FranklinCovey Blog | September, 2010

Career Focus—Act Without Vision If You Have To.

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 | Executive Mama, Great Work, Great Career | 1 Comment

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

 Paradox:  If the vision doesn’t come to you immediately, act without vision.

When Ann Dunwoody, a U.S. Army lieutenant general, was nominated to be the first female four-star general in the nation’s history, she said: “I grew up in a family that didn’t know what glass ceilings were.”   One imagines that to ascend the ranks and break down barriers, Ann Dunwoody must have uncovered her vision at a young age.  Her father was, in fact, a career Army officer and she joined the Army immediately following graduation from college.  Unlike Ann, many of us, myself included, fumble along not knowing what we are “meant to do.”  My high school talent survey came up with three possible jobs I was well suited for:  an accountant, because I have decent math skills and can focus intensely on a problem, a forest ranger, presumably because I love to hike and camp, and a fashion model (?) which only makes sense in light of the fact that I used to spend a lot of time on my hair.  (It was the 80’s and it took a long time to get my bangs to stand straight up and stay there.) 

Why didn’t the talent survey suggest “CEO” or “President of the United States,” jobs that both require math and problem-solving skills and can have immense impact on the environment?  And the even better question, why would I complain about the talent survey outcomes?  At least I’m American, where accountant and forest ranger are possibilities for women.  There are plenty of places where women don’t have any options beyond “make dinner.”

But here is the problem for many of us who are not Ann Dunwoody:  we are frozen, inactive, waiting for our “calling” our “best life” our “mission and vision” to hit us on the head like a religious conversion.  And until then, we’ll remain vaguely dissatisfied with the world and ourselves.  There is a book on theology written by Dick Gilbert that quotes an anonymous author avoiding the call to leadership by saying, “Give me causes, O God, to theorize, argue, talk about.  Let me think of problems far away.”   Because it is safer to theorize at the water cooler or post complaints on a blog then to act.                

                I say, “ACT!” 

                Then reflect. 

Invest time thinking about what you’re doing. 

Write about your actions. 

And from that, a vision will emerge.  Susan B. Anthony is a great example.  She was an active Abolitionist, taught school for 15 years, then worked in the temperance movement.   Because she was a woman, she was not allowed to speak at temperance rallies. This experience, along with her acquaintance with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, led her to join the women’s rights movement in 1852. Soon after, she dedicated her life to woman suffrage, working tirelessly as President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association until she retired at age 80.  Women earned the right to vote with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, 14 years after her death.

When did her vision become clear?  In hindsight, she was “meant” to lead the suffrage movement.  But everything she did until that point led to her being uniquely prepared to lead.  I always tell my daughters, “Luck favors the prepared.”  Opportunity is not going to strike working toward something with focus and dedication, continuously learning, and upgrading your contribution.

Author: Jennifer Colosimo, Chief Operations Officer at FranklinCovey

Follow Jennifer on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jencolosimo

FranklinCovey Co. Releases New Web Analytic Tool That Measures Consumer Trust

Thursday, September 9th, 2010 | Press Releases | No Comments

The Speed of Trust Analytics Tool Released by Franklin Covey Measures Consumer Trust Within Industries, Companies and Among Competitors Based on Web Chatter

SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC), global trust consulting and training leader, announced today the release of The Speed of Trust Analytics, a new Web analytic tool that harvests millions of records on the Internet and then analyzes information regarding the level of consumer trust in an industry, a company and its products and services, compared to its competitors.

The Speed of Trust Analytics uses new technologies and proprietary linguistics programming to extract trust messaging as it relates to an organization on websites, blog sites, news sites and many other locations, including social media sites. It offers an unbiased examination of consumer “chatter” and then highlights the organizations’ trust gaps, differentiators, strengths and weaknesses based upon the principles in The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, written by the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Stephen M. R. Covey.

“Trust is a perception and is the single most powerful asset or liability of any organization,” said Stephen M. R. Covey, Trust Practice Leader, Franklin Covey Co. “With this new tool, our clients can measure how their clients, suppliers, distributors, investors, consumers and other stakeholders perceive their organization and how they rank within their industry compared to their competitors without the bias of surveys. This is a great benefit to our customers and will also significantly increase the impact our Speed of Trust offering is having in the marketplace.”

The competitive advantage that sets this tool apart is the ability to measure not just trust levels as most surveys do, but the trust components—specific behaviors, that make or break an organization’s reputation. The Speed of Trust Analytics tool answers questions for organizations seeking to know how trusted they are in the marketplace, such as:

• How trusted is your company and brand?
• Is your company a top trusted company within your industry?
• How do you compare to your competition?
• Why do people trust or distrust your company?
• What differentiates trust regarding your company and your competitors?
• What are your company’s trust strengths and weaknesses?

The Speed of Trust Analytics Tool includes an examination of the significant behavioral elements which correspond to the 13 Behaviors of High Trust, the significant credibility elements which correspond to the 4 Cores of Credibility (integrity, intent, capabilities, and results), and a summary of character vs. competence issues.

Franklin Covey also offers the following profiles relating to trust:

The Speed of Trust Industry Profile and Analysis

(To download a free sample, go to www.SpeedofTrust.com/analytics)

Examines current trends in industry trust and highlights the major trust problem areas. Also provides a complimentary, general overview of trust in the following industries:

The Speed of Trust Competitor Profile

Examines consumer trust, the trust position of a company in the industry as compared to selected competitors and major trust problem areas and provides specifics on trust and credibility.

The Speed of Trust Product & Service Profile

Examines consumer trust related to specific products or services. The report examines overall Web presence, competitive Web presence, assessment of attitude, tone and emotion, product credibility assessment, and trust strengths and weaknesses.

The Speed of Trust Analytics tool was developed by Groundswell, a pioneer in linguistic and statistical analytic technologies. It is used by Fortune 500 organizations in marketing and by the U. S. Government in law enforcement and the war on terror.

Pricing and Availability

The cost for The Speed of Trust Industry Profile is complimentary. The Speed of Trust Competitor Profile is $3,000 per report and it is $10,000 per report for The Speed of Trust Product and Service Profile. For more information or to order a Speed of Trust profile, or to discuss these tools with a Franklin Covey senior consultant, please visit www.SpeedofTrust.com/analytics or email info@speedoftrust.com.