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Recently CNN posted an online story about nine CNN journalists who were willing to talk about the most embarrassing, highly public mistakes they had made before they climbed the broadcasting ladder to CNN status. The article carried the whimsical title, “Epic Fail: Career Mistakes We Made (and ended up at CNN).”
When you read about the habits and styles of well-known managers, you realize that they don’t all fit the same mold. Some are workaholics with no outside interests, while others live balanced lives by reserving time for family, hobbies, and community service. Some flaunt their wealth by living in mega mansions, while others live so conservatively that they become the invisible millionaires Thomas J. Stanley profiled. Yet despite the variations in personal behavior, when you analyze professional actions you discover several striking similarities.
Whatever source you use for getting the daily news--local or metro newspaper, radio and TV broadcasts, or online articles--regularly you will come across startling stories about companies that had no head notice a couple of days previously that news professionals would describe their business's calamity to a vast audience. Without warning, your company too can become the center of local, state, national, and in some rare cases international news. Your corporation's unwanted time in the spotlight could result from:rn--embezzlement --CEO firing or resignation --burning buildingr
How Many People Do You Really Know? Twenty years ago we might have answered that question by estimating the number of people in our neighborhood, civic club, religious organization, workplace, country club, and other places we interacted with others. The Internet has changed that. Now the answer could refer to those who are connected with us online. We might point to our connections on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and similar sites.
When I was interviewing for a staff position decades ago, the department head Al walked me around the office, introducing me to my potential colleagues. Because I had done my homework, before I met Jim I knew that Jim had been there a long time. Jim and I chatted for two or three minutes. When Al and I walked into the next room, I commented: "I noticed that Jim has twenty years of experience here." Al's answer jarred me: "No, he has one year of experience, and he has repeated that twenty times."
When clients and prospects call you and you’re not available to answer your phone, your voice mail represents you. In a sense, your voice mail becomes you—because the message and the way you say it go well beyond merely giving information. Not only does the caller get an audible impression of you, he or she even forms a visual impression. Consider these steps for assuring that your recorded voice mail gives callers a highly positive impression.
The expressio “What if?” can become toxic for our professional life when we think it or say it looking backward. Examples: --What if I had earned a different degree? --What if I had accepted that other job offer? --What if I had held my temper in that heated dispute with the CEO? --What if I had followed the suggestions of that coach I hired? --What if I had learned another language? --What if I had not gossiped? --What if I had not been rude to that customer? --What if had found my ideal niche earlier?
FORGET ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION Since 1929, various writers have told us that we must go through six steps or connections before we establish communication with renowned high achievers. This mythical “six degrees of separation” has kept many believers confined to knowing only their peers or colleagues just one rank above.
December in many countries centers around the spirit of giving. Even companies and individuals with no religious affiliation make special contributions during “the season”: –Year end employee bonuses –Meals for the unfed –Shelters for the homeless –Extra tips for servers at restaurants –Special gratuities for your newsletter delivery person PICTURE THIS SCENE How you react to the gifts that come your way is very important.
Holding a university audience's attention would be tough in any decade, yet doing that in the late 1960s was especially difficult. That was the era when students demanded unprecedented rights and involvement in university decisions. Student movement leaders even held sit-ins for days at a time in administration offices. "Don't trust anyone over 30" became the campus mantra.
World wide, we constantly see and hear prominent politicians in action—in speeches, debates, press conferences, and interviews. Yes, we get tired of their repetitive appearances, dominating radio, television, and even the Internet. However, the communication strategies they use to get votes and gain support for their programs are worth analyzing. Let’s look at what politicians do to defend themselves when their viewpoints and statements incite their opponents and the media. Tactic One: “My remarks were taken out of context.”
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when businesses across the globe become more festive than ever—with holiday music piped throughout the buildings, dazzling decorations and of course a big party to celebrate the season. At these parties, you’re sure to participate in conversation with your colleagues. What an opportunity this gives you to create bonds with newcomers, and to enrich longtime workplace partnerships!
There are 6 billion cell phone subscribers scattered around the world. Yet, judging by what we see and hear in both business and social settings, only a small percentage of those subscribers use their phones without offending other people. Stated more positively, you will become a caller respected for your uncommon courtesy by following, at a minimum, five rather simple steps. --Limit your listening audience to one personr
In your job search, you know that the interview reigns supreme in the decision making process. Even when your degrees, certifications, accomplishments, and referrals surpass your competitors, your interview time will lead to either “Thanks for your application, and we wish you well in your search for a meaningful position” or “You are the candidate we need and want.”
Recently I heard a speaker I had heard before. My inner question: Could he be as captivating as when I listened to him previously? To my amazement, yes he was. Highlights:rn--Spoke without notes --Used subtle, tasteful humor occasionally --Seemed to carry on a conversation with the group --Moved and gestured gracefully --Changed expressions with the skill of an actor --Followed a clear organizational patte MESSAGES HE CONVEYED AFTERWARDr
When you watch professional speakers in action, several questions might come to mind: How do they rely on notes so rarely? Do they have photographic memories? How do they give the same material repeatedly, yet keep their initial enthusiasm? However, the question you’ll be most likely to ask is: Do professional speakers experience stage fright, just like business and civic leaders do when they face audiences—and if so, how do they control their stage fright, and speak with such obvious confidence and poise? Here’s how several highly respected professionals responded to that question.
If you are dissatisfied with a product or service, impulse prompts you to fight back when you contact customer service. In anger, you might accuse and threaten the company representative. If you have tried that approach, you know that you are likely to alienate the frontline individual who could help you.
“Did you hear that our department is going to suffer a huge budget cutback?” “Guess what our beloved boss has decided to do next.” “Sure seems like Marvin is getting plenty of phone calls that aren’t from his wife.” Yes, these comments represent one of the most sinister threats to your career. If you choose to participate in listening to and spreading company gossip, you have started a downward spiral. Consider these five reasons gossip threatens your reputation—and long range standing with your corporation. ONE: Gossip brands you as a negative person.r
A popular assumption implies that a speaker should start his or her speech by telling a joke, to get listeners in an upbeat mood and grab attention instantly. Like many widespread assumptions, this one is wrong. Here are five good reasons not to start your speech by telling a joke. FIRST: Your joke could offend the audience. After all, don’t most jokes have a “fall guy,” who becomes the brunt of your ridicule? Often the fall guy is a group—geographic, ethnic, gender, or age related.
Business leaders often ask me this: “How can I sustain the audience’s attention throughout my speech?” They go on to say: “Most audiences will be courteous enough to give the speaker a fair chance by listening closely for the first few minutes. Yet after that, I see their attention weakening. One person might be ignoring the host’s instructions about texting. Another is looking out the window. A third one is writing something, and I don’t think she is taking notes on my speech.”
Honor the commitments you made with your audience, and you will keep your credibility. FIRST: Honor your commitment to stay on topic. Assume that you are speaking at a high school commencement. Traditionally, the administrators expect you and other commencement speakers to congratulate the students for what they have achieved, honor the parents who have supported them, thank the faculty, and assure the graduates they are well prepared for personal, social, and professional success.
For years we have been hearing about a widespread “sea change” in the business world. Certainly technology developments have made some of our former networking moves obsolete. You wouldn’t hand out 8 track tapes at a Chamber of Commerce reception, for example. Likewise, some of our spoken messages don’t attract new acquaintances as they once did. Worse, they drive people away. Let’s look at three of those outmoded approaches. Scorekeepers
Your typical business week could include a variety of writing activities. Among them:rn-your resume -progress report on a key project -job description - assignments for your team - proposal for a merger or acquisition - news release -article for a trade magazine -pitching an angel investor Whatever the writing task, you remain on the lookout for ways to become more effective with your written messages. Why? Because better writing would improve your credibility, reduce confusion, prevent conflict, stimulate team work, boost productivity, and ultimately generate more profit.
USE THESE 3 WORDS TO BECOME MUCH MORE PERSUASIVE You may have made career changes that challenged you in unprecedented ways. That happened for me when I left my Speech Communication faculty position at the University of Georgia to become a development officer—a softer way of saying fund raiser—for my undergraduate alma mater, Millsaps College.
I’m delighted that the law against distracted driving has become effective in Georgia, my residential and business base. Wherever you live, I imagine you have read about car crashes caused by drivers who were texting or talking on their hand-held cell phones, causing them to take their attention off the road-- sometimes with deadly repercussions. That’s why I consider this legislation long overdue, and a solid step toward safer travel.
Life as a graduate student at Ohio University would have been demanding enough my first year without that inconsiderate neighbor in the building behind me. Every night while my wife and two small children were trying to get to sleep, this guy took his dog “Deal” out for an evening walk. For ten minutes or so, that pet owner would call his unleashed dog by name dozens of times, with his loud voice echoing between those two brick buildings, shattering the silence my family needed for sleep. I BECAME ASSERTIVEr
Whether we expect it or not, sometimes when we attend a networking event we will have to give our 30 second “elevator speech,” describing our business—in hopes we will attract potential customers. Sure, some professional people welcome those occasions. They have described their services briefly to many audiences, so they feel comfortable with the situation--and know what they are going to say.
As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Day, let’s honor the power of his rhetoric and his movement by focusing on the five reasons his “I Have a Dream Speech” became history-changing. First: King’s life was consistent with his rhetoric. He did what he encouraged others to do. Surrounded by threats, bullied by hecklers and racist law officers, he endured arrest, followed Gandhi’s example of nonviolence, and ultimately gave his life in the advancement of civil rights.
Picture this happening to you. Recently you made a major purchase, one that you hope to make only every few years because of the high price involved. During the time you talked with the sales professional, he made you feel very special. In fact, he greeted your spouse enthusiastically, and told her what a cute puppy she was holding. He asked: “Tell me all about this fur ball in your arms. I’ll bet she is the queen of your house.”
If your business has a company cafeteria, my guess is that you have become aware of these four mistakes that many managers make regularly: ONE: Thinking that they can't get away from meetings for thirty to forty-five minutes, they continue to meet during lunch and have their meals brought into the conference room. TWO: They walk to the cafeteria and get a to-go sack, bring it back to the conference room, and in this way only lose ten minutes of meeting time. THREE: Managers show up at the cafeteria, but isolate themselves from everybody else at a table in the corner.
You have heard from authors, coaches, and consultants that in order to grow professionally we need to stay flexible, change our opinions, and embrace new strategies. While I agree with that concept generally, recently I realized that now I would say exactly what I said in 1997 when I listed the key factors in communication. I'll explain now. THE BOOKMARK When I launched my company, Championship Communication, twenty years ago I designed a bookmark that presented what I called "10 Keys to Compelling Communication"
Consider how CEO Marvin could create confusion, inefficiency, and possibly ill feelings at his workplace if he just acted on his assumptions without verifying them. Here are examples: GIVING INSTRUCTIONS Marvin tells Marie, his executive assistant, “I want you to give me some information about that company that started competing with us last year.” An hour later, Marie—who is assuming that she is completing the assignment satisfactorily—sends Marvin the link to that company’s Web site. Without hesitating for a minute, Marvin walks to Marie’s desk and says:
Without any effort, you can think of opportunities you have missed because you were too cautious to ask for what you wanted. We have all done that. So let’s look at the cases of two people and an institution who overcame their fear of rejection and requested what they wanted. Gus Whalen was a very prominent businessman in northeast Georgia, and a civic leader as well. For many years, he had admired actor, radio/TV star, and humanitaria Art Linkletter. Instinctively, he knew they would have a stimulating conversation if Gus ever got lucky enough to meet Art.
For many years my parents subscribed to Reader’s Digest. Usually I enjoyed reading each issue as much as they did. The segment I liked most was a feature called “The Best Advice I Ever Had.” Even today, one of those best advice stories sticks with me and remains a great lesson. Writing about his boyhood, Harry Emerson Fosdick—longtime beloved minister of Riverside Church in New York City—recalled a morning when his father was leaving the house. He turned to Harry’s mother and said: “Tell Harry he can cut the grass today, if he feels like it.”
Picture in your mind the frustrated expression on a business leader's face because he or she has just heard the very worst possible opening question from an unfamiliar caller. You might guess that this was the caller's question: "How's the weather in Denver today?" You would want to answer, "Check the Weather Channel." Or this: "How ya doin' this morning?" You're thinking, "Somebody I know doesn't care at all how I am doing." Or this: "A friend of yours suggested I call you." You wonder, "Oh, really? Then why didn't you mention the friend's name?"
During the eighteen intensive months of an American presidential campaign, business leaders could potentially hear hundreds of candidates speaking. Executives and managers might mistakenly assume that these public figures got to the forefront because they are superb speakers—and therefore role models for addressing audiences.