Archive for the 'Meetings' Category

Apr 11 2010

Age Difference Turf Wars?

“Lately, I see a lot of 

                                        

wise old hot-shots vs.

                                              

smart-ass young

                                      

rapper-snappers.  

                     

You?”

                                                                                                  

The same woman walks into two competing retail stores with age-different sales styles:

“Afternoon, Ma’am, how’s that traffic out there today? You drive far?” greets her at store number one.

“Hi Ma’am. Let me show you to our electronics department. I’m sure you’ll be interested in seeing the new Apple iPad. Can you believe that thing can do…?” is the first thing she hears as she enters store number two.

Disagreements come to a head once again in the professional services business down the street:

“Frank? Pfffft! All he’s got is that dusty old Rolodex thing with a thousand scribbled and crossed out cards. I think we should rent an up-to-date email list and send out a blast announcing our new services; combine that with a big splash on our website and let people download the info pages –like an ebook — on the apps we now offer in exchange for their email addresses.”

“Jaysyn? You gotta be kiddin’— he’s been here for six months, tryin’ to run everything and doesn’t have a clue about customer service. The kid’s got a Black Berry wired to his butt and an iPod growing outta his ear. We need to work our existing customer base to announce the new services, and most of them don’t even have computers, never mind email addresses.”

You own or run the business. It’s your call. How do you keep everyone happy and still keep customers coming in the door? What do you do if the old guy is your brother (brother-in-law, cousin, your father)? What if the young dude is your nephew (your wife’s best friend’s son, your banker’s son, your lawyer’s son, your own son)?

[Just by way of momentary diversion, I’m reminded that it’s often been said that the biggest problem with a family business, by the way, is the family. Lots of stories about that. I’ll save them for another post.] 

So, you have to do — first and foremost — what’s best for the business, right? Can you and the business afford ongoing turf wars? Is it just an age thing or do two or more same-age-range feisty types engage regularly in territorial battles? “I was assigned Westchester County and she was supposed to handle Rockland; now you’ve got her doing Northern Westchester. What’s with that?”

RULE ONE for getting things straightened out: Get things straightened out! Sit down with the people involved and get each to speak her or his piece with no interruptions allowed by you or the opposition forces. Take notes. Ask followup questions and ask for examples with no interruptions allowed by opposition forces.

Make a decision and explain your rationale with no interruptions allowed by opposition forces, then get on with life. Do not put off a decision. Do not waver on the rules on engagement and do not waver on your decision. Once you’ve established this as a procedure (and it may take 2-3 times), you’ll see fewer and fewer disruptive turf battles.

If you don’t see the strugglers taking chill-pills, you will see more and more evidence about which of the warring parties is most out of line and probably least productive. Let go of him or her, no matter who’s uncle or daughter or neighbor is involved. Be nice about it. Offer relocation help. But — for the sake of your business — stick to your guns and “e-li-minate the neg-a-tive”! 

Comment below or Hal@BusinessWorks.US Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! 

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Mar 30 2010

Email Leadership

If it’s not a surprise

                              

party invite,

                                                  

opt out of 

                            

“Bcc…” emails!

                                                                            

     True leaders are transparent throughout their daily conduct. They don’t just open the books, the files, the records, and their agendas to others, they think twice and email once. When you think you need to Bcc someone on an email, think again.

     Paint yourself a worst-case scenario. The To people and the Cc people find out about the Bcc person or people, and then where are you? [Up the paddle without a creek!]

     Just because we are becoming a less one-on-one social and more tech-social society, is no excuse to hide communications with others. If doing that feels essential, you may want to re-visit the purpose and intent of your message to begin with. In fact, you may want to re-visit your organization’s integrity. 

    By using email Bcc options as a matter of practice, you not only run the risk of jeopardizing your own credibility, you threaten the credibility of others. And you definitely set a bad precedent. People always think it’s okay to do what the boss does just because the boss does it. [They need some other reason?]

     If it’s impossible in your organization to be open and forthright about sensitive issues, it’s equally impossible to be an effective leader. Today’s generation doesn’t really care what your leadership messages have to say as much as they are preoccupied with and focused on what you do, and the examples you set. HOW you transmit a message is as important as the content of the message. 

     A Bcc user is a buttoned-up suit functioning out of a closed-door back office when people are looking for a frontline, hands-on leader with sleeves rolled up. Routine use of email Bccs sends out clandestine signals. How can others surmise anything trustworthy about someone who is known for constantly communicating behind their backs?

     Let’s say you have been charged with solving a customer service problem. Why would you leave the customer out of the communication loop? Afraid of the customer seeing weakness in your organization? Perhaps weakness has more to do with not communicating? [And fear is after all, a choice.]

     How about including your customer in the flow of communications so he/she can see and experience your organization’s commitment to resolving the issues at hand? Too risky? What’s the risk of no feedback about the problem-solving efforts? How do those dynamics apply internally?

     How would you respond to employees who Bcc you on emails they’re exchanging with their immediate supervisors? Would you confront the practice immediately or let it simmer? Would you share the news with the immediate supervisors?

     Would it depend on the circumstances and the people involved? Why? Why wouldn’t this, being a policy issue, be treated as a policy issue? What can be done to prevent the destructive practice from being practiced in the first place?   

Comment below or Hal@BusinessWorks.US Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Blog via RSS feed or $1/mo Kindle. GRANDPARENT Gift? http://bit.ly/3nDlGF

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Mar 15 2010

Interviewing? (Be a Detective!)

No matter which end of

                                          

the interview

                            

you’re on…

                                                      

     Few things can feel more satisfying than to win over the person at the other end of an interview by taking quiet control with championship communication skills.

     Active listening, thoughtful speaking and careful observations pay big dividends in employee/employer screening and hiring interviews, as well as in day-to-day operations.

     Yes, it’s true that nothing beats a great handshake, neat appearance, good grooming, eye-contact, and a bright smile for openers. But once you’re seated, you need a new set of tools.

     And no matter which end of the interview you’re on, be careful to not blow off a great first impression with lousy body language.

     When you sit back in your seat (especially in a sprawl and/or with hands clasped behind your head) you are giving off a superiority attitude that no one likes, even if you happen to be superior.

     If your arms, legs, ankles, hands, wrists are folded, you are communicating defensiveness, which will not work to your advantage, even if you are feeling that way.

     Open-ended questions provide the most revealing answers:

  • “Tell me what’s important to you that’s not on this resume?

  • What would you do if I gave you a million dollars cash right this minute?

  • Who or what has made the biggest difference in your life and how did that happen?

  • What would make you choose situation A over situation B even though B would offer you more money? (or better benefits?)

  • What’s the hardest work situation you’ve ever had to deal with?

  • How did you get started in this business anyway?”

are all good examples.

     WHAT the answers are to these or any other questions are only 20% important. HOW the answers are delivered accounts for 80% of what’s important! How rushed or deliberate are the responses?

     How serious or humorous are the answers? If humor is included, is it disparaging or self-effacing? In good taste? Does eye-contact have a focal point or is it more like staring? Leering? Avoiding?

Resist the temptation to fill the air with words.

Silence is a very useful and telling tool as long as it doesn’t go past the point of being intimidating.

In the same context, note taking is always a powerful practice; it keeps your attention focused; it supplements your memory banks; it’s flattering.

                                                                

     Prompt, then listen. Never hesitate to clarify with paraphrasing (“Do I understand you correctly to mean . . . ?” Fill in your own words to check the meaning of something you’re in doubt about). Ask for examples. Ask for diagrams. Offer examples. Offer diagrams.

     Be careful with any job candidate who seems preoccupied with issues involving compensation, insurance, vacations, sick days, personal timeoffs, overtime pay, time reporting, lunch and coffee breaks. If you’re a candidate, be careful of a prospective employer who doesn’t volunteer this information up front.  

     When you can be prepared to the point where the interview is something you look forward to, you are likely to be ready to communicate effectively no matter which end of it you’re on. When you can be a detective during the interview, and make adjustments along the way, you’ll be increasing your odds for success regardless of whether you’re asking or answering.   

Hal@BUSINESSWORKS.US 

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

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Mar 10 2010

WHY HANDSHAKES SELL . . .

“Apparently, human

                              

beings don’t need

                                      

to know someone in

                                         

order to believe that

                                                    

they know someone.”

                                                

–Malcolm Gladwell, in his article”The New-Boy Network” from his book, WHAT THE DOG SAW

             

     Astonishing confirmation of the news most of us know instinctively but probably never openly acknowledged has surfaced as a little tidbit of information in a remarkable new book from Malcolm Gladwell, the author of three best-selling books: The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers.

     A sale is made or broken in the first ten seconds!

    Gladwell doesn’t claim this. I do. Sadly I have no relationship with the man beyond being a great admirer of his brilliant writing skills, but I just finished this collection of his and had a hard time not bookmarking the thing beyond recognition. He raises the spectre that many new hires end up being ushered into businesses because they give great handshakes and eye contact and say the right first couple of words when they’re interviewed, regardless of how often or long they’re interviewed.

     Those of us who’ve spent careers engaged in sales and selling know this kind of responsiveness is what attracts customers and what closes sales. 

  •      SECOND #1, #2, and #3 of every sales encounter (which, if you think like most successful small business owners think, means: every encounter with every person every day . . . because when you run your own business, you must always be selling) is consumed with your smile, your appearance, your eye contact, your tone of voice, and your handshake.

  •      SECONDS #4-#10 are consumed with confirming or denying what the other person’s brain has taken in about you in those first 3 seconds. Skepticism usually leads to rejection  (or possibly some level of tacit approval, but not genuine receptivity).

     So, you’re in sales? Own or manage a business? Well, maybe it’s a good time to backtrack a bit and examine how you come across to others (especially strangers) in those critical  first 3 seconds?

     Do you communicate energy, enthusiasm, positiveness, good cheer? Do you just transmit these qualities like a reporter, or do you radiatethem like a tie-game coach at halftime? (No, not locker-room trash talk or yelling; radiating is all about inspiring and motivating.

     In the same context, is your handshake firm and sincere? Ask others to rate your handshake between a wet fish and a bone-crusher; it should be dead center between them; skewed to either end of that spectrum will cost sales . . . and friends.)

     The secret is one we all tend to forget or get careless about. It’s called (pssssssst!): authenticity. It’s a great thing to be true to oneself. It’s a sure bet to communicate/radiate your most genuine, most positive self to others at every opportunity. It will come back to you many times over in your life. It surely will make you more sales.

     Act like you mean it.

More importantly, mean it!

 

Hal@BUSINESSWORKS.US 

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

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Mar 09 2010

COLLABORATION (The New Business Mantra)

Are you playing

                          

with yourself?

                                      

. . . business is

                                  

a team sport!

                                                                                   

     Don’t you just love it when a word older than the Civil War makes a comeback and ends up on top of the heap? Collaboration. It’s the hot new buzz word in business. Who knew? It’s strategic alliance, cooperation, shared interests, communication, interaction, productivity, and teamwork all rolled into one.

     Whoa! And it’s not a legal, structured entity so there are no lawyers involved. What could offer greater promise for success?

     Did you think that just because you run your own business, you no longer need to worry about or deal with anyone else? Did you think “Solopreneuring” would or should render you independent? Did you think when you hung out your solo practitioner shingle, you could function completely on your own?

     No more. Maybe small business hasn’t yet caught up with the giant union-based companies feeding on bailout tax dollars, or the Silicon Valley techies housed in converted warehouses with coed bathrooms, and elevated bunkbeds hovering over their computer workstations. But small businesses ARE collaborative.

     Successful small business owners recognize they cannot withstand today’s economic forces with their incessant coastal flooding and gale warnings simply by hunkering down and having an inflatable lifeboat ready.

     Doctors (including those who directly compete) can no longer exist without other doctors’ referrals. Downtown business membership organizations (including many directly competitive retailers) work together to stimulate customer foot traffic. Online and offline services are sharing services with other online and offline services.

     Many compatible and/or competitive businesses are partnering up for centralized buying services in order to exercise greater clout in winning product and service quantity and shipping discounts. Many others share creative development talents. There are even collaboration website resources like http://www.collaboratingentrepreneur.com for small business owners (which is well worth a visit).

     Business employee alumni associations are cropping up with collaborative applications designed to capitalize on the life and career paths of former (retired or moved on) employees who have maintained loyalty and/or contact since leaving. New revenue streams and solidified client sales have evolved from these collaborations.

A FREE, do-it-yourself, 2-page Business Employee Alumni Association

How-To Guide is available via email to me at the address below.  

     The point is that if you’re playing with yourself (pardon the double entendre), you are living in the dark ages, and you need to come up for air, look around, and see how you can help yourself (and others) by combining forces, interests, and financial pursuits. No contracts, no lawyers, and no money required. Go for it!

Comment below or direct to Hal@BUSINESSWORKS.US Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT DayGet blog emails FREE via RSS feed OR $1 mo Amazon Kindle. Gr8 Gift 4 GRANDPARENTS: http://bit.ly/3nDlGF

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Feb 24 2010

TIME OUT FOR FAMILY!

Life lessons from

                              

an 8 year-old!

                                                                                          

     Yeah, I know, I know. Everyone has brilliant kids and grandkids. Just ask; you’ll get an earful, and that’ll probably be accompanied by an accordion photo show from the wallet or purse. The thing is we all talk about how bright kids are, but do we really listen hard to what they say and think hard about what’s behind the words they put out?

     Do you think they’re trying to tell us something?

     Check out the following messages which were bundled together and hand-lettered onto a little wall plaque gift from my 8 year-old granddaughter (who I was astonished to learn, has her own blog!):

Life is a question. No person on earth is your enemy but you. You can’t deside what you were born with but you can deside how you end up.

Being happy is beyond a feeling. Its a way of life. Questions are endless but only one awnser is you.

You can dream without imaganation but you can’t dream without a beleif.

You are who you are and know one can stop you.”

— Gwyn, Age 8 

     Where’s the business message? When times are tough and everyone seems to be struggling to make sales and dig out from under, temptation is great to work harder longer hours and let some family time slip away.

     I cast my vote against that idea. I’ve never known a business growth or sales situation to suffer from working harder, but I’ve seen many lives destroyed by breadwinners working longer hours.

     Of course there are bills to be paid, but there are also children to be raised and family roots to be planted, and nurtured. There’s an age-old excuse that surfaces frequently for the convenience of those who’ve chosen to set themselves up to get sucked into working longer hours.

     They say: “It’s the quality of the time we spend together as a family that counts.” Hard to argue with that, right? It makes sense, right? The trouble is that emotions don’t make sense, and families are all about emotions. Don’t let the sudden lack of financial independence thrust you into a family-distancing role of martyr. The stress alone isn’t worth the commensurate loss of life it cultivates.

     There are always other options.

     One major option is to stop thinking you have to carry the full load on your shoulders. Hold a family meeting. Keep it lighthearted, but discuss financial circumstances openly and honestly. Ask for ideas and input and don’t rush to judgement on thoughts shared that may at first seem empty or naive … like Granddaughter Gwyn’s philosophizing above.

     All well-intended thoughts have a meaningful core or point of origin. Search these out. Give the benefit of doubt. Ask yourself what you can learn from them, what they may cause you to think of. A small business is much more of a living entity than a giant corporation. It’s like a member of the family (and especially if it’s a family business!) so give it the benefit of others’ thoughts as well as your own.

     The more you ask for and listen attentively to input, the more you stand to gain in both respect and sales. The better your odds of achieving by working harder AND smarter without having to work longer.

Hal@BUSINESSWORKS.US 

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

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Feb 10 2010

How’s Your Employee Body Language?

Are You

                            

Communicating

                                        

Your Brains Out?

Before you throw in the frustration towel over the failure of those who work with you to follow the enlightened path of leadership you carve out, get in front of a mirror; take off your hat and toupee; and examine your brain(s).

If you’re thinking the people around you are getting dumber than horseshoes, see if maybe — just by chance — there are any big bumps on your brain that seem to be causing you to shut down the power valve on your communicating channels.

The first symptom is evident by measuring the expressions of those who work with you. If they’re yawning and listening to their watches or sextexting while you’re talking, you’re probably not giving them enough information. If they’re squinting and frowning and writing too frantically to even look up while you’re talking, you’re probably giving them too much information.

How will you know when you’re communicating just the right amount of information? People will look and act attentive. They’ll ask relevant questions. They’ll ask for examples to clarify their interpretations of your comments. They’ll ask for diagrams, resources, directions. You will see active nods of agreement and reasonably-paced note taking.

Alert, receptive people who are getting your message will sit or stand leaning slightly forward without (defensive) folded arms or legs or ankles or hands. Watch out for the guy who sprawls way back in his chair with (superiority) clasped hands behind his head! And beware the individual whose clasped hands form a forefinger “steeple” especially with forefinger-tips to her lips (which means she thinks she knows more than you about the subject, and is saving up her attack for the right, most devastating, moment)!

Those three posture-people are holding back what they really think, believe, or want to say. Don’t let them disrupt your flow or presentation. Call on them as soon as you see these body language clues. Ask for their thoughts right away. Encourage them to offer their opinions.

Then it’s your turn to listen carefully, make notes, and ask questions about their comments . Today’s leaders are those who rally teamwork by setting examples with their leadership. Active listening, observation skills, and feedback are all enormously important factors in leadership level communications.

Setting examples with your leadership requires you to communicate just the right amount of information to get things done. That means (besides listening, observation, and feedback) to process carefully what you see and hear, and to put your hat and toupee back on before you leave your mirror.

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Hal@Businessworks.US or 302.933.0911

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Jan 31 2010

Are You Singing Your Sales Song?

What music

that you hear

catches in your throat?

What piece of music, musician, vocalist, group or recording gives you goosebumps? Chills up and down your spine? A tear to your eye? Something catches in your throat? How does that happen? What emotion does it raise in you?

What or when or where or whom does it remind you of? How does it do that? Words? Instruments? Violin? Flute? Harp? Sax? Drums? Bagpipes? What about composition? Arrangement? Set and setting? Performers? Charisma? Rod Stewart? Taylor Swift? Bach? The Eagles? Satchmo? The Beatles? Joni Mitchell? Bing Crosby? Pavarotti? Judy Garland? The Supremes? Sugarland?

Listen, you’re a sales pro or you’re the boss of your business, right? So is it not true that you also earn your pay every day by going on stage, stepping into the spotlight, and singing your business sales song?

[“All the world’s a stage” you know. Shakespeare told us so!]

Well, okay, maybe you don’t exactly “sing” your spiel, but you do give it a special spin, true? And how much do the ways you present yourself to others capture the ingredients that you think others use to somehow catch what you hear in your throat?

Have you noticed yourself losing some steam lately? [Well, don’t beat yourself up. You’d have to be a monk or a hermit to not be suffering some wear and tear from this economy]. The point is that great music is delivered with great energy and great enthusiasm.

So are great business sales pitches.

You have a great song to sing about your business — benefits, values, innovation, features, employees, commitments, track-record, service, trust and integrity — are you delivering these messages with great gusto … or just slogging along?

Are you remembering that every encounter every day with every person is an exciting and unique new opportunity to create sales? Are you singing your sales song to employees and customers? To suppliers and associates? To prospects?

(Prospects! I mean, consider this: who isn’t a prospect? Even if you’re a Swiss Screw Precision Manufacturer cranking out precision metal microchip connection parts not much bigger than the head of a pin, and you sell them almost exclusively to government rocketship scientists and Silicon Valley muckity-mucks, you never know who knows who! Never. You never know if the person standing next to you at the railroad station, the airport, the grocery store is the cousin, uncle, mother, or best friend of one of those rocket or Silicon guys.)

Bottom line? You can never (well, hardly ever) be too enthusiastic about your business and what you sell, and why what you sell is so great because of what it provides in the way of benefits! I keep a reminder postcard on my desk that Kathy and I once got from dear friend Judy Vorfeld which is headlined:

“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life”

…followed by the notation:

“Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch.”

Just a small idea, but how about making every encounter you have tomorrow be a “Make-it-a-most-important-person-to-ever-hear-your-sales-song-day”? What have you got to lose? You might even be inspired to try it again on Tuesday. Ah, one final word to keep on the front burner as you make your grand entrance and repeat your performances: GENUINE.

Thanks, Judy!

[Visit Judy at  http://www.ossweb.com (her blog) and her wonderful free e-zines Communication Expressway www.ossweb.com/ezine.html and Webgrammar http://www.webgrammar.com]

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Hal@Businessworks.US 302.933.0116

Open Minds Open Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Jan 26 2010

COMMUNICATING WITH QUESTIONS

What Kinds of Answers

                                       

Do You Give?

                                                                                          

     I once had a boss who answered every question with a question. It became so predictable, I hardly ever asked him something without having all the backup information ready … I guess he was more savvy than I first imagined; and I learned from the annoyance factor alone.

     I had another boss who spouted out “Yes” or “No” (mostly “No”) as a response to everything asked of her. And if you tried to ask an open-ended question, she would tell you to rephrase the inquiry for a “Yes” or “No” response! Except for gaining some insight on the management style of a control freak, I never learned much of anything from her.

    When you answer some one’s question, do you elaborate on your thinking? By sharing your rationale, are you cultivating leadership or teamwork? Does this way of dealing with others take more time and effort? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Only you can say.

     The bottom line though would seem to be that when you have a business-vested or personal interest in the individual asking for your opinions, advice or decisions, you will probably be more interested in sharing the reasons behind your answers.

     So then along comes all the great psychological motivational gurus armed with studies which prove that those with whom time, patience and effort are spent will rise to the occasion and outperform those who are ignored or who are not taken so securely under the wing.

     Aha! Does that then mean if you explain yourself to some and not to others, you are exercising bias and perhaps precluding the potential success of those you simply snap at with your “Yes” or “No” verdicts?

     Short of sitting in some corner and chanting “Life is just one big manipulation operation and the chips need to fall where they may!” you might want to consider the following:

A snappy retort that’s not pointedly requested is an insult. It presumes the individual posing the question has no value and is not worthy of your time and energy.

Every question asked of you represents an opportunity to teach, and a chance to demonstrate leadership by example.

The way that you respond to questions is as important as your answer in the lineup of how others measure your leadership value, your trust, and your reputation.

Thoughtful questions and answers form the cornerstone to the building of employee loyalty and exceptional performance. And those qualities are the makings of innovative thinking, increased sales, heightened productivity, and a solid posture in the communities your business serves. 

……….Visit Hal’s Guest Blog Posts………. 

GOT A SICK WEBSITE?> @http://bit.ly/6iYe6g 

WHAT’S YOUR T-SHIRT SAY?> http://bit.ly/7K0s4a

 LEADERSHIP SEARCH?> 12/30 @http://bit.ly/XhN1h

 DOES NO BEAT MAYBE?> 1/6 @http://bit.ly/74qlG5

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Jan 20 2010

How do your sales and business gardens grow?

Water, Sunshine, Fertilizer 

                                    

and Good Hard Listening!

 

                                                               

     The most common report from thousands of employees (in hundreds of surveys done over the past 20 years) is that those who indicated they liked their supervisor all said something like:

“I like my boss. She listens to me.”

OR

“I like my boss. I can talk to him.”

                                                   

      So maybe you don’t care about being liked? Then click off to some vampire/zombie site and be done with you. A little harsh? No, and do you know why? Because you should care.

     Because, even though management isn’t a popularity contest — and there’s surely some truth to the old saying that you don’t have to like someone to do business with him — reality dictates nonetheless that people who do like their bosses prove over and over that they are more responsive, more productive, and more loyal.

     Being liked comes from one place: mutual respect.

 

     Respect for others comes about most often from listening, not just hearing. Consider the following:

     During a hectic business day, it’s normal for your mind to wander when you’re listening to someone talk. Most people talk at a rate of 100-150 words per minute (double this if you’re a chimpanzee, a disk jockey, or a teenager). But we listen at the rate of 600-800 words per minute. In other words, our minds (those of us who still have them) are going at a rate about four times faster than someone is speaking.

     When you’re speaking, this speed difference works in your favor because it lets you think ahead. But when you’re listening, the speed difference breeds daydreaming and impatience.

     The ability to listen and observe aggressively — to really hear and see what someone is communicating has far greater business implications than simply gaining insight.

     In selling, there is no greater asset!

     Your employees and customers are constantly revealing themselves in ways that will go unnoticed unless you are aggressively involved in listening to them and observing them … instead of thinking about what you want to say and trying to figure out how to squeeze in your ideas.

     The statements people make about themselves— the signals they give off — are both conscious and unconscious (“body language” if you will), but understanding these signals enough to make some positive use of them depends entirely on your ability to pick up on them … to listen aggressively and to observe aggressively.

     Active listening requires practice, but it will help you get more from what people actually mean, which might be quite different from what they are saying. Oh, and you won’t daydream … there won’t be time for that when you’re busy listening and observing.

                                                             

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www.TheWriterWorks.com or 302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!”   [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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