Speak with Caution

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins once said, “Throughout human history, our greatest leaders and thinkers have used the power of words to transform our emotions, to enlist us in their causes, and to shape the course of destiny. Words cannot only create emotions, they create actions. And from our actions flow the results of our lives.” Indeed, words have power…. to uplift, but also to destroy.  Therefore, it is wise to be mindful when it comes to the spoken word.  A string of words that may not mean much to the speaker but could stick with the receiver for a lifetime.  This is true in all settings, whether personal or professional.  But when it comes to business, it makes for good dollars and sense to speak with caution.

Everyone has to communicate sensitive or potentially painful information at some point at work.  In business, it likely happens more often than in non-profit and charitable workplaces, but it happens everywhere to everyone.  And, while it’s important to speak truthfully, it is just as important to speak with tact.  Tact allows us to be honest, while respecting a person’s feelings.  Tactful communication allows people to preserve relationships, build credibility, and demonstrate thoughtfulness. Continue reading →

The Science behind Self-Talk

We’ve all heard the saying, “Sticks and stones can hurt my bones, but words can never harm me.”  That is a response that kids are taught as a way to refute and ignore name-calling and other unkind talk by children.  However, it is now understood that words can and do hurt people, perhaps as much as sticks or stones.  So most children are taught at home and at school – from an early age — to watch what they say to others.  Adults know that there are consequences for being rude, harsh, insulting or unkind to others.

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There are many preconceived ideas related to age, especially as it relates to employees.  Ask anyone who is 18 years old and they will complain about the challenges of finding a first job because they lack experience. They may have skills, drive and determination, but no one will hire them so they can gain said experience.  Conversely, ask anyone who is 58 about finding employment as they near so-called “retirement age”, and they will share sad tales of how ageism is alive and well in the workplace.  The problem is that if 18 is too young and 58 is too old, then employers are left with a prospective work force that is narrow… and shrinking. Continue reading →

Ask 100 people what constitutes leadership.  You are bound to get 100 different answers.  To prove the point, here are 100 traits that most would agree are fundamental to leadership. Continue reading →

In just 18 years since inception, LinkedIn has amassed over 706 Million users worldwide in over 200 countries and 24 languages.  There are 346 million male users and 360 million female users.  Of those, over 260 million are monthly active users.  Geographically, the breakdown of the top five countries with the most users on LinkedIn is:

• U.S. – 171 million+ LinkedIn users
• India – 69 million+ LinkedIn users
• China – 51 million+ LinkedIn users
• Brazil – 45 million+ LinkedIn users
• Great Britain – 29 million+ LinkedIn users

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While Facebook may be the largest social networking site in the world today, LinkedIn has been supporting its users for a longer time.  It is the professional social networking site for those looking to make new business connections, nurture existing professional contacts, and focus on personal development and growth.  According to the site, there are over 760 Million users worldwide in over 200 countries and in 24 languages.  That is a lot of potential reach for any business, which explains why so many business people are actively engaging on the site.  In fact, there are over 260 million monthly active users. Continue reading →

Imagine this scenario.  The company’s CTO has been tasked with identifying and customizing a new CRM software system for an organization that will help the Business Development team to identify, capture and track all leads and aggregate data about them, provide a process for measuring their likelihood to convert from prospect to sale, facilitate points of contact to spur conversion and track all communication on an ongoing basis.  It is a major undertaking.  There are a multitude of software programs that do these tasks, but the system must be integrated with the company’s manufacturing and operations software as well as its accounting program and its marketing system.  And it must be customized for industry-specific needs.  An entire team of programmers will need to work on this projects with many moving parts.  And many departments will use the system for information about prospects/ and customers’ past purchasing behavior in order to guide future marketing effort and predict sales results.  After a great deal of due diligence and development of a detailed plan for the software architecture, a software is chosen and the process of customization and integration begins.  After a year of diligent effort and extensive Beta testing, the software is now ready to be rolled out.  But as the date approaches to roll out, there is one delay after another.  There is deep reluctance by the team to release the software to a limited team for use just yet.  Month after month, the team hesitates to let the cat out of the bag and allow even a few sales staff to start using it.  Why? Continue reading →

Ready to begin a new assignment at work?  What are you waiting for?  You need to get on it, but have taken no steps to start.  Why?  Perhaps it is because the task is unwieldy?  Or maybe it is because the task is boring or tedious.  Sometimes it is because the work is outside your strengths.  Sometimes it is because you’re just tired and unmotivated.  Whatever the reason, getting started on an assignment or chore might feel daunting.   Just getting started on that work is likely to prove the hardest part of the entire job.  Why is that?   There can be a myriad of reasons for why people have a hard time starting new endeavors. Continue reading →

Picture this.  Mike’s adorable toddler interrupts his Zoom meeting. David’s doorbell rings twice during a single team call.  Sara’s spouse is having a loud conversation in the background since they both work from home and the sound carries.  Daniel is working bizarre hours, sending emails at 3am.  Ruth’s Internet outages are affecting her ability to work from home and hit deadlines.  And Rachel is taking three 15-minute breaks a day to walk her dog. Meanwhile, the legal department has issued restrictions on what can be said or done in dealing with customers when working from home.  And the compliance department has added an extra layer of directives to ensure the company obeys all of the laws and regulations of the industry. Meanwhile, IT is unable to keep up with the demands for support.  Sounds chaotic?  It is.  Now imagine having to manage such a posse and answer for the team or department’s productivity. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, Microsoft informed its employees that it will allow more staff to work from home permanently.  Although the vast majority of Microsoft employees are currently working from home due to the pandemic, the company’s new “hybrid workplace” guidance said it would allow far greater workplace flexibility even after their offices reopen.  Microsoft employees will be able to work from home freely for less than 50 percent of their working week.  Or managers can approve permanent remote work. Employees who opt for permanent remote work will give up their assigned office space, but can use Microsoft’s touchdown offices.  Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer, said “The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways.  We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs and ensuring we live our culture.” Continue reading →