Collaboration’s Jennifer Porcher honored among The Top 20 Under 40

January 28, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Leadership
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By Collaboration

Collaboration’s Jennifer Porcher was honored as one of this year’s winners of The Tribune’s Top 20 under 40. This is an incredible tribute to Jennifer’s achievements, both personally and professionally, and our team is extremely proud of her.

As a partner at Collaboration, Jennifer has a unique talent for identifying individuals’ strengths and helping them utilize those strengths to achieve their goals. She develops and facilitates Collaboration’s educational and custom business training programs, and is passionately committed to her clients’ success.

Our congratulations to all of this year’s recipients! Click here for a complete list and photos from The Tribune.

San Luis Obispo Chamber Elects New Chair of the Board of Directors

January 27, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Leadership, Relationships in Business
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Written by Whitney Diaz, Director of Internet Services and Publications, San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce has elected well-known small-business expert Michael Gunther, founder and partner of Collaboration Business Consulting, as the new chair of the Board of Directors.
Gunther brings an important small-business perspective to the Chamber in a time when small businesses are facing new challenges. About 90 percent of the Chamber’s membership base is made up of these smaller businesses (with 20 employees or less), so there’s no doubt his leadership will be invaluable in the coming year.

As the oldest voluntary organization on the Central Coast, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce boasts a membership of about 1,500 area businesses and organizations and a staff of 15. The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that is an independent business advocacy organization that is not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or any other Chamber of Commerce.

“I really see an opportunity for the Chamber to reinvent itself,” Gunther said. “This more competitive economy is the new norm, so how do we as a Chamber want to operate within this new norm? There is a real opportunity for the Chamber to build upon its strengths and stay on the cutting edge of technology and services to its members.”

Gunther leads the Collaboration team, a team whose vision is to inspire, educate and empower individuals and organizations to achieve their full potential. And, he suggested, the Chamber needs to look toward the future with eyes wide open, especially with so many changes ahead – including new leadership at the local government levels and within Cal Poly and Cuesta College.

“We have an opportunity to achieve the next level of potential as an organization. By cultivating new relationships and using the Economic Vision document as our guide, we plan on developing a strong strategic plan to continue implementing our vision,” Gunther said.

He first got involved in the Chamber in 2003 after meeting several past board members in an executive networking group in San Luis Obispo. His initial association with the Chamber was as a facilitator for the annual Board of Directors retreat that year. He then jumped right in to serving on a Chamber committee. Later, he was elected to the board and subsequently served as vice chair, legislative affairs.

“I felt that I had gained so much knowledge about the community through the committee,” Gunther said. “It just got me vested in the community by showing me what the Chamber’s role is and how involved it is in the community. The Chamber has benefitted me personally as well as professionally by helping develop my professional skills and knowledge, and connecting me with countless business and community leaders.”

Gunther founded Collaboration in Atlanta, Georgia in 1995, and moved back to California (he was born in Southern California) in 2003.

“We spent two years researching between San Diego and Seattle, looking for where we wanted to live,” Gunther explained. “We came back to San Luis Obispo, and as we walked around we realized that this is what we were looking for. There’s something intangible about this place that was just lacking everywhere else.”

As the fourteenth born in a family of 17 children, Gunther learned at an early age that he had to work hard for what he wanted.

“I grew up with a really strong work ethic, but I was also an avid learner,” Gunther said. “That’s what makes our team at Collaboration work so well together – we’re always learning. When we think about the work we do, we just love having an impact both on our clients and our community.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree in business at Loyola Marymount University, he became the youngest vice president of Shurgard, Inc. running a $40 million division in the southeast. From there, Gunther pursued his interest in strategic thinking and management and received his master’s degree in psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology, became Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Certified, and earned his FastTrac Facilitator & Administrator Certification from the Kauffman Foundation.

“I decided to get my master’s degree in psychology instead of business because I discovered that business success is tied directly with the people and their behaviors. It’s our behaviors that often hold individuals back in achieving success in business,” Gunther explained. “So if you can understand what you need to shift in your own behaviors and how to make that change, you can get the outcome you want.”

Gunther is devoted to strengthening the community and businesses within it. He is on the External Advisor Board for Cal Poly NSF Partnership for Innovation Program; he has participated on the Board of both the Friends of Prado Day Center and the Community Foundation’s Growing Together Initiative; he is an alumni of the Leadership San Luis Obispo Class XIV; and he has performed pro bono work for Economic Vitality Corporation, YMCA, United Way, Rotary Daybreak Club, and San Luis Obispo Art Center. Now, he takes on the role of chair of the board for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.

“The Chamber really focuses on doing the right things to strengthen our community – through its board, volunteers and staff,” Gunther said. “It’s a well-run machine, which really allows us to attract the people want to participate in implementing the Chamber’s goals.”

Seven board members will join Gunther as officers of the Chamber’s Executive Committee, which exercises the powers of the board between those times when board meetings are held.

The 2011 Executive Committee includes:
•    Vice Chair, Community Affairs -  TekTegrity CEO Russ Levanway
•    Vice Chair, Membership/Operations – United Way of SLO County’s COO Charlene Rosales
•    Vice Chair, Economic Development – The Tribune President and Publisher Bruce Ray
•    Vice Chair, Legislative Affairs – Digital West Networks Inc. President Tim Williams
•    Treasurer – Promega Biosciences President Kristen Yetter
•    Board Counsel liaison – Madonna Enterprises Real Estate Manager Clint Pearce
•    Past Chair – Pacific Energy Company President and owner John Ewan  

For more information, visit www.slochamber.org.

To be successful in business, get out of your comfort zone

January 27, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Growing Your Business, Leadership, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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By Michael Gunther

It’s always interesting to me to see organizations or individuals reach a point when they stop learning and growing. Maybe the company achieved some success with a product or service. Or the individual has been praised so much for his or her abilities that he or she believes the point of excellence has been attained. I often see these same successful organizations and individuals begin a slow downward spiral because they believed they ‘made it’ and had nothing more to enhance or improve.

In the words of Mark Twain, “A stagnated mind dies. In life you are either moving forward or backward. Nothing stays the same.” Meaning that if you’re not moving forward by learning and growing, others around you are, and therefore you’re sliding backwards and losing relevance to your customers and your organization.

When was the last time you ventured out of your comfort zone? When did you push yourself or your organization to try something new, something outside your current capabilities or knowledge that would force you to develop new skills or create a new modus operandi? Fear of the unknown can be a huge deterrent and trap people from progressing. I would challenge you to use this fear as your indicator that it’s time to stretch yourself and take a leap of faith to try something new.

To assist with this process, I’ve created The 4 P’s of Successful Change: Planning, Participation, Perseverance and Patience.

• Planning Before you take that leap, spend some time planning your course. What is it that you want to change? What are the intended outcomes? How do you plan to outline the process? What other resources or individuals should you include in this process? Answering these basic questions will lighten that fear of the unknown and add some direction to your new goal.

• Participation It’s important to include others in your process of change. You might meet people who have the skill or knowledge you seek. It’s also proven that when you declare your goals to others, there’s a greater chance of accomplishing them. By sharing with your co-workers, customers and friends, they’ll routinely ask about your progress and in turn create a greater sense of accountability.

• Perseverance Change requires clear direction, but likewise the flexibility to amend your course since the environment around us is always adjusting. True lasting change takes time. You need to be committed to your long term goals and dedicated to the path you create with the ability to be flexible along the way.

• Patience Even positive change can add stress. Trying something new and venturing outside our comfort zones isn’t easy. So I ask you to have patience with yourself as you try new approaches and programs. I’m sure you’ll make mistakes along the way, but that’s how individuals and organizations learn and grow.

The Bottom Line

Organizations and individuals must always be learning and growing. If not, they will suffer a slow death of outdated products, services, skills or process. I encourage you to identify the areas where you believe you are in a ‘comfort zone’ and begin developing a plan to push yourself and your organization to the next level of knowledge and performance.

Top 10 reasons San Luis Obispo is the happiest city in America

January 25, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Professional and Personal Life Balance
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By Collaboration

Today on Oprah—yes, the Oprah—there is going to be a segment about happiness which includes the happiest city in America, San Luis Obispo. Jenny McCarthy came to SLO last week to see for herself and report back to Oprah about what makes this city so “happy.” She toured the area and interviewed locals—including our very own Michael Gunther—and today we get to see the rest of the story.

So what makes living and working here so “happy?” Well, here’s my top 10 guesses:

1. Only 50 days per year of measureable rain, leaving 306 days of sunshine!
2. Every Thursday night the downtown hosts a sizeable Farmers Market, with live music, fresh produce, crafts and local restaurant samplings.
3. There are more than 6,500 acres of protected open space for hiking, biking and yearlong outdoor activities.
4. This year marks the 17th year of the annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.
5. SLO was recently cited as #89 of the most socially active cities in the country.
6. Every Friday evening during the summer, Mission Plaza hosts Concerts in the Plaza, a free series, with local bands, beer, wine, and plenty of room for dancing.
7. SLO is located just 11 miles inland of the Pacific Ocean, nestled in a comfortable Mediterranean climate.
8. In 1948, the Frisbee was born right here in a garage in SLO.
9. Several very well known businesses were also born right here in SLO: Copelands Sporting Goods, Kinkos and Jamba Juice!
10. Last but not least, we have Bubblegum Alley—exactly how it sounds.

But don’t take my word for it. Tune in to The Oprah Show today at 4, and see what she has to say!

Best Practices for Small Businesses

January 19, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Growing Your Business, Management
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By Collaboration

Simply stated, a “Best Practice” is a proven method which delivers the best outcome. Google the term and you’ll find pages upon pages of results—from website design to energy efficiency and even geographic mapping. Hundreds of people have performed the same tasks and each step has been tested and proven to uncover the best course of action.

Those who utilize the best practices within their organizations don’t just maintain businesses, they grow and build the most successful companies. Their employees are the most productive and positive. Their management is the most effective and motivated. And they are the most profitable. So what are these mysterious Best Practices?

Over the course of the next few months we will be uncovering the answers as we examine the routines, procedures and results of hundreds of area businesses. By identifying the leaders in key areas including sales, marketing, operations, production, human resources, management and financial/legal, we’ll create the key to unlock the secret to small business success, and guides you to becoming a Collaboration Best Practice Business!

Do you think you’re already employing some of these methods? Do you know you’re lacking in certain areas? Find out how your organization stacks up against the best of the best, and discover what you can do to lead your company to the top. Register to reserve your spot in this study and guide your company to greatness!

New Year, New Perspective, New Norm

January 17, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Leadership, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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By Michael Gunther

Another new year is upon us and hopefully you’ve survived the storm called the “Great Recession.” I’d imagine if you’re like most business owners, your perspective and attitude has now shifted to address the aftermath. Although the storm has passed, we’re left with some new realities and lingering issues that will continue to impact businesses in the coming years.

• Credit is going to continue to be tight in the foreseeable future. With foreclosures still growing as well as personal and business bankruptcies increasing, you can expect the banks to maintain tough lending standards. In reality, these standards may prevent another melt down from reoccurring in the long term, but they may also constrict growth of healthy, small businesses. At some point the pendulum will have to swing back to the middle.

• The housing market is still unstable, with foreclosures increasing and housing prices in the 20 major markets decreasing. This is good for first time home buyers, but doesn’t bode well for individuals who are upside down with their mortgages. This trend has a tendency to lead to more foreclosures which then puts pressure on the rest of the business sectors.

• Unemployment remains at high levels, and may even slightly grow. The current numbers are a little misleading. They don’t include the underemployed (individuals working part time or in jobs under their typical pay level) or the unemployed who are no longer receiving unemployment benefits (as they’re considered to be no longer seeking jobs). If these two groups were included, unemployment sits somewhere between 17-18%. The economy we’re operating within today is the new ‘norm.’ Economists predict a 3-4% growth rate this year, yet, we need a growth rate of at least 5% to begin to make a dent in the unemployment numbers.

• More reductions in government and increasing taxes. Almost every government entity (Federal, state and local) is dealing with unprecedented revenue declines, increased borrowing and increasing costs. Where private industries are quick to react to economic conditions, the government tends to lag. I anticipate we’ll see an impact of these choices by our government leaders in the form of increased taxes, decreased services, increased interest rates and employee layoffs, none of which will help a struggling economy.

I highlighted these issues not to discourage you, but to reinforce the current ‘norm’ in which we have to operate our businesses. Unlike past recessions that were short lived, the impact of this “Great Recession” is going to last for many more years. Rather than being discouraged, we should view this as an opportunity to build a solid foundation for growth.

In fact, this last year I met as many business owners who were struggling as I did who were seeing significant growth. So, what’s the difference?

A proactive attitude, perseverance of action and a realization that they can only control those things within their sphere of influence. They’re not hoping or wishing things will get better; they’re taking direct, focused action to deal with the issues within their businesses and their marketplaces. They’re making the tough decisions, but also leading their teams with a strong purpose and direction for the future.

I remember growing up in the recession of the 70’s which then turned into hyperinflation. My parents had to make some difficult decisions based on their financial situation and my dad’s union going on strike. They pulled us all out of private catholic schools and put us into public schools. They cut back on clothing and food budgets (I remember eating a lot of noodle casseroles—a little bag of pasta and a pound of meat can go a long way). We all had to work to generate our own funds for extra-curricular activities. We participated in more family games and picnics for entertainment, which actually brought us closer together.

What stands out in my memory is that they never sweated the details (at least from our perspective). They led the way by making tough decisions and keeping positive attitudes, regardless of our situation. They always had faith that no matter what, they would make things work and keep us all happy and healthy.

The Bottom Line

As a leader, you have a choice every day on how to approach your business in the aftermath of this storm called the “Great Recession.”  Those who will not only survive but thrive will be the leaders who remember that their job is to LEAD the way and provide the attitude and perseverance to which others will gravitate towards and put their energy behind.

The Magic Trick Behind Business Consulting

January 12, 2011   /   by Collaboration   /   in Growing Your Business, Management, Overcoming Challenges in Business
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By Collaboration

You hired a business consultant… Abracadabra! Your business is up 30%, your team is motivated and productive, and you are sleeping at night. It’s that simple, right? Not so fast. A business consultant can be a valuable resource and wealth of information, but they don’t carry magic wands, and they don’t do your work for you. The results come from one key ingredient which has so often been overlooked in the past.

So what is this key to success? It’s very simple, but it’s the most difficult piece of the puzzle: Implementation. When we first begin working with a new client, we uncover broken processes. But we don’t just identify problems, we provide solutions and give them the tools to make changes. The “a-ha!” moment comes when they start to understand how processes are supposed to work, how to take measurements, and then utilize those measurements to improve daily operations of the organization. Our clients learn that processes aren’t just ideas and possibilities. If implemented, they become solutions to core business challenges. The results to the bottom line are soon to follow.

We recently had a company meeting and discussed different success stories of our past clients. A pattern emerged. They were natural learners, always seeking knowledge and looking for ways to improve their businesses. Before working with Collaboration, they felt like they had exhausted their resources, and were still experiencing the same challenges. They didn’t know what they were missing. They were frustrated, some on the verge of calling it quits, but they were not giving up that easily.

When we introduce the R.P.M. Business Model (Relationship, Processes, Measurements) to address what hasn’t ever been implemented, everything starts to come together. They have a system in place to monitor the most important elements of their businesses, and they see what they’ve been missing. By building and maintaining relationships, applying the right processes, and taking measurements of the results, an owner has a clear picture of what’s going on within the organization. Even though they may have learned this in the past, they now have the skills and guidance to implement the improvements at a rapid rate.

Sales begin to increase, and owners get excited about their businesses again. Behaviors begin to shift. They develop better leadership qualities, and become re-energized. They get back the passion and drive they once had. They’re able to focus on key issues, and delegate responsibilities to their management team. Everyone understands how their role applies to the organization as a whole, and the productivity increases. And that’s the magic of effective business consulting!