An incredible transformation of the Shanghai skyline in just 20 years, via Gizmodo:

The top picture is from 1990 and the bottom from 2010.

My job isn’t to show up with all of the answers, although I sometimes have experience with a previous client who was also trying to do what you’re trying to do. Usually, and counter-intuitively, my job is to show up with questions – frame the discussion, define the problems, and coordinate the solutions.

The projects I’ve had of which I’m most proud have all started with the client trusting me enough to give me the leeway in determining how I could best add value. They let me discover where their staff was experiencing pain, what processes were broken, and what was being overlooked. It’s not that they didn’t know what was happening in their companies; it’s that they had enough confidence in their colleagues and in their own leadership to let an outsider poke around. They knew that a little extra investment up front would pay dividends at the end of the project. If they had wanted someone to come in and simply perform a set of tasks, I’m guessing they would have hired a temp.

I know that this has a strong whiff of arrogance, but I mention it because you could, right now, be getting a lot more out of your vendors by simply asking them, “How would you do this?”

Knowing the liquidation curve is crucial to effectively managing an agency. Here’s a short refresher on how to calculate it:

1. Start with your month-batch report (aka step-down, 12 by 12, and others) – this report will tell you the liquidation of each month’s placements over the past twelve months.
2. Create a graph with Months on the x-axis and Recovery % on the y-axis and plot the point for each month.
3. Connect the dots; the result is your liquidation curve.

Generally, it will rise sharply for the first 2 or 3 months, before leveling and then slowly dropping off. You can use this curve to determine when to return accounts, whether you’re applying resources early enough, and the lift you’re getting from reporting to credit bureaus, receiving info from skip vendors, or other stages in your workflow.

I read a lot of business books and magazines which devote much space to profiles of successful business leaders. The implicit subtitle is always, “Do what this guy did and you can have what he has.” That is such a load of crap. There are just so many variables at play. The exact same steps can never be replicated with precisely the same outcome because of changing economics, demographics, consumer desire and mood, ad nauseum.

Adding to the irritation is the usual statement by the CEO being profiled that his success is mostly due to being in the right place at the right time. While there’s no doubt that a certain amount of luck is helpful; successful people have a tendency to create their own luck – they keep their eyes open to opportunities and are pretty good at applying their skills in unique ways to create additional value. The thought that it’s all owed to luck really cheapens the work and energy that went into the endeavor.

You can be successful, too, and luck – or the lack thereof – is a really lame excuse for inaction. There is no playbook. You have to figure things out. It’s hard. Go get started.