Often the question posed shows a giant incorrect assumption about how your business works, how the customer receives your product or service, or what the various relationships are between the critical parties in your supply and distribution channels. What happens if you give them the short answer that just addresses their immediate query? They remain off track, but now they feel validated in their erroneous assumptions, and start to take actions based on wrong judgements that can hurt your business.

That’s why we recommend that you take the time to look through a new hire’s questions to discover those wrong assumptions and correct them. This may seem tedious and you run the risk of being accused of giving a speech where a simple answer would do, but as we say, “When the cement is wet, you can move it with a trowel, but when it’s dry, you’ll need a jack hammer!”

Questions that indicate deep misunderstandings show that there’s room for improvement to your orientation and training documents. You’ve got to teach the basics. You can’t assume new team members have a good foundation in business because they worked for a big company or have a big degree. We found incredible basic misunderstandings about business from some of the apparently most qualified for the job. Many times schools and their former bosses failed to lay the proper foundations.

We had a supply manager who asked repeatedly, “Why does the vendor always get the order wrong?” when the correct question was, “What do we have to do differently to reduce the likelihood of wrong orders?” This person had “a good college education” and had several jobs where it was OK to blame the other party when something went wrong – and that there was nothing he could do about it on his end.

We had a top administrator ask, “Why haven’t I had a raise in two years?” when the correct question was, “Why hasn’t our bottom line improved in two years?” This person assumed the money came from the owners, not the customers.

And we had a sales manager who asked, “Why won’t my distributer’s sales rep get the reorder?” when the correct question was, “How do we create an incentive plan that reduces out-of-stocks?” This person thought the distributer’s rep was going to perform on a new, unknown product like ours, without an additional financial consideration beyond their salary and commission.

Questions can tell you more than they ask – if you listen closely. If the question fits into the “this-doesn’t-make -any-sense-to-me” category, you’ve got the clue that you have work to do. There may not be any stupid questions, but there are some stupid answers and most of them are short. Short answers are saying, “Go away, don’t bother me!” but they are also asking for trouble down the line. Sure, workers can continue with their immediate jobs without a detailed explanation, but later they will surprise you with their deep-routed misconceptions.

Oh, and “Why do they call it duck tape? Because if it dries out, it can quack!”

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Address the Assumption Behind the Question, Don’t Just Answer the Question appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

NBC News foreign correspondent Richard Engle, a Stanford grad himself, gave the keynote. He encouraged the grads to take chances and “Please don’t get a desk job!” He said that the world was on a collision course with three super trends: technology, over population, and climate change.

He warned that when these forces combine into a deadly cocktail we will see a chaotic and unstable future. He painted the picture of populations doubling and, at the same time, being able to better communicate. He said this would lead to political upheaval where demigods promise peace and stability but disappoint only to be replaced by yet another demigod. He drew the picture of a horrific collision between a bus and a car and said all of the human experience can be seen in that moment; life, death, rescue and escape. He told the grads they could learn from witnessing it.

After graduation Richard Engle left Stanford with $2000 in his pocket and a one-way ticket for Cairo. He said he has been shot at, kidnapped, arrested, and deported during his time as a celebrated war correspondent in the Middle East. His experiences may have contributed to the tone of his talk which was peppered with dire images of an apocalyptic future. Certainly the shock value got the grads attention with the somewhat redeeming message to get out there, take a chance and witness life to continue your education in the real world.

We take a different view. We have spoken to more than 20,000 students in the past two years, but our message takes a more positive spin. We believe this generation will be the saviors, not just the reporters, not just the helpless witnesses. On the contrary, no generation of western grads has been better educated, better informed on world events, more aware of climate change, and more concerned about over population than this one.

Today’s graduates can change the course of the “collision.” They can and will see these mega trends as opportunities for new paradigms, new inventions, and new solutions. Communication can not only make society aware of corruption and foment upheaval, but it can also demonstrate how personal behavioral can empower each of us to make positive changes that can change the world.

Over population’s consequences can be communicated and alternatives offered. New attitudes toward food, air and water can take hold much faster with enhanced communication. Increasing tech-driven transparencies can hold companies accountable for social, employment, and environmental impact.

Climate change can be mitigated with alternative sources of power and transportation. Just making alternative energy more efficient and less expensive than fossil fuel will help the environment, curb warming, and reduce the ongoing wars financed by fossil fuel sales.

All of this spells opportunity for today’s grads.

We want to encourage the grads to not just watch the future, but change the future. Maybe some young engineer like Zach will come up with a breakthrough invention that makes it all possible. One thing is for sure; all grads will be more likely to do it and even more if we let them know now that we are counting on them and believe they can do it! Go get ’em grads!

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post A Message to the Graduates appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.