Engaging Minds and Hearts to Conquer the Competition Lee J. Colan P^{A S S I O N AT E} P^{E R F O R M A N C E} Copyright c Lee J. Colan

en·gage \in-‘gAj\ verb to attract and hold interest; to cause to participate; to connect or interlock with. Copyright c Lee J. Colan

Introduction 8 The Anatomy of Passionate Performance 11 Engaging the Mind 21 Engaging the Heart 35 Leading the Way 49 C^{O N T E N T S} Copyright c Lee J. Colan

In today’s hyper-competitive market, a burning question for most companies is this: “How can we achieve a s i g n i f i c a n t and s u s t a i n a b l e competitive advantage in order to retain our customers?” After all, keeping existing customers is five times less expensive than finding new ones. That’s good business in anyone’s book. Traditional competitive factors like product design, technology a n d distribution channels are harder to sustain in a super-fast, mega- networked world. In fact, the good old “Four P’s of Marketing” – product, price, promotion and placement – are having much less impact for companies competing in today’s marketplace. A fifth “P” – people  – has become an increasingly important competitive factor. Consider this: About 70% of customers’ buying decisions are based on positive human interactions with sales staff. Add to this the fact that 83% of the U.S. gross domestic product comes from services and information which are created and delivered by people. The bottom line is that people buy from people, not companies.  So, your people – and the p e rf o rmance they deliver – are the defining competitive advantage for your organization. I^{N T R O D U C T I O N} 8 Copyright c Lee J. Colan

9 When people are engaged in their work and feel a deep connection to it, they deliver Passionate Performance. Passionate Performance c reates satisfied customers, and ultimately, value for the org a n i z a t i o n . Think of the times you’ve gone shopping or to a restaurant and dealt with serv i c e  people who were visibly excited to be in their jobs and to be s e rving you. Their words jumped out of their heart s rather than being re g u rgitated from a script. They probably surprised you with the extra effort and thoughtfulness they put toward satisfying your particular needs or questions – and they actually seemed happy to do it! N o w, consider how you felt when you left these establishments. Did you buy more than you had planned? We re you likely to re t u rn? Did you recommend these businesses to friends? You probably answere d “Yes” to at least one of these questions. That’s the beginning of a value chain that starts with engaged employees. Some people are naturally engaged in their work and c o n s i s t e n t l y deliver Passionate Perf o rmance. The most eff e c t i v e leaders learn how to bring these qualities out in everyone. They invest time, energy and resources to engage their people because engaged employees are more likely to: © stay with the organization; © perform at higher levels; © influence others to perform well; © promote the organization externally; and © deliver unparalleled customer service. Copyright c Lee J. Colan

When you discover how to actively engage your people to deliver Passionate Performance, you start a powerful and self-reinforcing cycle that builds value for your organization. This creates a unique, sustainable  competitive advantage. Given enough time and re s o u rces, your competitors can replicate your products, distribution channels and technology. However, Passionate Performance cannot be easily duplicated by your competition and creates a rock-solid wall of differentiation between you and the rest of the pack. This book offers practical strategies to help you engage your employees – their minds a n d h e a rts. Using these strategies will cre a t e a precious and powerful competitive advantage for your organization. I hope these pages inspire y o u r mind and heart with ideas that help you evoke Passionate Performance from your team. Read, enjoy and engage! “If your company is going to put customers first, then you must put employees more  first.” –  Tom Peters Management Consultant and Author 10 Copyright c Lee J. Colan