Two People To Keep Your Eye On At Work.

I've always said, keep your eyes on people who live at the ends of any spectrum.

• In politics, be wary of the extreme conservative or liberal.
• In sports, be wary of the player who swings for the fences or the one who waits to be walked.
• In school, stand back and watch the student who maxes out on their course load and the one who takes the bare minimum.

In business, don't follow people who continuously upset the apple cart or people who never want to change anything.

My advice? Live in the middle of the spectrum and move towards each end based on reasoned and factual thinking. But don't stay in one place. And don't stay at one end. Usually, people who live at the ends of a spectrum tend to be either fanatical or lazy.

Years ago, (okay . . . MANY years ago), I worked on a project to deliver GIS (mapping) technology to our salesforce. We were in the beta test stage and had to work with huge (250mb!) replaceable hard drives. Each salesperson had to swop hard drives, update their data, and replace the hard drive. Each hard drive was then FedEx'ed back to our office to erase. I came up with the idea of burning CD's with the info on them (back then laptops did not have a CD reader). There was a company who developed an external CD reader to connect to the port on the back of the laptop. Problem solved! We would mail the CD's instead.

You wouldn't believe the push-back I received from our IT department:

• You can't do that.
• It will corrupt the drivers on the laptop.
• It will pull too much power and short circuit the battery.

I can go on forever. So I went out with my own credit card, bought the CD drive, hooked it up to my laptop, and transfered the files in 2-3 minutes. Even when I showed them the process and how fast it worked (and so much more economical and easy), they still didn't want to do it.

They were living on one end of the spectrum. I moved to the other to make things easier for my customers (the salespeople) and much cheaper for the company (hard drives were expensive back then).

Do you find yourself at one end of the spectrum in your career or business? Why? What is it costing you?

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Working with someone at one end of the spectrum? Let’s talk. We can devise a strategy to get them to think more holistically — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Do You Have An Arch-Enemy?

For Batman, it was the Joker. For Superman — Lex Luthor. Spider-Man — The Green Goblin. All were shining examples of light and dark in life — good and evil. Does this happen in real life? Does this happen on the job? Sure.

Do YOU have an arch-enemy? Or someone who exemplifies the term arch-enemy? Someone who:

• Actively thwarts (I love that word) your plans at every turn.
• Throws obstacles in your path.
• Interrupts the smooth flow of your job.
• Tosses a wrench in your presentation or your communication avenues.
• Miscommunicates your intentions to your superiors.
• Causes consternation with your team.
• Forces your peers to take sides against you.
• Is a general pain in the butt?

So what do you do? You have three choices:

1. Confront the person — deal with the issue at hand.
2. Act as if nothing is happening — no hill to die on here.
3. Run away — give in and agree with the person.

Which one do you think I want you to choose? That's right, Number Three.

Bazinga! Sorry, wrong answer. YOU MUST PICK NUMBER ONE.

So, how do you do it?

If you are an executive:

• Start tracking all the things they do to you. A condescending email, a confrontation during a meeting, taking credit for your work. You need to build up EVIDENCE. Just because they hurt your emotions doesn't mean you can do anything about it. You need FACTS.
• Decide when to confront them directly — when are YOU at your best. In the morning, afternoon, or evening. Choose the time.
• Meet with them ALONE and in an area where you can speak freely and frankly. Not a cafeteria — choose a conference room.
• Start out by asking, "Tom, do you regard me as a colleague and friend at this company?" They should say YES.
• Then say, "Then why do you do these things . . ." and begin to bring out each of the things they do to you. Ensure this info comes with people, places, and dates.
• If they deflate and apologize (80-90% of them do), acknowledge their admission, and say you are willing to move on and forget about their past transgressions.
• If they are belligerent and lie, prevaricate, or blame you — clearly state you are here to clear things up and you are onto their game.  If they are unwilling to acknowledge the facts you presented, let them know you will shut them down. This means no communication, no niceties, and if they need ANYTHING, they will get a big FU from you.
• It's your choice at this point to escalate. But beware, most managers hate when their kids don't get along.

If you own a business, it's probably a competitor:

• Again, start tracking all of their transgressions. Do they advertise and put you in a bad light? Do they gossip and lie with your vendors or customers? Do they spread misinformation at industry functions? Track and rate how bad each transgression is.
• Decide if you need to better market your products and services. Maybe they have the upper hand because they are better at marketing. And you might be jealous (this happens all the time).
• If they are blatantly saying bad things about you (like, "The board of health violates them every month."), you need to speak with the owner. It won't be a pretty conversation, but you just can't sit back and have them lie about you.
• If it gets worse, you need to escalate immediately. If they run slanderous ads, talk to the newspaper or magazine. If it's really bad, get an attorney and understand your options.

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P.S. If you have an arch-enemy - Let’s talk. I love working with people who want to 'kill' their competition — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

How To Stop Working So Late - Part Two.

Last week, I wrote my first installment on working late and received a powerful uproar from my readers (massive page views and comments on my site, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook!). To finish out my thoughts on this subject, I promised to give tangible tips to help people go home at a reasonable time. So here goes: Work hard when you're at work.

Right off the bat, I've probably insulted you. But to be honest, most people don't work that HARD while they're at work. On the contrary, they fill up time. Be honest, we all do it.

There's a great book by Tim Ferriss called the 4-Hour Workweek, where he targets those behaviors which allow you to elongate your performance to fill up time. He uses the 80/20 rule to uncover what activities really deliver true performance and which ones don't.

What do I mean by work hard?

• When you get to work . . . WORK. Don't schmooze. Don't procrastinate. Don't wander around. Don't daydream.
• Set up a daily to-do sheet (here's a great one I modified from GTD guru, David Allen).
• Stay on top of all your voicemails.
• Don't take frequent breaks (to get coffee, walk around, etc.).
• Don't surf. No personal calls. Don't text. You're at work.

Work smart when you're at work.

I know, you're smart, I'm smart, everyone is smart. Most of the time. But we all do some stupid things. Here are key tips to work more efficiently and effectively:

• Don't go to every meeting you're invited to. Kill (at least) one meeting every week — tell them you either can't make it or you don't really need to be there. Trust me, you don't. (1 hour per week). Kill more as you get good at it.
• Don't read EVERY email you receive. Don't read EVERY email when you get it. Set aside certain times of the day to read your email — read this.
• Set aside a certain part of the day to return phone calls. I use the Nine/Noon/Five technique — three times during the day, I return calls - at 9 AM, Noon, and 5 PM. You're not a heart surgeon — no one is going to die on the operating table if you don't return the phone call within minutes.
• When you answer the phone or return a phone call, give the person on the other line a deadline. Say, "Tom, I only have 4-5 minutes to talk, can we cover this now with a quick decision, or later?" — most calls need a quick decision from you.

Have an open/closed door policy at work.

Most managers live at the fringes of the 'door' spectrum — come on in anytime or don't bother me. Try to gravitate to the center of the spectrum and do both:

• When the door is open — your people should see it as a sign to quickly ask you a question, get your thoughts, or just talk (for a VERY short time). To get your team to leave quickly, ask them about taking on more work — they will scatter.
• When the door is closed — your people should understand not to bother you unless it's an emergency. Most things can wait until the door opens again.

Run VERY short meetings.

Why do meetings have to be one hour? Or 30 minutes? Why can't you have 5 minute meetings? It's because of MS Outlook. It makes it difficult for you to schedule a 5 minute meeting — 30 and 60 minute meetings look nicer and are easier to schedule.

Be honest with yourself — how many meetings have you attended where you walked out thinking, "that could've been handled in five minutes". You currently have to power to schedule 5 minute meetings.

• Ensure everyone arrives on time.
• Start exactly at the top of the hour.
• Get everyone to stand, not sit. This is not a seminar.
• Huddle around a whiteboard and use it to illustrate your points.
• Shut long-talkers down — get to the point.
• If you do go down a rabbit hole, everyone doesn't have to be there. Schedule it for later.
• Close the meeting ASAP and get out of there. Your people will LOVE you.

Develop clear communication policies with everyone.

Colleague or client — set specific boundaries. There are too many people in the workplace who goof off all day and then get serious about work at around 4 PM.

• Don't let people drop in. There must be a purpose for the meeting.
• Let people know you leave at 5 PM — don't let them abuse it.
• If they try to catch you when you're leaving, tell them you'll pick it up when your come back in the morning.
• Promise to return all calls within 24 hours.

The more YOU value your time, the more THEY value your time.

Try just one of these — you will be surprised how much work you accomplish.

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P.S. If you liked these two posts, let me know - Let’s talk. I love working with people who want to excel in their career — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

How To Stop Working So Late - Part One.

It's an epidemic. An epidemic SO BIG, the CDC should be called in with their Hazmat suite and an antidote found. What's so hard about closing your laptop and going home at 5 PM? Nothing. But we've all be indoctrinated to stick around, stay late, be visible, show management 'You Care'.

And it's not a 'Top Down' behavior — it infects the entire marketplace. So what do you do? Here are a few tips to help you better understand the aberrant psychology behind this modern phenomena:

It's illogical.

You're hired and paid (by law) to work 40 hours a week. It's your choice to work longer hours. Every hour you add to your work week, subtracts from your salary. Here's the math:

40 hours x 50 weeks = 2000 hours $100,000/2000 = $50/hour

Now if you work through lunch and stay 1-2 hours later each day, that adds 15 hours onto your 40 hours each week.

55 Hours x 50 weeks = 2750 hours $100,000/2750 = $36/hour

$14 or a 28% drop in pay. They don't pay you any more money (unless you get overtime pay). Why would you do that? What happens when you don't take your full vacation, work at home, or on the weekends?

That's right — your hourly wage plummets even more.

It forces you to procrastinate.

Instead of filling up your 40 hours each week with 40 hours of truly dedicated, hard and powerful work, you spread it out during the additional 28% of time during the week. What happens?

You attend more unproductive and boring meetings. You schmooze more with the wrong people. You read TOO much unnecessary email. You surf. You IM. Instead of calling someone, communicating information, and hanging up, you spend precious time blabbing. You push items, calls, and activities out which should be worked on NOW. We all do it.

You become part of 'The Herd'.

You see others stay late, so you do too. It's psychological. You begin to feel a pull to be the same as the rest of your peers. Add in the subtle digs from your 'friends' when you do leave on time: "Hey Susan, are you working banker's hours?"

So we stay later. And later. And later. If Tom, Mary and Steve are working late, I need to work late too. Whoops, my boss is still here, I need to stay late until he leaves. Maybe I should walk around the office with some papers looking frustrated to show them I really care about my job and I'm working hard (this was told to me years ago by a colleague — he used to do this to look busy — I'm not kidding).

So what do you do?

1. Analyze your performance.

Are you getting good reviews? Accolades from your boss, peers, and superiors? Getting work done on time? Then you are a good worker — industrious, deadline-focused, dependable. So why do you stay late and act like you aren't this way?

Because we're nervous to break from the herd. We're afraid of looking different, standing out, being seen as someone who doesn't 'care' about the company. We are indoctrinated over time to give our blood, sweat, tears, and life to the company. Be comfortable in who you are — a valued member of the team.

Doing this will not only set your mind straight about what you deliver, but will give you ammunition for the next step.

2. Prepare for 'The Talk'.

If you start closing your laptop at 5 PM and leave, someone is going to notice. Maybe it's a peer or your boss. Initially, they might not say anything, but soon, they will. If it's a peer, tell them to mind their own business. Or just smile and say 'See you tomorrow!'.

If it's your boss and they call you in to talk about this, do what I did many years ago:

Boss: "Rich, I'm a little concerned about your work habits here at the office." Me: "Wow, Tom, what am I doing?" Boss: "You're booking out on work. Early." Me: "Booking out? When I started here, you said 5 PM was quitting time. So I'm doing what you said." Boss: "I know what I said — but there's work to be done." Me: "Is there anything I'm late on?" Boss: "No." Me: "Do I not stick around if there's an emergency? Don't I ask for more work?" Boss: "You do." Me: "Have I ever missed a deadline? Did I drop the ball on any project?" Boss: "No." Me: "So why is it important I stay hours later every day?" Boss: "I don't know. But we all do it."

So I said: "Tom, let me put it this way — if I am not doing my job, or dropping the ball, or letting the team down, let me know. And I'll immediately ensure that I'm around here after hours to rectify that problem. But if there is no real problem, no issue, no drop in production, I'd like to continue to leave at 5 PM. Is that okay?"

My boss then said (and I quote): "I understand Rich. Can you teach me how you get all of your work done and leave by 5 PM?"

Catch Part Two of this series HERE.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Do you find yourself working later and later and later? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands of executives who need to change this dynamic — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

4 Tips To Say "NO" and Make It Stick.

Telling someone 'No' is one of the hardest actions (even for an accomplished leader). Here are some strategies to help you make it easier:

1. Is it right for the company?

This was always my first hurdle with any major (or minor) decision with my colleagues or clients. Many suggestions or requests usually have a focus — do they ultimately benefit your company or just the person requesting the decision?  You'll find if you look through that lens, the balance is skewed more towards personal advancement and less towards the company as a whole. One way to send them away is to have them skew the balance much more in favor to the company.

2. Is it right at this time?

You're not saying 'Never', you're just saying 'Not now'. As a leader, things come at you fast and furious.Many people, many decisions — some requests are good, some are not so good. Your people are energized and built to deliver instantaneous decisions to problems they see in their universe. Their solutions might take on additional cost, resources, and people. Sometimes you just have to say 'Not now'. By putting it off for future consideration, it allows the problem to sometimes fix itself or go away and allows you to teach an important lesson to your colleague — not everything needs fixing immediately.

3. Acknowledge their request.

Sometimes, people just want acknoledgement. They want to feel listened to and special. So give them the stage. You can ask questions and have them walk you through their thinking — understand what is involved, and the who, where, when, and how. As they broaden your understanding of the strategy, it makes it easier for you to either accept it (because it's a good idea) or pick it apart (because it's a bad one).

4. Don't take on too much responsibility.

You do not want another monkey on your back (check out this great HBR article I recommend to all of my clients). Many times, when colleagues are asking you to say 'Yes', it usually entails some added responsibility on your end. Some deliverable, some oversight, some action which adds to your workload. When this happens, try to turn it around and never let the monkey get on your back in the first place. Most of the time, when you don't accept any responsibility for the decision, the idea goes away of it's own accord.

Or sometimes you just have to come out and say NO.

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P.S. Do you have a hard time saying NO? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands of executives who need to change the dynamic — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

The Power of Connecting With People.

I finally had breakfast with my new and good friend, Eric Rochow. Eric hosts one of the biggest Podcasts on iTunes, call GardenFork. I invited him a number of weeks ago to breakfast. Now the funny thing is, I don't know Eric. And Eric didn't know me.

When I first started to listen to Eric, I found out he lives in Brooklyn, NY during the week and then makes his way to his farmhouse in Colebrook, CT. I could easily identify with him because I have a rural country house in Oxford, CT.

One day, I ran a quick Google Map to find out the best route for Eric to drive from Brooklyn to Colebrook. And guess what? It went right by where I live, on the Connecticut interstate highway named I-84.

So I reached out to Eric by writing him a email, told him how much I appreciate his podcast, and offered to buy him breakfast on one of his sojourns up to his country home. It took a little while, but he responded back via Twitter — he not only accepted my offer, but was impressed with my site and what I do!

In addition, he invited me onto his show to talk about careers, business, time management, gardens, and generators. Click here.

So we finally had breakfast at the incredible Laurel Diner, located in Southbury, CT. We really enjoyed the conversation, the food, and to top it all off . . . Eric interviewed me again! Click here.

So the moral of this story is . . . if you want to meet someone — reach out and make it happen!

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P.S. Having a hard time meeting important people? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands to step up their presentation game — call or email me to schedule a free session.

When Your Company Throws You A Left Hook To The Chin.

Yesterday, I heard through the grapevine (and the NY Times) a top-tier insurance company will be jettisoning one of their major divisions. Boy was my phone ringing up a storm yesterday! It's like IBM selling off their laptop division (oh . . . that's right . . . they did that already). Or when a #2 bookseller folds (whoops, that happened too). Whether it's a good decision or bad decision is not relevant — fasten your seat belts — it's happening.

There are a few immutable facts about the marketplace today:

1. Change is constant. Don't ever think you will be safe forever. Just ask all those poor people on the farm in The Walking Dead.
2. Change will usually upset your apple cart. No one is immune - from the CEO to the night cleaning staff, everyone can be affected.
3. Change is accelerating. Years ago, it was rare when companies did this. But with global competition looking over our shoulder, we need to be more flexible, nimble, and agile.

Your first instinct is to get ANGRY: "How could this have happened?" or "What a stupid decision!". Be honest with yourself, most changes can be telegraphed for miles — you probably saw this coming months ago. Unfortunately, you (with thousands of your colleagues) said: "All is well" and stuck your head in the sand.

Your second instinct is to hide in your cubicle: "If I just keep my head down, the storm will pass over." That might work sometimes, but it leaves you in a very vulnerable position. If you keep doing the same old thing while the world changes around you, fate will ultimately stop at your cubicle and tap you on your shoulder.

Your third instinct is to fall into a deep MALAISE: "I hate this place." or "It's not like it used to be." or "They're making all the wrong decisions." I'll ask one question — how will that ever help you and your career? Stop it right now.

You have ONE decision to make — STAY or GO. I've covered the 'GO' to death on my site (just search 'career').

If you STAY, you need to change the dynamic. With any major change at a company, all the balls are thrown into the air and the smart, resourceful, and agile people are watching them intently. When they get close enough to catch, you'll see them sprinting and grabbing their opportunity. So here's your plan of attack:

1. Keep your peripherals open. What areas have been unaffected? What areas are growing? Who's getting the watering, the feeding the TLC?
2. Branch out and talk constructively to people. Learn about what's going on, who are the new movers and shakers, what are the best projects and products?
3. Start brainstorming how you can help change the company. Come up with new ideas, new strategies, new efficiencies to do things. Tell people about them.
4. Stay positive. When everyone else is jumping to a lifeboat, start to figure out how to right the ship and sail off into the sunset.

Remember, today we ALL need to become more agile, nimble and flexible. It's like YOGA for your career.

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P.S. Has this ever happened to you? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands of executives who need to change the dynamic — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Presentations: Longer is Sometimes Not Better.

I had to deliver a keynote to a large group of business owners the other day. I was asked to compose a quick 6-8 minute talk — and if you know me, it's a VERY short time to talk. I used iWork Keynote with an LCD projector (all set up well ahead of time) — I felt each slide would add impact (see presentation here). As you can see — no bullets, bold statements — get in and get out.

As the meeting wore on, I realized we were running out of time. To add insult to injury, the speaker before me used ALL of his allotted time (plus some) — so I received a subtle prod from the vice president to severely cut down my time. Accomplished presenters run into this all the time — if you're last on the docket, you're usually asked to shorten your talk a bit.

So I did. I talked for a total of 3-4 minutes (a 50% reduction) with the same presentation.

Guess what? Major accolades from the entire audience. What did I do?

1. I jumped up, grabbed my remote, dispersed with the bio about me, introduced myself, and started the talk.
2. I kicked up my energy another 50% (on top of my usual 150% enthusiasm level). This is important.
3. I moved around and used my hands to deliver each point.
4. I interacted with the audience — I asked questions like, "Who going to try this?" They immediately raised their hands.
5. I spoke a bit faster, but I added assertive emphasis to each of my points.
6. No questions. There was no time.
7. I closed within the 4 minute mark, thanked my audience, and sat down.

The room of 60+ people burst into applause. Longer is sometimes not better.

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P.S. Has this ever happened to you? Let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands of executives step up their presentation game — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

You Have To Keep Your Eye On Goldman Sachs.

We all know Goldman Sachs. Big company. Billions. Influences and touches a large portion of the investment world. Here's the letter (NY Times Op-Ed) from a past GS employee.

Then . . . here's their rebuttal from the CEO and COO.

But then the facts start trickling in from other sources.

Here are some immutable business truths:

• You can't hide bad behavior forever. It will see the light.
• Being bad has short term gains, but in the long run being good wins out.
• Don't work for GS in the near future. I think this is just the start.

3 Simple Rules In Life.

1. If you do not GO after what you want, you'll never have it.

Be honest with yourself, there is no limousine pulling up to your door to whisk you away to that new job, to millions of dollars, or a new life. It's up to you to make it happen.

2. If you do not ASK, the answer will always be NO.

It doesn't hurt to ask. You will be pleasantly surprised sometimes when the answer is Yes. If the answer is NO, ask what you need to do to make it YES.

3. If you do not STEP FORWARD, you'll always be in the same PLACE.

When volunteers are requested, or you see an opportunity to do something challenging, take that chance. You will not only be glad you did, you will grow in many directions because of it.

It's that simple. So what are you waiting for?

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P.S. Which rule do you procrastinate on? If you do and REALLY want to make it happen, let’s talk. I’ve coached thousands of people (just like you) and have helped take a decisive step in their life — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

This quote was found on Reddit this morning, one of my favorite sites to be inspired! 

Why The Universe Doesn't Drop What We Want In Our Lap.

"What you wish for doesn't fall in your lap — it falls somewhere nearby, and you have to recognize it, stand up, and put in the time and work it takes to get it. This isn't because the universe is cruel. It's because the universe is smart. It has it's own 'cat-string' theory and knows we don't appreciate things that fall into our laps." — Neil Strauss I've been saying this to clients for years — prior to the recession, money fell from the sky and we all had laundry baskets to catch it. Now, the money is still falling, but it's swirling around in the wind and landing on the ground. We just need to bend over and pick it up.

And that takes work and determination. 

You know what your career or business needs — step out of your 'fear zone' and take the steps to get it. Nothing important will ever fall into our laps.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Trying to look for your laundry basket? If so, Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people and have helped them manage their ‘fear zone' behaviors — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Start Living Like The Main Character In Your Life Story.

My wife and I were at a party this weekend and we met a lot of interesting people. Most of the guests were doing well and making lots of personal and business connections. I say most.

There were a few who stood out during the evening with their attitude towards business, life, politics, the market, whatever. They were downers to say the least — they were pessimistic, short-sighted, and downright uncomfortable to be around.

Years ago, a good friend pulled me over when I was acting like a downer during a party and said, "No one, let me repeat, NO ONE cares or wants to hear your pessimistic rants. Start acting more positive in your life — take the bull by the horns — and you will begin living the life you've always wanted."

POW — right between the eyes. Today, I say this to myself everyday: "Start Living Like The Main Character In Your Life Story". Why? Because I'm an avid reader, I believe we all have a wonderful story in our lives and we either embrace and expand the narrative or we shun and quell our story.

We see this often with retired people. They complain about their lives, their ailments, and anything else they can think about. Do you like hanging around people like that? Now remember back and envision the one elderly person who taught you something or made a major impact in your life — were they complaining all the time? Or did they engage you, ask you questions, and energize you?

Which one will you today? And tomorrow? And every day?

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P.S. Are you the main character in your life's story? No? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people and have helped them manage their ‘de-motivational’ behaviors — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Watch this video/commercial — it brings home my idea of becoming YOUR main character:

106 Excuses That Prevent You From Ever Becoming Great.

I rarely do this. I'm pointing you to an incredible blog with an incredible message. I'm an avid reader of Chris Brogan's blog and tweets — he is THE guru of social media and tours the world helping organizations efficiently and effectively employ it in their marketing. Well . . . he hosted a guest post from Tommy Walker that knocked my socks off.

I went through all 106 excuses and to be honest — I find many of them creep into my head from time to time. This information is a great way to stop that from happening and ensure you stay on your chosen path to greatness.

So here it is . . . Enjoy!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. What excuses do you use to keep you from being great? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of business owners and executives and have helped them manage their 'de-motivational' behaviors — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Stop Being Scared On The Job.

I coached the head of sales of a Fortune 500 company yesterday and we had an interesting conversation. 

She had a recurring issue with some of the executive board members she reports to — they are frequently challenging her management of the sales force because sales have dipped slightly over the past six months.

Sales performance is a highly subjective area in business because if it is dropping off, many factors can come into play such as pricing, marketing, product management, distribution, the marketplace . . . I can go on forever. During these meetings though, it all seemed to fall right on her shoulders. Why?

Initially, she was a bit complacent. She saw the numbers falling slightly, but didn't really see any reason to change strategy. Then when they really started to turn downward, she became gun-shy. And then right before the next board meeting, she was scared.

I call it falling down the rabbit hole. Complacent to gun-shy to scared — it's a disturbing vortex many managers go through (especially in today's marketplace). We feel the market will have it's ups and downs and then something bad happens — and we are afraid to do anything because we are gun-shy — we don't want to make things worse.

Ultimately, we move to being scared because we don't know where to turn. Here's how we solved her problem:

1. THINK - Develop a series of strategies to solve the issue. Predict outcomes and impacts for each of the strategies.
2. TAKE ACTION - Choose the best one.
3. COMMUNICATE - Massively communicate your decision to your peers and superiors with your logic before they begin to complain.

The board wasn't concerned about her strategy or performance — they were concerned about her lack of communication, perceived interest, and action. Once you show people you are ON IT, they usually back off. In addition, if you show them your thinking around the problem, they see you've taken the time to work the issue. Only certain 'evil' people will take this as a chance to sabotage you. In addition, she also engaged all the other areas impacted for their input — which pretty well ameliorated any sabotage from the 'evil' people.

So don't fall down the rabbit hole — Think, Take Action, and Communicate.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Are you getting complacent at work? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and have helped them manage difficult situations — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Enjoy The Little Things In Life.

This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday. In addition to receiving hundreds of incredible emails (I relished EVERY one and they made me feel so special), my wife hosted a small get-together with family and close friends. And for a few days, I let life FLOW. No direction - no worrying - no decisions - no running around. Just letting it FLOW. And let me tell you — it was GREAT.

It made me realize two things:

1. You need to detach from time-to-time and take it easy. No one is going to die on an operating table — your boss isn't going to fire you — and your clients aren't going to flee. Step back and enjoy the little things (life, health, family, friends) — which are usually more important than the big things (work).

Did you catch what I did? I actually called the most important things in life the little things and your career the big things. Why? Because that's how we usually treat them — we tend to worry, focus and act more on work items and let the more important things take a back seat.

I've always said you juggle a number of balls in the air — family, health, friends, relationship, kids and work. All the balls are made of glass, except for work, which is made of rubber. If you drop one, the glass balls shatter and are incredibly hard to replace. Your work ball bounces right back — because you can always find another job.

2. You need to focus on the little things and try to incorporate that attention every day. How? If you caught one of my previous posts last week (click here), at the end, Shawn Achor mentions five things you should do to make your life a little more special, more powerful, and have more meaning. They are:

a. Three gratitudes - think about 3 things you are grateful for. b. Journal - write down one positive experience in a small book or file. c. Exercise - get out each day - even for a simple walk and move your body. d. Meditation - take 5-10 minutes and meditate - focus inward. e. Random Act of Kindness - send one positive email to one person every day.

If you set aside just a little time every day (I do it and it takes me no more than 15-20 minutes throughout the day), I not only appreciate, but I embrace the 'little things' in life.

Try it.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Having a hard time fitting in these small things? Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and have helped them manage their time — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

The Hartford — Thank YOU!

WOW. I'm speechless.  I've never had more fun speaking to such a professional, focused and responsive group in all my years of public speaking.

My sincere thanks goes out to Karen Senteio and all the people who work with her — she is one dynamite person! I first met Karen at an ICF meeting where I presented and she kept me in her back pocket for the right time to unleash at The Hartford. Thank you Karen!

You made me feel like a rockstar with the attendance figures (771 attendees at last count!), the photographer (thanks Jay!), and the AV crew (thank you AV Solutions!).

Finally, I had an enormous outpouring of support based on my own evaluation forms - all top scores. Now I have the incredible job of wading through the stack of evaluation sheets and emails for the lucky 30 complimentary coaching sessions - wish me luck!

Again — thanks for the support and praise — you've made my birthday an unbelievable event!

10 Tips To Write Well From David Oglivy.

David Oglivy was an accomplished advertising executive who has often been called "The Father of Advertising.In 1962, Time called him "the most sought-after wizard in today's advertising industry." He was known for a career of expanding the bounds of both creativity and morality. In 1982, David Ogilvy sent these tips within an internal memo to all agency employees, titled “How to Write”:

The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

David

Okay - some of the items he refers to are a bit outdated — memo/letter, 'the guy' — but there are some true gems here. Take them to heart and abide by them.

Deliver Life-Changing Presentations Every Time.

Some people love to give presentations. Some people hate it. Most people fall somewhere in between these two points on the presentation spectrum.

What do want to most from your presentation? A decision? Enthusiasm for a idea? A sale? A way to present bad numbers so they look good?

It could be a myriad of things — but all great presentations have a few critical areas where they excel — Purpose, Resonance, Enthusiasm, Experience, Narrative. Let's look at each one and how it impacts your presentation:

Purpose

I can't tell you how many presentations I've been to where two minute into the presenter speaking, I'm already lost. They've given me no semblance of what they will be covering and some basic waypoints to gauge where we are in the presentation.

How to fix: One of your first slides should cover a brief summary of what you will be speaking about and what you expect from the presentation. Something as simple as: "Today, I will be covering why we should begin to move all of our executives onto iPads. I'm going to cover the current state, impact, and desired state of our mobile systems." It's that easy.

Resonance

You are not reading out test scores — you're trying to sway your audience to feel for your position. So empathy and communication play large parts in how you give and relate your presentation to your audience. One definition of resonance is 'a quality of evoking a response'. Your job is to feel for your audience — understand how they are absorbing the information you're presenting.

How to fix: Keep scanning the audience — watch body language — see if they are engaged or distracted or puzzled. You'll know. If they are checking out — get them involved — ask questions of the audience. Ask for their opinion and get them to raise their hands. Also, move around — engage all parts of your audience — get down to their level.

Enthusiasm

Here's a little secret: All presentations are 90% Broadway. They're performances. Why? The more your audience is emotionally engaged in your presentation, the more likely they are to like it, take away key information, and tell others about it. If you just stand there and recite slides, they're going to check out, miss key information, and tell everyone you stunk.

How to fix: You are an evangelist of information. Live and breathe your info — get them excited about it too! Smile, raise and lower the tonality of your voice, and move your hands to make points. If you aren't excited about what you're speaking about, who will be?

Experience

You have to know your stuff. Many speakers get up and immediately venture down unchartered territory. When one errant question arises, they sudden fall silent or stumble with an answer. You have to know your topic cold.

How to fix: Keep your presentation on point — less is more. Stick to your topic and hammer all points of it — be prepared — anticipate most of the questions that will be asked. If you don't know something — say it: "Wow, that's a good question. I don't know, but I can find out. Let's talk after the presentation." It's that easy.

Narrative

Just spilling out facts will not help you with the other four areas. You have to relate stories - people LOVE stories.

How to fix: Tell stories. I usually incorporate at least 1-2 stories during a presentation. Make sure they stay on topic, are interesting or funny, and can be told in less than two minutes. Pick a situation in your career, someone who made a positive impact on you, or an item you found in your research.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. If you’d like more information about how I deliver powerful presentations - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and find this is a perfect way to start a coaching relationship — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Your 360 Degree Assessment Stinks.

There . . . I've said it. When I googled '360 degree assessment', I received over 2,500,000 results (in 0.23 seconds - I love Google!). Even if 50%-75% are not really what we're talking about today, we're still in the ballpark of 625,000 results. So there's a LOT of 360 degree assessments out there.

So we're on the same page, a 360 degree assessment is: a tool to gather feedback from all around an employee. "360" refers to the 360 degrees in a circle, with an individual figuratively in the center of the circle. Feedback is provided by subordinates, peers, and supervisors. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders.

It's a powerful tool and used frequently when coaches are initiating coaching with executives. It gives us a better picture of what's going on in the battlefield.

The funny thing is . . . most assessments are terrible. Why?

• They've been around for a long time. Anything with a long half-life in business tends to get bigger, more complex.
• They've been institutionalized. When they become standardized, the wrong people start to make them boring and over-reaching.
• They've become a business. There are companies who do this for organizations. It's their job to make it 'important' (and big).

I've seen 160-200 question assessments. How would you like to fill out one of these for your colleagues? What would happen around question 50? I know we all would begin to get punchy and start to quickly check off answers near the middle of the range (not to severely impact the reviewee).

This is what I do — I schedule a 10 minute call with each interviewee and ask three questions (let's say about Susan, their co-worker:

• What are Susan's strengths?
• What are Susan's weaknesses?
• Anything else you'd like to add?

I use 'strengths and weaknesses' rather than what do they do wrong or right. I find it allows the reviewee to open up about the person and talk about them as a member of their team. First you get emotions, then I probe for more factual items. I'll say, "Give me an example."

The best part?  I get straightforward answers and use no more than 10 minutes of their time. Just as we start . . . it's over.

I then take all the information and summarize it into two buckets ('Qualities that are well developed' and 'Qualities that need attention') and try to mix it together so the client doesn't immediately recognize who said it. It's better they focus on what is being said and not who.

Every time, when I show the documents to the person who has hired me, the results are always spot on. 

Try it! You might like it.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. If you'd like more information about how I deliver a 360 degree assessment - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and find this is a perfect way to start a coaching relationship — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Six Things Successful People Do Differently.

Everyone is looking for that one magic pill to take and instantly become successful. Here are some realities:

• It's hard. You're going to have to work at it.
• It's fleeting. Never, never, never give up. Stick with it.
• It's capricious. You have to be in the right place at the right time with the right people.

How does one get successful? You need to work at it — every day.

I've found six inter-related behaviors of highly successful clients I've tracked in my 11 years coaching:

1. They Self-Motivate

Get out there and make things happen. Most people expect their boss, their job, or their colleagues to somehow get them motivated (directly or indirectly) so they can perform their duties.

Successful people have an internal engine that revs them up in the morning and keeps them energized all day long. Or they leverage external motivators on a regular basis to keep them at a peak performing state.

Check Out: Five Ways To Make Your Commute Bearable

2. They Push Until It Hurts

Most (if not all) of us procrastinate in one form or another. We put things off, we extend deadlines, we miss delivery dates.

Successful people get things done, on time. They push themselves, their staff, and everyone around them to ensure agreed upon dates are met. Sometime it hurts, sometimes they work late, but in the end, the pushing delivers results.

Check Out: How To Eliminate Procrastination

3. They Partner & Connect

We tend to work with the same people and cocoon within our company. It's safe, it's easy, and it doesn't over-extend our comfort zone into meeting new people. Hey, it's worked so far, so what do you have to lose? A lot.

Successful people regularly extend themselves inside their company and outside into the marketplace. They reach out to connected individuals and influential executives to build solid relationships.

Check Out: Why Networking Is Dead - Part One & Why Networking Is Dead - Part Two

4. They Track

You go on your merry way each day getting your work done, taking on new projects and tasks, and never really step back and look at the big picture.

Successful people are not only working in their job, but they are also working on it — they step back and assess their progress regularly. They track themselves against their peers and clearly know what needs to be done to accelerate and excel.

Check Out: What Have You Done So Far?

5. They Relax

Business is cyclical — so is your career. It has it ups and downs — unfortunately, many people get too stressed out when things go wrong or not as planned. They then take it out on themselves and everyone around them.

Successful people take adversity in stride — they understand the peaks and valleys of the marketplace and office. Instead of devolving down into a funk, they use this opportunity to step back, reflect, and start anew.

Check Out: How To Be More Effective On The Job

6. They Are Positive & Confident

There are so many people in corporate and those who own their own businesses who wander through the day with a negative weight on their shoulders. In addition, they ensure everyone knows about it.

Successful people usually have a glass half-full point of view. They are the energizers, the brainstormers, and the people who hit the ground running every morning of every day. In addition, they project confidence (or at least try to) — they believe in their ability to make things happen, enact change and inspire people. Here's a secret —  they also have a lack of confidence — so they fake it (we all do).

Check Out: How To Be A Confident Executive & Be Like Jack LaLanne

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Successful isn't hard — it just takes planning. You and I can work on it together so you instantly get what I’m talking about - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.