Archive for the ‘Habits’ Category

Express Gratitude

thankyouHow many times a day do you say “thanks”? Is it a true expression of gratitude or an automatic response? “Thanks” is a good start but expressing gratitude—letting those around you truly understand that you appreciate what they are doing—is a key to effective leadership.

William James said “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” Letting people know you appreciate them shows you care and are giving credit where it’s due. It evokes trust and loyalty, two important factors leading to business success. It also serves as a morale booster and motivator.

Expressing gratitude can be delivered in many ways—a quick email or text, a phone call, a personal note or card, and whenever possible, face-to-face. Whichever you choose, make sure it matches the act of kindness, assistance or work delivered.

Whether it’s big or small, these guidelines will insure your next “thank you” is an effective expression of gratitude:

  1. Keep it simple and sincere. The simple act of being thanked makes one feel more valued.
  2. Look the recipient of your message in the eye when you express gratitude in person and address them by name. If the conversation is by phone or written (text, email, personal note) be sure to mention names as well.
  3. Refer to the specific act of kindness, assistance or work the person or group provided. (Something they refrained from doing may warrant appreciation as well).
  4. Let the individual or team know how their action impacted you personally, professionally or how it impacted your business.
  5. Acknowledge the effort it took (i.e. “Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to . . .” or “I realize you went out of your way to. . . ” or “Thanks for staying late to finish the. . .”).
  6. Timing is everything. Express gratitude at the right time. Sometimes it’s best to express your gratitude on the spot. Other times, a personal note or visit after the fact may be more appropriate.
  7. Smile! Whether face-to-face, over the phone or written, a smile comes through and verifies your expression of gratitude isbusiness_smile genuine.

Start the year off “Communicating for Success.” Make every “thank you” a true expression of gratitude.

Posted in Communication, Habits, Success | 1 Comment »

Delegate with Clarity

  • delegatingHow many times have you asked someone to do something and been disappointed with the result?

Do you ever find yourself thinking “it’s easier if I just do it myself?”

The bottom line is you may not be able to DO everything yourself. As leaders, business owners, decision makers and managers, there are a variety of reasons for delegating tasks to “someone else.”  Assuming the “someone else” knows what you want, how and when you want it, can lead to disappointment and frustration.

Delegate with Clarity by following these EIGHT STEPS and save yourself the time, money, disappointment and frustration!

1.        Delegate to the Right Person–be sure the individual has sufficient skills and experience to effectively perform the delegated task. Otherwise, you may be setting them up for failure and yourself for disappointment and frustration.

2.        Clearly Define the Task–explain the task itself, the intended outcome and why it is important. Understanding theimagesCADBRIH8 significance can inspire success. To insure understanding, have the assignment repeated back to you. If the description is not accurate, explain again. Repeat this process as needed.

3.        Set a Deadline–clearly define the completion date. An ambiguous target such as “sometime next week” or “whenever you can get it done” may lead to frustration, lack of a sense of urgency, and the job may never get completed.

4.        Measure Progress–determine how you both will gauge the progress being made. In the case of a very small task, meeting the completion deadline may be sufficient.  However, larger tasks may require more detailed progress planning.

5.       Agree on Resources–agree on what resources will be required and take steps to insure they will be available when needed. Resources could include research materials, logistical support, technology, etc.

6.        Highlight the Consequences–openly discuss the consequences of successful completion as well as not completing the task. Be sure to deliver on the consequences when the task has been completed-or the completion date has passed and it has not been completed.  Keeping your word lays a foundation of trust in future communications.

7.       Put It in Writing–this turns your mutual understanding into a commitment and may uncover misunderstandings.

8.       Monitor Progress–don’t delegate and then forget about it! Stick to the agreed-upon follow-up process.

How you apply these eight steps may vary depending how simple or complex the task.  Delegate with Clarity and enjoy the benefits!

Posted in Basics, Business Improvement, Communication, Delegating, Habits, Productivity | 5 Comments »

Listen With Your Eyes

listening20earThe first thing we are taught about effective communication is to listen. “Listen with feeling;” “Hear what is being said.” But what if we could also see what is being said? Centuries of communication research and observation reveal that impactful, influential communication consists of:

7% WORDS       38% TONE of VOICE      

 55% GESTURES/BODY LANGUAGE

We spend hours planning what to say, painstakingly choosing words to position ourselves and our products, services or ideas in the most effective way. We spend additional hours analyzing the words of others, attempting to determine the “real meaning.” While words and tone of voice are important, these convey less than half the message.

If we listen with our eyes, what might the gestures or body language we observe be saying?

“I’m happy” Real smiles reach the eyes; false smiles reach the lips only.listen_with_your-eyes1

“I’m defensive” Arms crossed, face drawn, body rigid and tight, leaning back.

“I disagree” Set jaw, shaking head from side to side, narrowed eyes.

“I’m losing interest” Broken eye contact, slouching, checking watch, changing posture,     turning away, sighing.

“You are too close”  Body block, physical retreat, swinging or tapping leg, crossing legs away from you, broken eye contact.

“I’m ready to buy”  Bites lip, furrows brow, rubs chin, handles contract, scratches head, taps with pen, half closes eyes.

“I’m excited” Increased blinking, leans forward, sits up straighter, restless in chair.

Here’s an exercise to improve your ability to listen with your eyes effectively: mute the sound while watching TV and see how well you can figure out what’s going on.

practice-300x278Just as important as observing the gestures and body language of others is keeping in mind what yours is communicating about you. Before your next networking event, meeting or sales call, take a few minutes to plan your gestures and body language, too. Here are some DOs and DONTs to remember:

DO—shake hands and match pressure of the other person; sit in a relaxed position, up and back in chair, or stand straight, move around, gesture; have open arms; maintain friendly eye contact, nod head in agreement, frown thoughtfully, pause before answering question or objection; use forearm or back touch with individuals who are obviously friendly and cooperative.

crossed armsDON’T—close your arms in front of you or hide hands in pockets; perch on your chair; jingle coins or doodle, twist ear or stroke chin, tug nose; touch individuals who are obviously direct or analytical; stare at the floor or across the room.

Get the most out of every conversation: Listen with your ears AND your eyes … and communicate with more than your words!

Posted in Communication, Habits, Sales, Success | No Comments »

Seinfeld and a FrenchTutor

girl_thinkingIn the age of social media, it becomes easier every day to find ways to procrastinate.  In an effort to somehow justify perusing the variety of forwarded emails, articles, YouTube clips, questionnaires, surveys, games, links, invitations…..I contemplate what message, learning or opportunity could be buried in the content, and how I might apply it to my business. Often, I come up short, scolding myself for deviating from the “block schedule”, a fail safe tool which is supposed to insure an efficient and productive blend of marketing, sales, meetings, administration, planning, preparing, delivering and following up. Oh, and a personal life.
Having been recently reacqainted with my high school french tutor, procrastination resources were enhanced yetFrench teacher again. In one such case, what appeared to be cause for scolding, turned out to be a terrific reminder that a “time-out” is not always a punishment. Pause for reflection, a quick chuckle, change of scenery, is often inspiring, invogorating and just plain fun. Funny how teachers know these things. Maybe recess had a purpose!!
The culpret of the assumed procrastination was a YouTube clip from a skit Jerry Seinfeld performed on Saturday Night Live back in the 90′s. In it, he played a history teacher in front of a high school class. I confess, I watched it more than once because it was hysterical. As usual, I struggled to determine the hidden message, which if conveyed to a business owner, could potentially provide insight that might catapult him or her to success never imagined. Nothing. I rattled off a quick note to my tutor, thanked her for the diversion and mentioned I would eventually figure out what to do with it.
A day or so later, her response read “You don’t need to do anything with it. Just enjoy it and remember you were once a student!” Wow, what a concept.
Power of Full Engagement BookWe struggle daily-attempting to maximize our productivity, do more with less, master a variety of roles, meet deadlines, obtain goals….meet everyone’s expectations. Sometimes a good old “time-out” works wonders. In their book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz address the concept of “sprint and recover”, emphasizing that to fully engage, we must allow ourselves frequent, intermittant recovery time to recover from the “sprint” we engage in daily. A few minutes to break the cycle, chuckle at a ridiculously funny re-enactment of high school history and not do anything with it,  is OK. In fact, here it is.

ENJOY a “time-out” to recover so you can fully engage in whatever it is your schedule is telling you to focus onJerry Seinfeld history teacher next.

                                     click here for the Jerry Seinfeld SNL clip:

                                                                              Share Yours!

Posted in Basics, Habits, Procrastination, Productivity | 1 Comment »

Tiger Lessons May Help Your Business

Anyone who has turned on their TV or radio in the last week has undoubtedly heard some portion of the presstiger-woods conference with Tiger Woods, held in Augusta, GA.. One reporter asked Tiger why he hadn’t addressed his situation sooner, knowing he was cascading into a downward spiral? Tiger’s response was simply, he wasn’t able to face reality and take action until he had reached absolute rock bottom. Most likely, Tiger will recover and go on to win tournaments and generate millions in endorsements. What about your business??

Whether you’re a golf fan or not, there are valuable lessons to be learned.  Ask these 8 basic questions regularly about your business and avoid having to hit rock bottom before taking action.

untitled1. Ask “How are we doing?  Do this often. Always know where you are with regard to achieving your plan. Waiting until a deadline to evaluate can lead to disappointing results.
2. Ask “What’s working”? Something is always working. Figure out what it is, why, keep doing it and celebrate.

3. Ask “What’s not working?” Some things might not be working, but view these as opportunities to adjust.

4. Ask “What are the consequences of not taking immediate action to change the things that are not working? Continuing to allow ineffective practices can catapult your business to rock bottom, faster than you can imagine. 

5. Ask “What 1 thing, if it were in place today, would have the biggest impact on moving the business forward”? Take the time to zero in on the most effective and value added activity. Get it done and move onto the next one. Often, we focus on activity level instead of activity effectiveness. Avoid getting lost in the minutia, at the end of the day you may have been busy but what did you actually accomplish?
woods-walks-on-water-jesus-shot

6. Ask “What is the greatest obstacle”? Let’s face it, there are going to be obstacles. Identify them, face them head on and avoid letting them bog you down. Don’t forget to look in the mirror-80% of obstacles are internal only 20% come from external factors.

7. Ask “What are the possible solutions”? There are always options, so take the time to evaluate which is most appropriate, apply it.

8. Ask “What measure can be applied to determine progress”? Identify one or two numbers which will givetiger-woods-out-of-bunker you a clear indication of how your business is progressing. Detailed reports are important, but can take time to review. Find those particular numbers and keep track of them regularly-making sure all of your team is tracking them as well. Examples: monthly revenue, annual profit margin, weekly operating costs, quarterly number of clients, weekly client conversion rate, daily cold calls, average transaction dollars-whether dollars $, percentages %, or numbers #- pick something and track it. 

Once these questions have been answered, adjust your plan and put it into action!

How often do you stop and reassess? What would your answers to these questions be? Would love to hear from you!

Posted in Basics, Habits, Peak Performance, Success | No Comments »

The Devil in the Details

Who would imagine 2 little letters could make such a difference?
devil in the details 2A few weeks ago I received 2 emails. One was offering new business owners the opportunity to gain visibility in a new online and print business magazine. The other was inviting me to the launch party for a new magazine with the same name. I opened the first email, clicked the link and checked out the advertising, featured business owners and comtemplated whether or not it would reach my target market. Next, I reviewed the launch party invitation, thinking what fun it would be have a new group to network with. Looked interesting, so I forwarded to my friend, asking her if she might want to go to the party and to check out the magazine at blahblahblah.com.

Within 5 minutes an email popped up with the subject “Are You Kidding???!!!”    misinterpretation2

Not the usual subject line, I opened it immediately, curious what I must be kidding about. The site I had directed her to was “completely inappropriate and perhaps there was a side of me she didn’t know about-had I actually looked at the site??” Indeed I had and proceeded to reopen the link I sent her…now this was not at all what had popped up the first time!! What happened to the professional headshots and enthusiastic offers of products and services from optimistic entrepreneurs? I closed it and tried again…same thing. I went back to the email with the invitation and clicked on the site…same thing. Had I been hallucinating??
I deleted everything, completely baffled.

A few days ago another email came from “the magazine”. Curious, I opened it and clicked on the link to the site and waited with anticipation as the smiling faces of up and coming entrepreneurs appeared on the screen. Phew! Very carefully, I studied the link…
Two little letters made all the difference!

communication

 

We all process massive amounts of information on a daily basis. Often answering emails or texting, talking on the phone, listening to music and eating at the same time. It is VERY easy to miss the details. Seemingly minor details can lead to major miscommunications.

 

 

Adopt these simple habits to insure “the devil in the details” doesn’t get the best of you:
-Contrary to popular opinion, multi-tasking is not efficient. Focus on the task at hand until it is complete can result in up to 80% time savings.skills_lge
-Finish one task before moving to the next, stopping and starting is inefficient. According to a USAA study, the mind can only focus on one thing at a a time.
-Always check your work (sound familiar?).
-Use spellcheck.
-Let a document, letter, critical email, etc. sit for a few hours and come back to it with fresh eyes-amazing what you might catch.
-Take a break-get up and move around-long bouts in front of the computer or a project are not productive. Your mind and body need to be renergized about every 90 minutes (every 20-30 according to Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book “The Power of Full Engagement”).
-Drink water-your  mind needs hydration to function at it’s best.

“Small differences in your performance can lead to large differences in your results”-Brian Tracy, coach, author, speaker

How has “the devil in the details” impacted you!!! Please share your stories and the small differences you applied to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

Posted in Basics, Discipline, Habits, Peak Performance, Productivity, Success | No Comments »