Breaking Habits that Led to Success Every so often I find that little nugget of oxymoronic brilliance that leaves me even more impressed by its unusual packaging. You know the ones I am referring to – they usually come as absolute surprises, speed up the greying process, and bring a rush of “Uh oh, what […]
Stronger Connections The potential of a team lies in its ability to work together cohesively. A less informed, less skilled team often beats a more informed, more skilled one that does not coordinate well. Just because you have the talent doesn’t mean you will win. Companies sell products and/or services. If we look at the […]
Mattering More Today I want to share some thoughts on a different type of economy. We are consumers, so everyday we trade our currency for products and services that we want or need. There is another, more hidden economy that we interact with daily as well. Remember, we are people first. Matters of the heart and […]
Standing Corrected With all of the mistakes and misunderstandings that happen every day, it’s pretty easy to spot the endearing trait of great leadership. Witnessing humility in action just seems to put me at ease. Seeing someone step into a situation and stand corrected takes great courage and a certain kind of humbleness. I respect […]
A Pit Bull, a Child, and a Moment of Clarity A couple of times a year I have those “Aha” moments that help me pivot from the frustrating track that defines insanity. Its funny how when there is an elephant in the room, if it sits still and quiet long enough, people will forget that it […]
Rising Above the Haze of Misplaced Bias People, Process, Product, and Performance – the often discussed four P’s of business that need to be monitored and improved to keep a business healthy. What doesn’t get a lot of attention are the changes one must go through as they rise in authority and play a different […]
Demerits, Notions, and Avoiding Comprehension Building great managers and future leaders of a growing service business is all about teaching people to create and celebrate progress, to find the smart paths through alienation, and make it simpler for the next guy. Think about it – how would you define the performance of a manager that […]
Something happened recently that really got me talking to myself. It was a humbling, empowering, invigorating, and actionable discussion, though my discussion partner wanted to do more talking than listening… Seriously though, I had a break through because of someone else’s bad “break“. I often talk about actively identifying potential unintended consequences of a decision. […]
The Bias of Neutrality I have been busy trying to initiate and deliver progress to the company. The uncommon sense of the activities is to remain balanced between the robotic strength of progress and the compassionate side of the disruption I am causing. Leading through change can be a lonely existence. The excitement of progress […]
Learning doesn’t happen without failure. Keeping our minds open through our experiences, new and old, allows us to learn through our experience. The other day I found myself at the crossroad of getting something done with constructive or destructive feedback. Mind you I am a firm believer that both types of feedback are needed – some habits […]
“How do you want to see this?” This question is like a key artifact – its very important and even more rare. Much like finding that key relic, understanding how someone needs to see something can unlock the invisible force that prevents the dots from being connected. The other day I had a conversation with […]
I am finally back from my road trip. I spent a lot of focused time thinking about two things – our clients’ needs and our strategy to meet them. The following words are reshaping the way our company is structured. Connect every activity to how it impacts our client’s experience. Know our strategy. Our company […]
“A personal choice to rise above one’s circumstance and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results – to see it, own it, solve it, and do it” – Connors, Smith & Hickman in The Oz Principle. Bad joke tellers know the entire joke inside and out. They have everything they need to succeed – […]
What is best or right, is often overlooked by what is convenient. One of my pet peeves is finding myself revisiting the same challenges over and over. My mantra is “Tomorrow’s challenges better be different than today’s”. I’ve been receiving a lot of feedback to remind people about prior messages and encourage discussions about them. This […]
Can you believe we are in the homestretch of summer? Time is moving so fast! This week I will share a few of Thomas Watson’s quips that will hopefully make you laugh, think a bit, and put your ideas to work. It’s really about raising your game. Hopefully Tom’s tips will help. He was known […]
It’s amazing how much you have to do with what happens to you. Reading about or noticing ways to make a difference – do you seize them? Do you help others find their way, their success? There are limits to folks flying solo. T ogether E ach A ccomplishes M ore. Do you go looking for […]
We’ve been confronting our struggles of pointing fingers at goals rather than people. Last week we read about how we need to be respectful of one another, especially when we work together. We will definitely let one another down, so providing a bit of grace and understanding can help us find success more easily. With […]
Preparing a project to be successful is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. There are so many times where we endure what we anticipate and planned around, all because someone didn’t dot, their i’s, cross their t’s, or read their simple instructions. Have you ever made the assumption that since you have […]
This week I am continuing my recent messages about progress. Seems like many people are converging on the crossroads of “What is best for me versus what is best for us”. I often quote my brother with “My value to the company, is my value of the company.” This can be varied into other parts […]
Good Morning. I hope this message finds you well rested and ready to have some fun with your biggest challenges. Making progress climbing our own mountains can be gratifying and humbling at the same time. So many of our mountains are related to the way people respond to situations. Today I will share about the […]
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney sure had it right. Overcoming naysayers and the limits of what has been done gives me that kind of joy that is personal, satisfies the fire in my belly, and shared with the very few others that were there during the quest. Walt Disney created […]
“Enquiring Minds Want to Know”. The mindless information shared through tabloids is great for entertainment. Its a terrible place to go for facts. When people put a spin on information in tabloids, we know not to trust it. Why is it so present in the business world? Maybe its because seasoned spinsters have the ability […]
The internal battle between pride and truth often ends in a way that a sound mind wishes was different. Today I am expanding on “Are your actions justified or are you justifying your actions”. Too many times clear evidence is disregarded and learning is lost, keeping these people ignorant. This is a very real risk, […]
There is an interesting phenomenon I’ve noticed about the zoom lens on a camera – the better one feels about the way they look, the more comfortable they are with its use. Much like the lens of a camera, a mirror of our behavior can be just as intimidating. Today I am going to share […]
For this week’s message I am sharing a couple of items for you to consider to shed the mindset or habits that make success elusive. So much is discussed about what to do to be a great leader, I thought I’d have a little fun and share what not to do. So I took our […]
Looking at situations from different perspectives, temporarily suspending your own logic helps build up your skills of “connecting the dots”. This is what we need to do when developing solutions. This is how we are going to innovate our industry. Its often said that communication is the key to success. Usually people focus on being […]
So often a “yes or no” question is asked, but a paragraph response is given. It baffles me why so many people stumble on this. I get it – they are afraid of providing the wrong answer, or they want to show how hard something was, or a bunch of other reasons. As a question […]
“So, how do I look?” There are some questions that create instant crossroads. I want to tell the truth, I want to protect the other person’s feelings, I want to share productive thoughts. So many wants, so few ways to meet them all. All too often the answer is provided, even if it is not […]
For the last few weeks we’ve been talking about finding improvement opportunities and discerning what to put our efforts in. This week I want to share a few thoughts about building our company’s intelligence through TCUP (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure). Its purpose is to improve our performance – to prepare us for situations we expect […]
Why would it be important to be “recipient minded” and what on earth does that mean? To be recipient minded means you have the others persons interest in mind. To Be recipient minded you need to remember who you are talking to and keep their point of view in your peripheral. You could go a […]
If you want to make an omelet you need to crack a few eggs. And sometimes its necessary to have hard conversations with people so there can be clear communication and good direction. You may need to muster some courage. Yet being brave does not mean you’re not nervous. There are many different personalities and […]
Its been said that when we don’t like people on a personal level it is because we feel they do not like us. Whether this is a reality or simply a perceived reality, can you see how that may be true? Robert Wright is an author, journalist, accomplished scientist and regular speaker on TED.com. Wright believes […]
Want to know the trait that can increase business? Its a human trait that even animals display. Its empathy. Whether you are dealing with customers, vendors, family members, acquaintances, friends or associates, empathy is a trait that can make human bonds strong and make life worth living. It will behoove us to harness empathy to […]
Managers have it tough – they need to create and foster performance without destroying their team’s dedication when discipline is required. Keeping in mind that people behave rationally to their own unique realities can help us understand their behavior better. Consider that people make decisions using their experience, desires, and fears. Since everyone’s are different, […]
Bess Gallanis is a communications specialist and a blogger for Resicom, The Huffington Post and Indezine. In the second installment of The Best Story Wins, “The Social Network” is a reference point for creating a compelling business story. Review these valuable communication tips here. http://bessgallanis.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/the-best-story-wins-part-ii/
Delegate Desired Outcomes Stifling creativity can be a devastating habit for a company. Avoid this pitfall by abstaining from micromanagement activities. As an example, consider how you can empower your people’s creativity in how you delegate. Example: Our Task Description Connect with Mr. Smith to learn of his interest in becoming a client. He is […]
Assigning Ultimate Responsibilities An employee is easily underutilized when they are assigned tasks rather than responsibilities. Consider how you can gain a more dedicated advocate for the company by charging employees with ultimate responsibilities. Example: Our Offer Letters – New Hires All employees are charged with upholding the core values and executing the strategy of […]
Explain WHY before the WHAT Being defined by what we do limits understanding and communication opportunities. We remove this constraint by focusing on WHY we do things before we explain WHAT we do. Below is an example of how Resicom has adopted this non-limiting behavior in our company. Example: Our Elevator Pitch We believe in […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #15. Focus Messages that have multiple calls to action can be confusing for our audience. We can eliminate this confusion narrowing our focus on one call to action at a time. Be mindful of those things that can remove focus from the main objective of our communication. Common Distractors: Large, prominent […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #14. Assume makes an… Most customers are turned off when we assume to know their needs and how we can fill them. We can be more effective at building a relationship if we avoid making assumptions and instead encourage a dialogue for deeper understanding. Below is an example of how our […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #13. Be Relevant Sharing irrelevant information can make your audience suspicious and/or lose trust in you. Clearly explaining why you are sharing the information helps remove the potential for confusion or mistrust. The following will help you provide this clarity to your audience. Filters: Why am I sharing this information? […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #12. Behind Door #3 Our audience can lose faith in us if we demonstrate an underdeveloped thought or behavior. One way we can avoid this situation is by eliminating pre-determined solutions from our messages. See below for some options. Best Practices: Removing the “this OR that” wording — it creates two […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #9. Let them Think Providing an abundance of information can prove to be overwhelming to an audience. We can instead empower our audience to ask for any additional information in which they may be interested. Consider how overwhelming your audience can result in lower influence over your audience. Results from Providing […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #8. Break the Rules – Page Layout Maintaining a consistent page layout while sacrificing how effectively the message is communicated can prove to delver a lower Return On Investment. Being flexible with how a document is laid out can help communicate your message more effectively. Consider how your page layout can […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #7. Break the Rules – Document Structure We often miss an opportunity to engage our readers by the way we structure our documents. Freeing ourselves from the traditional document structure rules helps us keep our audience interested in reading more of what we have to say. See the differences below. Traditional […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #5. Speak their Dialect Your audience will disengage if you communicate too much or too little to them. Delivering the correct amount and type of information according to their preferences helps them engage more quickly and easily. Consider the following tips when crafting the content of your message. Deductive Reasoning respond […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #4. Speak their Language Communicating in a format that is most comfortable for your audience will help them understand you better. Converting your message into their preferred format helps remove translation error. Consider the following tips when crafting the structure of your message. Visual Learners respond well to: Written information Categorical […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #3. Choose your Questions Wisely Asking irrelevant questions can make your audience suspicious and/or lose trust in you. Clearly explaining why you are asking a question helps remove the potential for confusion or mistrust. The following will help you provide this clarity to your audience. Filters: Why am I asking this […]
Communication Tips (SERIES) Tip #2. Cut the Crud Simplifying your message increases the likelihood that your audience will understand your point. One way to do this is by removing unnecessary words and examples. Use these filters to strip wasted words from your salient points. Filters: Is the goal of the communication clear? Can my point […]