
project. How can I help them change their minds?

Other Person’s Perspective:

Think about it from the Project Manager’s perspective.  Business units
usually have two complaints about Project Manager’s:

1) They go over the due date.  
2) They go over the budget.  

Project Manager’s usually have two complaints about business units:

1) They constantly change the scope of the project.  
2) They rarely accept the changes in cost or time due to the changes that
they make.

As you can see, they end up causing a cycle where each loses perspective
of why they are there—to reach an Outcome that is best for the business
overall.  That means at times the scope may need to change.   The problem
comes from the business unit having their eye on what they need to have
the project DO for them once it is completed while the Project Manager’s
focus is on completing the project to the best of their ability.

So how do you rectify this situation?

The best thing to do is first talk to the Project Managers and find out
what are their stumbling blocks.  Are they frustrated with talking with
the business unit?  Do they need help with articulating why the time units
need to change in layman terms so the business unit understands?  Do they
need room to see the project from a different perspective?

Best Handled:

Have a meeting with the Project Managers and start with the original goal
of both the business unit and the Project Managers.  Then bring up the
stumbling blocks and get them to talk candidly about them.  Leave with a
game plan of how to approach the business unit as well as the IT
management so every person is on board with the new game plan.

It might go something like this, “All of you have been working very hard
on______ project.  The difficulty with a large project such as this is
that it often morphs as the project moves along yet the deadlines don’t
seem to budge.  This puts all of you in a tough spot. You want to meet the
growing needs of the business unit and you want the project to succeed,
but you have inside knowledge of how each change can impact the timeline
and cost of the project.  The business unit doesn’t have this knowledge.

So for them if we just come back and make changes to fit a time line but
not the end goal of the project, they will feel that we didn’t use our
expertise.  If we tell them that we can’t meet the deadline because they
keep changing the scope, we can seem as though we are being inflexible.

So we need to put our heads together and look at what is best for the
project and then look at how we need to present it to both IT management
and the business unit so all players know what choices are being made and
what the consequences of those choices are.

Imagine if you brought your car in to get a new stereo system put in.  To
you, the customer, it seems to be a simple thing to do.  To the mechanic,
he has to base his price and time based on SIMILAR projects.  You leave
but then he finds that the wiring in your car was done in a unique way and
in order to hook up your stereo properly he needs to rewire your car
(additional cost) or stick to the time schedule and just not have the rear
speakers’ work.  I don’t think any of us here would want him to make that
decision without our input and we would need him to speak in uncomplicated
terms (not mechanic speak) so we could understand what the problem was and
what our choices are.

We need to do the same thing here and simplify the choices for the
business unit instead of putting the pressure on us to just make decisions
that meet a deadline and not the end goal.”

SPECIAL NOTE:

Send Anne your situation to be included in an upcoming E-zine.
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3.  Anne's "Aha"
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If you want some quick insight into how you might be affecting the culture
of your group read:

“THE TIPPING POINT OF A GREAT LEADER”
By Anne Warfield

What does the movie Coach Carter, the book The Tipping Point, and great
leadership have in common?

Every Executive I work with wants to be a good, positive, and strong
leader. When I ask them what they would like to change in order to make
their life easier they often say things like, “it would be great if my
team could think more independently to make the best decisions possible
WITHOUT me involved!”

But how do you do that? In order to answer that all we need to do is look
at the above question because the answer is right there.

Click on this link to continue reading:
http://www.impressionmanagement.com/articles/art_0025.shtml

************** Want To Perfect Your Communication Skills? *************

Order Anne's Book Today, Outcome Thinking™: Getting Results
Without The Boxing Gloves!  

SPECIAL PRICING $17.00 (Free Shipping), Offer valid through Feb. 22, 2007.

Follow the link below:

http://www.impressionmanagement.com/products.shtml


****************
Quotable Quotes:
****************

“It’s a great challenge to be better than your opportunities.”  Sarah
Jessica Parker

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4.  I Want More Resources So I Can Perfect My Skills
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Order Your Success Tools Online:
http://www.impressionmanagement.com/products.shtml


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About Anne and IMP
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Anne Warfield, CSP*
CEO
Impression Management Professionals
15768 Venture Lane
Minneapolis, MN 55344
952-921-9421
888-imp-9421
952-921-9420 Fax
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Visit us at: http://www.impressionmanagement.com

"A true leader is not one you look up to because they are the best. A true
leader is one that draws the best out in you." Anne Warfield

*CSP- Certified Speaking Professional; a designation held by only 7% of
all speakers nationwide

Member of the National Speakers Association


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