Some of you have heard the legendary stories from the rock band Van Halen and their energetic, volatile front man David Lee Roth. In addition to their penchant for tossing televisions off the balcony of hotel rooms, they also had a reputation for picky, princess-like request such as a bowl of M&M candies backstage with all colors except the brown ones. Roth was seen to go into full meltdown if he ever found brown M&Ms in the bowl.
What most people don’t know is that the brown M&M request was nothing more than a tripwire that alerted the band of potential trouble. You see, in the band’s early days, they would ride into a concert venue with up to 17 semi trucks full of stage and sound equipment. They had detailed manuals of how to set it all up, which were sent ahead to the crews who were contracted out locally. Buried deep in their detailed set-up requirements was the brown M&M request. Roth knew that if the M&M request wasn’t met, there was a good chance something else would be ignored. He would then flip out, requiring the crew to start over in their procedures.
Having a tripwire is a good idea, alerting you to potential trouble and danger. While most of us aren’t rock stars, we might benefit from a simple set of tripwires as an advance warning system.
- In my world, working with individuals and organizations, I’m aware of several warning signs of potential trouble. Here are some:
- Your organization is being acquired (look for duplicate positions to be eliminated).
- Your organization just lost a major account or client (revenue will be down, cuts might be coming).
- You are being deliberately left out of important meetings and decisions (your job may be on the line).
- Your industry is competing with a technology that might indeed spell the end of it (think Kindle and Borders Books or RedBox and Blockbuster Video).
- Your company is signing on with a new benefits provider (look for your out-of-pocket costs to go up and your benefits to be reduced).
- A major source of your client base signals an intent to monitor and cut costs (i.e. The Sequester: Agencies won’t be spending quite as much money).
- An RFP from a Government Agency has a very specific or odd-ball requirement for an assessment tool that is proprietary to one specific company and you have no connection to anyone in that agency. (this proposal is a waste of your time – the Government has somebody hand-picked for this contract. You’re just being sought out to cover their requirements for three competitive bids.)
Yeah I know some of these seem unfair and almost illegal but trust me, they’re real. I’ve learned the tripwires in business development and have seen them with individuals and clients. Your job is to look at your own career, organization, environment, and situation and think about what you’ll set as a tripwire. If you see it sprung, at least you’ll be better prepared for the potential fallout.
Just a word to the wise. What do you think?
