May 22, 2009 Chris Fuller

If you want your Leaders attention – BARK (just not too much)

There are many obstacles out on the trail, many places where you can dump the sled. The most deadly? Belief. The first and most formidable opponent will, usually, be belief. The old saying on the trail is, “If you believe you can or you believe you can’t – you’re probably right.”

When it comes to ‘Influence’, if you don’t own the belief system that you can develop and increase your influence – then you won’t even try – you’ll leave the sled on the trailer or just run with your head down believing that you are simply a beast of burden meant to pull the sled without input, feedback – ‘Influence’.

We’ll talk more about beliefs in a latter blog – so for now – let’s use the Friday blog to rally around HOW to increase your influence. I’ll throw out some things and leave them for addition by the group.

(Note of housekeeping: some of you are emailing your thoughts to maintain privacy – if that is needed I’ll be glad to repost your comments without using your name – otherwise please post them here – thx)

If you want your Musher to hear you – if you want to have influence with your Leader then BARK.

BARK is an acronym for HOW we are going to take the steps to create, develop, and grow our Influence.

B – Be Consistent.

Consistent performance matters. Why do franchises work? Consistent product leads to consumer belief in quality and allows them to freely stop into any location. Same thing with your leader choosing or valuing you – consistent delivery, consistent results = Influence.

A – Attitude.

There is tremendous room for a great attitude. Add value from an ‘Attitude’ arena and you’ll lift the entire team – including your leader.

R – Real.

Leaders appreciate people who are real. Real, as in Authentic and Real, as in open and honest with their feedback, helping the leader get the true business picture, etc.

K – Knowledge.

Knowledge is a broad category. Knowledge is being a SME(Subject Matter Expert). Knowledge of the tasks needed to perform your job well. Knowledge is daily growth and insight into the industry. AND knowledge of your Musher (Leader). When it comes to knowing your Musher – learn about their personality, communication style, their rules (spoken and unspoken), and even to the point of learning their SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).

As a final and over all other things comment – we want to be consistent with the Application of BARK – but don’t go overboard. Remember: A dog and a team player that simply BARKS for the sake of barking, and barks all the time is just an annoyance!

Look forward to your comments – Have a great Friday and, if you’re stateside, a great Memorial Day weekend.

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