Texting is increasingly being used for business. If not done appropriately it can cause misunderstandings and reflect poorly on the person sending the text, as well as their company. Source: Smart Meetings, June 21, 2016. Link. Sometimes, people get frustrated when they send texts about urgent, important matters but don’t hear back right away. Realize that the person you are … [Read more...]
Align your job with your motives
Do you ever need to psych yourself up to go to work? If so, your job might not align with your personal motives. This is important because motives are the place from which you draw energy. Consider these five common motives to could identify what drives you. Source: Fast Company, April 30, 2018. Link. A mismatch in job and motives will wear you down and eventually cause you … [Read more...]
Better be early
I have a magic pill to sell you. It will help you make more money, be happier, look thinner, and have better relationships. It’s a revolutionary new pharmaceutical product called Late-No-More. Just one dose every day will allow you to show up on time, greatly enhancing your life and the lives of those around you. Source: Forbes, August 2, 2015. Link. There’s a reason we set … [Read more...]
The demise of cold calling
A colleague in the animal health industry recently asked, “Has door-to-door prospecting in the veterinary world reached obsolescence?” He was serious, explaining that he sets appointments and uses cold calls to fill in the gaps. Finally he admitted, “I rarely get any response or success from a cold call.” This answers his question. Why continue an activity that doesn’t produce … [Read more...]
Communicate, connect for health’s sake
The number of people who identify as lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent in the past 30 years. In that same time, the average number of close friends that people identify having has gone from three to one. Having weak social ties is as harmful to health as alcoholism. It’s also equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Thus, having techniques to effectively … [Read more...]
Value your people so they do their best
Your people need more than a salary and fulfilling work to be their best. They need to know that you see the value in them as individuals and from the results they deliver. These nine suggestions should be an automatic part of your management style. Source: Forbes, November 8, 2017, Link. . . . delivering the tough information – can be a challenge. Nonetheless, it’s one of … [Read more...]
Change is hard. Leading it is harder.
Change is hard. It is especially hard on the person leading the change. Compound this by being new to the organization you are leading through the change and the task can seem insurmountable. These thoughts will help. Source: LinkedIn, July 10, 2017. (Link) Change is exhausting, especially if you have a big vision, so you need to break it down into manageable pieces and … [Read more...]
Be fit to lead
While good health may, or may not a good leader make – or break – it does contribute to good brain function, sustained energy output and being physically resilient. These are important attributes for leaders, but the behaviors that contribute to these qualities are often sorely neglected. Source: Center for Creative Leaders, July 10, 2017. Given all this, we often encourage … [Read more...]
Leadership secrets revealed
Done well, leadership looks easy and effortless, much like a swan gliding across a pond appears graceful and elegant. But, like the swan, there is a lot of work going on below the waterline. So, understanding the following secrets of leadership will help develop your leadership abilities. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, March 22, 2018. Don’t expect the world to look at you as a … [Read more...]
A different perspective helps
I write a regular sales column for distribution reps. It recently occurred to me animal health pros, especially associates in a veterinary practice may benefit from what that I share with distribution reps. My February 2018 column in Vet-Advantage magazine is a good example. Source: Vet-Advantage, February 2018. Act like a customer Act like a marketer Act like an … [Read more...]
Self-management is a long-distance race
This is the work of self-management: building the intellectual, emotional and behavioral muscles to modulate our thoughts, emotions and reactions to triggers that lead to ingrained behaviors. This change doesn’t happen overnight after our big epiphanies. Source: Key Step Media, February 2018. With the right skill-building, supports, and self-discipline, we can build new … [Read more...]
Loyalty is a two-way street
Employers seek loyalty and dedication from their employees. However, they sometimes fail to return their half of the equation. This can leave millennial workers feeling left behind and unsupported. Professional relationships are built on trust and commitment. Working for a boss who supports you is vital to professional and company success. Source: Forbes, December 8, … [Read more...]
Sympathy and empathy are vastly different
Imagine you are in a jungle and happen upon someone who has fallen into quicksand. Sympathy is jumping in with them and agreeing this is bad. Empathy is acknowledging their situation is bad and then getting a vine to help pull them out of the predicament. Source: Rework, February 14, 2018. That's empathy - seeking to understand someone else's perspective and how their … [Read more...]
Create success when you disagree
Whether you are a frontline person, supervisor or middle manager, sometimes you get a decision handed down with which you do not agree. What you do at that point says a great deal about you and your ultimate success or failure. Source: Harvard Business Review, February 9 2018. To convince yourself of the decision, put yourself in the shoes of someone who believes deeply in … [Read more...]
The underdog strategy may make you a winner
Victimhood is a popular excuse these days for being unhappy. It doesn’t have to be this way. Certainly, there are people with greater advantages than you. This simply means you need to work smarter and harder to achieve your version of success and now there is a strategy that will enhance your chances of success. Source: Women@Forbes, February 6 2018. Have the courage to … [Read more...]
Learn to say, “No.”
If you say, “no,” to irrelevant things every day, you can spend more time on work that truly matters. Leaders must be willing to say, “no,” to time-wasting activities so they can say, “yes,” to valuable work. Here are some prime candidates for a “no” response. Source: Women@Forbes, January 30, 2018. With your own team, ask each of your direct reports to make at least two … [Read more...]
Why people quit
People are more likely to quit when they have a horrible boss. But in a recent study, most people who left a job said they were mostly okay with their manager. The decision to exit was because of the work. They left when their job wasn’t enjoyable, their strengths weren’t being used and they weren’t growing in their careers. Source: Harvard Business Review, January 11, … [Read more...]
5 tips to attract and retain associates
As the unemployment rate goes down, many employers find it hard to attract and retain engaged employees. What worked when unemployment was high is no longer effective. Additionally, this millennial workforce has different values than previous workforce generations. These tips about retention will go a long way to reduce turnover and its associated costs. Source: Forbes … [Read more...]
Close, but not closed
One of the more common questions I am asked when conducting sales development classes is, “What do I do when a customer commits but doesn’t follow through?” It usually spurs a lengthy discussion about the difference between close and closed. Source: Veterinary Advantage Magazine, December 2017. At commit, your customer, or the Decider, co-owns the outcome with you and that … [Read more...]
Perception is not always reality
I care about people and consider myself to be warm and friendly. At least that is what I thought. So, it came as a shock to discover that others often saw me as intimidating, cold and aloof. After recovering from the shock, I learned that what I perceived as leadership, others perceived as intimidation. What I thought was just being logical was perceived as being cold and … [Read more...]
Employee engagement more important than contentment
Employee satisfaction surveys are helpful tools in running a successful business. However sometimes the sense of contentment can be a sign of apathy and indifference rather than effectiveness. Engaged employees are essential. Measuring this engagement is well beyond the purview of satisfaction surveys. Source: Gallup News, April 12, 2017. Business or work units that score … [Read more...]
Lead humbly for best results
Effective leadership requires that you have an ego – just not a very big one. Too often leaders begin to believe their press clippings and develop an overblown sense of self. Effective leadership requires a well- developed sense of humility as demonstrated by New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning during his one-game demotion as a starter. Source: Inc., November 30, … [Read more...]
Comfort and growth do not co-exist
Comfort can produce complacency. Complacency creates a false sense of security. A false sense of security creates vulnerability that leads to decline and eventually destruction. Effective leaders know this and create some discomfort in their organizations because it leads to growth. Source: Pulse, November 21, 2017. It may surprise you that your job as an open-door leader … [Read more...]
The need to please could be dishonest
Do you prefer to avoid confrontation? When someone asks you what you think, do you tell them what you think they want to hear or what you truly believe? Have you, or are you putting off having a difficult conversation with a staff member? Avoiding an honest conversation has a variety of personal and organizational downsides. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 30, 2017. The … [Read more...]
9 effective leadership reminders make leading easier
Leadership can be difficult, but I am always amazed by the number of people who make it harder than it needs to be by forgetting simple basics. Here are nine things to remember about leadership that will stop you from making it more difficult than it needs to be, and help you become a better leader. Source: Inc., October 2, 2017. As a leader, it is your job to put your … [Read more...]
Use the right measures of success
Real success is about who you are and how far you’ve come. If you worry that you’re not as successful as you should be, you may be evaluating yourself against the wrong criteria. Sometimes you just need a reminder as to what you’ve really accomplished. Source: Pulse, October 2, 2017. You’ve learned that the only people who never fail are those who don’t try. When you fail, … [Read more...]
Manage your manager
Whenever I write about management, I get the sense that sales reps, vet techs, receptionists and other employees check out. Yet, the effective management of your boss, by you, has a great impact on your job satisfaction and ultimately on your happiness. This article provides great tips to help you get started managing your manager or supervisor. Source: Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Incivility is killing us
Employee engagement is being touted as one of the great differentiators between companies that are great and the also-rans. Nothing has a greater impact on employee engagement than disrespect in the workplace. It impacts your performance at work, your quality of life outside work and even your health and longevity. Source: Quartz, September 15, 2017. Forty-seven percent of … [Read more...]
Poor Leadership is Expensive
There are countless examples of where the expense of poor leadership was millions, if not billions of dollars. Here are some of the real costs of poor leadership. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 13, 2017. When you have bad leadership, the best employees on the team will begin looking for a different environment. INSIGHTS: Those who had highly demanding jobs but no … [Read more...]
The answer to why
All kinds of things make us happy at work: hitting a goal, getting a promotion, landing a new client, completing a project; the list goes on. But happiness is temporary. The feeling doesn’t last. Nobody walks around energized by the memory of a goal hit 12 months ago. That intensity passes with time. Instead of looking for happiness at work, consider what is fulfilling about … [Read more...]