Far too often we’re denied some concession or level of service because of a policy. Think about that. “It is against our policy to make our customers happy.” is what, in essence, a company is saying to a customer when that phrase is exercised. No, the customer is not “always right.” They are, however, essential to us staying in business. Which means companies need to be able to strike a balance between serving policy and serving their customers. We do not need to cite here the number of studies done that relate flexible customer service to profits. Stop in an Apple store lateley? Is it a surprise its earnings report read like it did?

Companies enter into a promise with customers once money is exchanged for goods and services that those goods and services will perform as reasonably expected. If keeping that promise means bending the definition of a specific policy on ocassion, then it’s probably worth it.

So what’s your policy on policies?

The person who leads by coordinating the most action is always going to knock out the one who leads with ego. For starters, a big ego is an easy target. This is especially evident in group settings, where far too often people focus more on asserting their ideas than staying focused on the success of the project. With judgemental speaking and lateral ideas, they’ll choose to build barriers on the path to prosperity that can be surpassed with only an acknowledgement of their input. It creates frustration and erodes the purpose of cooperation.

The best leaders will navigate around the egos while maintaining their balance, recognizing that team member as just another breakdown.

Lead with image, not ego. Because there is always someone bigger.

Language is critical to coordinating action. As any of our students can attest to, language is at the foundation of our approach to achieving prosperity.

Now let’s relate that to technology and its role in our ability to coordinate action.

A colleague who worked in fundraising at an elite boarding school told me, a number of years ago, that the students considered e-mail ” … something for old people.” Well today, it seems we’re finally coming around to accepting that.

You probably read about the company in Europe who is now eschewing company e-mail in exchange for project-driven communication tools. So, whereas e-mails all arrive in the same place (your inbox) but pertain to any number of subjects, ranging from promises you need to keep to your daughter’s fencing team try-out, project-based communications all relate to a specific type of action. Thus, you automatically know what a particular message is about; your interaction becomes vertical, entrenched in a silo of like subject matter.

Companies are beginning to adopt these practices in the cloud because Web-based project management tools are becoming ubiquitous. You log in to a “project” instead of logging into a big pile of messages and sorting through to find the needles that pertain to the project.

This shift in thinking relates very well to the language of apriori, as it embraces the idea that every message is “performative.” In other words, it creates action on the project to which it relates and contributes to your ability to generate Market Force. Instead of sorting through an inbox full of judgemental and non-specific messaging, consider improving your ability to coordinate action with a new approach to workplace communications.

The Wired piece got us to thinking. Are we remembering the point of communicating when we use social media? That is, are we using it to coordinate action? With so many new methods by which to make requests and promises, can we ensure we’re working toward prosperity with every tweet and post? I’m not so sure, but we’re certainly trying. But maybe we don’t have to, either. It’s up for debate I suppose.

There is certainly value to keeping your constituents engaged in your business. Care has to be taken, as Seth Godin mentioned in a post last week, to not create too much “noise.” We can’t be social media “babblers,” disseminating every minor action of the day. If we can avoid the babble, we stand a better chance of staying on message with performative language and with our Intention intact.

What do you think? Are we babbling too much?

Earning credibility by fulfilling promises is a big part of Market Force. You are, after all, what your actions show you to be. Those who don’t respond to requests are probably not saved for later very often. Of course, you can always renegotiate a promise, but how many times can you do that until you’re un-bookmarked for future consideration?

This is a compelling way to measure your Market Force. How often do your words and actions garner long-standing consideration? In the Game of Market Force, are you worth being read later?

I found a lot worth taking away from this essay by Harvard Business Review blogger Teresa Norton. It’s about forgiviness. Specifically, how forgiving co-workers, or anybody really, can make us more important to ourselves and others in our sphere of influence.

Ms. Norton states that confusion about workplace status is at the root of many issues and related to that, people create their own status through self-inflicted wounds to their self-worth. Compelling stuff. And very closley related to Market Force.

Pecking orders become common in team environments as each Style works to his or her strength to carve out a role in a project. As Norton stats, problems often arise when an individual allows someone else to define their self-worth through rudeness or unreasonable, haughty demands, initating confidence concerns and encouraging them to minimize their contribution. Many of us, at varying stages of our careers, have been in this situation. But through forgiveness, the table can be turned.

Instead of internalzing the frustration and angst created by your team member’s demands, the ability to quickly forgive them for their actions can help you re-establish your self-worth and communicate confidence. In doing so, you also build Market Force, as the odds are good that others are aware of this individual’s actions. In short, the high road will get you there much faster.

Her latest post, we’re happy to read, highlights her view on Styles and delves into her own, which is Influence. The post discusses in very readable fashion her own impressions of herself. This is an honest and very worthwhile task in which more of us should take part. It’s a significant component of what apriori is all about: coming to grips with our own behavior can help us adjust our position in life. Heidi clearly has a firm grasp on how her habits impact what she’s done and where she’s headed. You’ll notice this in her other posts.

We don’t bring Heidi’s blog to the forefront just because she is a participant in our programs or because her latest post references the prinicples we espouse. Rather, we feel her documentation of her learning expands the risk that is inherent in learning. By jumping into Market Force courses, Heidi admitted to herself that there are things in her life with which she needs assistance, from employee assessmeents to personal time management to … whatever. And so by writing about her learning, she is taking a greater risk, a critical action in the process of becoming your “whole self.”

We hope more of our participants follow Heidi’s lead and start some fires. Figuratively speaking of course.

The pivotal scene in Star Wars comes when Luke and his fellow fighter pilots were winging their way through the cavernous confines and towering mechanical alley ways of the Death Star to deliver the fateful shot into its power core. Guns blazing all around him, fellow pilots disintegrating from enemy blasts and the power of grief over a lost family eroding his confidence, a kid, unaware of the instincts his mysterious patriarch had passed on, “stays on target” through it all to deliver the kill shot. The Empire’s greatest weapon obliterates in a flash of 70′s-era sci-fi space explosion coolness and a revived movement toward universal harmony ensues.

Wow. Take a breath. That’s great stuff.

Our boy Luke had some rapid-fire breakdowns going on there, didn’t he? Not unlike most days in the contemporary business universe. While our intention may not be to topple a corrupt galactic regime, it is nevertheless bent on personal growth. It’s easy though, to assume those not sharing our intention are trying to “corrupt” it. If you feel that way, it’s your fault; you’ve let yourself get winged. Is a team-member not performing as planned? Well then, how can you get them better prepared? Or what can you do to fill the void of their unfulfilled promises that will keep the team in flight?

Remember that all the shrapnel of frustration and untimely misfires are not unique to your company or relatonships. They’re not unique at all. The more accepting you can be of their presence within your intent, the easier it will be for you to stay on target.

May Market Force be with you.

(Had to get that in there.)

In part four of our four-part blog series overviewing Individual Styles, we offer for introduction the Influence.

Part 1: Power
Part 2: Control
Part 3: Authority
Part 4: Influence

The Influence is one of the easiest styles to pinpoint because they’ll be the antsy one at the end of the conference table, itching to end the meeting and talk about what happened in the game last night, especially if the meeting is dragging on. It’s not that the Influence doesn’t pay attention or is lacsidasical, they just have a lot of energy. Most importantly, you’ll need to get them to focus that energy on a project. In doing so, watch for the Influence to go at it from a relationship perspective. They like team and social environments because that is what keeps them motivated. The Influence can take a project and run with it, and usually can do so without a lot of details. They use their energy to figure it out and are certainly “commit first, then figure it out” types. If you want a project to get off the ground as soon as possible, hand it to an Influence.

Something to consider about the Influence is their propensity to over-task themselves. When they do, the response is to retreat and subsequently, neglect the request. Although cognizant of it, they’ll use their sharp verbal skills and, aptly enough, influence, to find thier way out of a tight spot. They want to work fast and have no problem letting the discussion drift off into disparate subjects. Keep them focused but make sure they’re having fun and are “in-action” as often as possible.

Influence Styles inhabit positions that incorporate the need to shake a lot of hands and be out in front, like ambassadors, public relations executives, sales leaders and even company presidents.