THE EXPONENT: Volume 2002, Number 6

Welcome!

"Who's in charge here?" Sometimes it probably feels like that's the question that you want to ask. "Who really is controlling my, my chapter's, and Triangle's destiny?"

I bet you can guess the answer, but just in case you can't, here's a little exercise for you. Point your index finger at something. Yes, just like you would any other time and just as if you were accusing that thing of some wrongdoing. Now, before you go ballistic at whatever it is that you've chosen, take a look at the pointing hand. One finger, most likely your index finger, is pointed at the thing. Your thumb is tucked in and is probably no pointed at much other than the air or the floor. BUT, the other three fingers are pointing right back at you.

So ask yourself again who is in control of your life, to whom you should look for leadership to make change for the better. It doesn't matter if you're an active trying to "repair" or improve your chapter, you're trying to improve your grades, you're trying to improve your attitude, or you're a 60 year old alumnus who wants to do something different. YOU are the one who must drive the change. YOU are the one who must get up from bed each day, putting your feet on the floor, and then go out and overcome those obstacles and surmount those evils you face.

YOU. Go to it. Grow. Be better today than yesterday. Relentlessly pursue excellence!

You DA MAN!

• Prove It!
• If It's Going to Be, It's Up to Me: Taking Responsibility for Choices in Our Lives
• How're You Doing?

Prove It!

Tim Eiler minn87, Exponent Editor

In the book Techno-Ready Marketing (The Free Press, 2001), authors Parasuraman and Colby talk about how to create a simple strategy for proving to your customers the benefits of the product you offer. The method is pretty simple, really. Mostly, it asks you to answer some questions. The other important part of it is that it causes you to think the way your customer thinks -- you are trying to convince THEM after all, not you.

• Write down, using the back of a napkin and NO technical jargon, a listing of the product's features.

• Write down, using the back of a napkin and NO technical jargon, an explanation of why each feature of the product REALLY MATTERS to the consumer - how each has a positive influence on the consumer's life? For example, does it save the consumer time, money, stress, pain? In what ways does it contribute pleasure, inspiration, excitement, peace of mind?

• How well do customers understand the vision? Once educated about the technology, do consumers have their own vision, and what is that vision?

• In what language should benefits be articulated so consumers can understand them? Consumers can usually see the benefits in qualitative terms, but businesses need to see it in bottom-line terms, for example.

So, the age old question "Why does this matter to me?" pertains here.

If you're a professional person, or will be, it matters to you because you need to understand how business really works to be completely effective. Very, very few tech types ever "get to" (want to, etc) be islands who only write code, design hardware, architect buildings, or whatever. We almost all act as parts of teams. At one time or more we all wind up trying to decipher customer requirements and wind up actually -- heaven forbid -- talking to customers. It makes sense, therefore, that we each need to think like what the authors talk about in the questions. I'd like to say that being able to do so is something that will help you get ahead and, in fact, it will in comparison to those who can't do so. On the other hand, now that the job market is so tight again, I think that being able to do this kind of thinking (and acting well upon it) is pretty much just ante into the game.

If you're a participant in a chapter, it matters to you because you need to understand why it is that you or anyone else would want to join your chapter and Triangle. You need to have thought through, however rudimentarily, what "features" your chapter offers, how each feature benefits a potential member, whether customers understand your vision of what Triangle can do, and how you should talk to them to help them understand.

That may sound hard to some of you. Perhaps the harder it sounds, the more you need the practice. Others may think it strikes them as pretty easy. If you're one of those, then I dare you to make it happen. You will benefit from it every bit as much as those whom you would ask to buy or join.

If It's Going to Be, It's Up to Me: Taking Responsibility for Choices in Our Lives

Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success
Jim Clemmer, http://www.clemmer.net

A 38 year-old man was at his parents' home for Sunday dinner. He mournfully turned the discussion to his many problems; "I've just left my third failed marriage, I can't hold onto a job, I'm in debt up to my ears and will have to declare personal bankruptcy" he whimpered. "Where did you go wrong?"

When things go wrong, it's easy to blame others. Blaming others for our difficulties is the easy way out. That's why it's so popular. Turn on any daytime talk show and you'll find endless examples of people blaming everybody and everything for the way their lives have turned out.

But the happiest and most successful people - the leaders who get things done and get on with their lives -- know that life is an endless series of choices, and take responsibility for these choices as well as the consequences of their actions. Leaders choose to control their destiny so fate and others don't. They believe that choice more than chance determines their circumstances. Even in circumstances for which they're not responsible, they still take responsibility for their actions.

Leaders recognize that they have control and choice over a number of key factors:

• Choose Not to Lose - Whether we choose to focus on our problems or our possibilities is a key leadership issue. When we are faced with obstacles and failure, those who can overcome adversity and learn from their experiences, turning them into opportunities, are the ones who will be truly successful.

• Perceived Reality - Most so-called "facts" are open to interpretation and are highly dependent upon what's being read into them. We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are. Too often, we let our problems trap us deep inside our own "reality rut". As long as we're stuck there, we can't see out of the rut to the possibilities beyond.

• Choosing Our Outlook - An optimist expects the best possible outcome and dwells on the most hopeful aspects of a situation. Pessimists stress the negative and take the gloomiest possible view. And while we may have been given a tendency toward optimism or pessimism at birth or from our upbringing, we decide what we want to be from today forward.

• Choosing To Let Go of Deadly Emotions - Another milestone in our growth is when we accept responsibility for our emotions. It's less painful to believe that anger, jealousy, or bitterness are somebody else's fault or beyond our control. But that makes us prisoners of our emotions. We stew in our deadly emotions. For our own health and happiness, we must exercise our choice to let go. No matter how long we nurse a grudge, it won't get better. We need to truly forgive and forget. Forgiveness is not for the other guy, it is for ourselves.

• Choosing Our Thoughts - In his 19th century Journals, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day." If we continue to think like we've always thought, we'll continue to get what we've always got. Our daily thought choices translate into our daily actions. Our actions accumulate to form our habits. Our habits form our character. Our character attracts our circumstances. Our circumstances determine our future. Taking responsibility for our choices starts with choosing our thoughts.

Leaders realize that life accumulates; the choices we make - good and bad - are like deposits in a bank account. Over the years we can build up a wealth of success and happiness or a deficit of despair and discouragement. It's up to us. As with any active bank account, few of these choice accumulations are permanent. However, the longer we allow poor choices to accumulate, the more time and effort will be needed to shift that balance. Now is the time for action. There's still time. If not now, when?

How're You Doing?

Tim Eiler minn87

That's a good question. Most people seem to ask it as a polite formality. You know, "Joe" bumps into in the hallway and asks it. You generally reply something like "fine" or "alright." Sometimes "Joe" doesn't really even care how you are. Sometimes you're not even honest in your response -- maybe you're having a really crappy day when you say "fine." This kind of exchange is fine. It's the grease that keeps the world of people going.

When it comes to keeping tabs on how Triangle is doing, though, not knowing how things are really going is not grease at all. It's rust and it will grind at the health of the chapter.

As a leader in your chapter, you should establish a simple set of metrics by which to monitor the chapter's health if there are none now. If these metrics exist now, do your best to continue monitoring and understanding what they tell you.

Some things to monitor are pretty easy. Thanks to the Chapter Performance Awards (CPA) and minimum size standard, you already gather the information. How are your numbers -- are they enough to make it easy for you to sustain a low-recruitment year? How is your class balance -- will you graduate most of your current members in any one year, making it hard to sustain success? Are your receivables (member bills) coming in well or do you have a problem with delinquencies? Are you paying your bills promptly? And so on.

Some others are more esoteric. Measure the attitude of the overall chapter. Are people happy to be Triangles? Do they hide their membership or "show it off?" Do they tell people about Triangle? Do they shirk their duties in maintaining the chapter facilities or do them without too much griping? Do they attend meetings? Do they look forward to initiations and the like? Do they demonstrate the characteristics of a Triangle man, following the precepts and the code of ethics? And so on.

Now, what you do with the information is more important than the data itself, but in order to use the info, you've got to collect the data first. Set down a list of the questions and the things you'll be looking at to determine the health of the group. Share it widely amongst the members so they know what you think makes a solid chapter. Review the information regularly. It's easy to think you know what's going on just by being "there." It's too easy to not see the forest for the trees that way, though. This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds.

Hope you enjoyed this issue!!! If you have questions, feel free to email the editor ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Tim Eiler
Exponent Editor

Relentlessly pursuing excellence!