tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60458315396940001112024-03-05T21:51:32.395-05:00A Call for ClassUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-84827757263206312422013-01-13T11:13:00.001-05:002013-01-13T12:00:39.506-05:00New Year's Resolutions for a more polite 2013<img height="300" src="http://michiganjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/spelling-grammar-writing.jpeg" width="400" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like New Year's Resolutions. My head knows they are doomed to fail but my heart wants to believe that this will be the year I finally see them through to December. My resolutions usually involve the words "more" or "less" - more excercising, less cheese, more green tea, less coffee, more loving thoughts, less quick judgments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I never stick to these resolutions because even though I want the physical results of more exercise and less indulgence, I like the instant gratification of margaritas and Oreos more, plain and simple. This year, I decided to liberate myself from resolutions I can't and won't keep and focus my goals on etiquette, something I care about and something I can always improve without any major sacrifices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>1. Don't judge people by their affiliations</b> - I will refrain from categorizing people into groups - new age flake, union member, environmental quack, left-wing nutcase, right-wing nutcase, working parent, stay-at-home mom, etc. I will remember that everyone is an individual, no one is defined purely by their situation and everyone has something to offer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>2. Listen more than you talk</b> - Hearing is not listening. No matter how bored I am, I will resist the urge to interrupt someone just so I don't have to listen to them anymore. When people are talking, I will listen rather than spend my time formulating what I am going to say next. If I need to extricate myself from a conversation, I will let them finish and then politely excuse myself and run to the bar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>3. Learn to say no</b> - When someone asks me to do something I definitely don't want to do and will only regret (and kvetch about) later (e.g. chair their fundraising committee, buy their raffle tickets, organize their bridal shower), I will firmly and politely decline immediately without guilt, ambiguity or remorse and I will try not to give it a second thought or wonder what they think of me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>4. Give people the benefit of the doubt</b> - Have you ever decided someone was horrible the first time you met them? What if that was the worst day of their whole life and they are actually awesome? If everyone in my life had met me on the crappiest day of my life, I would have no friends. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but only once or twice :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>5. Don't put mean things in writing</b> - As delicious as it is to gossip or complain about people via email, text or Blackberry messenger, I vow to keep my more salacious comments to an in-person discussion. Before wielding my electronic sword, I will contemplate how I would feel if it ended up on the Internet. I could just vow to never say anything unkind ever again but, as I said, I am no longer making resolutions I can't keep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>6. Doublecheck the recipient of every electronic communication before sending</b> - see Resolution #5.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>7. Don't ruin a polite gesture with indignation</b> - The next time I hold the door for someone and they breeze right through without a word, I will not yell, "You're welcome!" in a loud, snarky voice. After all, I held the door open to be kind, not to be rewarded. But while we're on the topic, would it kill you to say thank you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>8. Keep the Sharpie sheathed</b> - The next time I pass a sign with an egregious grammatical error, I will not pull out my Sharpie and correct it. Even though I consider it a helpful public service, I have been told by others it is tantamount to vandalism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>9. Help the hapless</b> - When people have loud cell phone conversations in places from which I cannot escape (elevators, buses, cashier lines), I will "help" them become better citizens by pointing out their rudeness in the hopes of saving someone else in the future. I will do this in a kind and educational way, even if they respond to me with profanity, as is so often the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And finally, all joking aside, and perhaps the only resolution that matters...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>10. Never resist the opportunity to be kind</b> - All day, I'm presented with opportunities to practice random acts of kindness and for some reason, I don't follow through on many of them. I don't move fast enough to hold the elevator door open. I want to complement someone on their outfit but I am shy and not sure how they will take it. The person behind me in the grocery store checkout only has one item yet I don't offer to let them go ahead because I don't feel like it. In 2013, most of all, I want kindness, in all its forms, to be the driving force for all of my actions.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-24238861656014848042013-01-05T21:40:00.000-05:002013-01-07T08:53:42.024-05:00R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me<img height="241" src="http://onthefly.onemillionskates.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/outdoor-ice-rink.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a special place in my heart for outdoor ice rinks. In the small Ontario town where I grew up, the local skating rink was a meeting place for tweens and teens from early November right through to March. With no smartphones or computers, limited use of a landline and few channels on the TV, it just didn't make sense to stay inside when the thrill of outdoor fun was a short drive away. We were dropped off by parents who knew we would be safe, with just enough money to buy a hot chocolate. It was where we connected, hung out, gossiped, flirted and, although we didn't realize it, stayed fit and avoided obesity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rink of my youth is no longer there. Warmer winters and fluctuating temperatures make it near impossible to keep a natural rink frozen these days.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> But an artificial rink has taken its place and with the same rural setting of birches and pines, it looks almost authentic. It's managed by the town and, to make it fair for everyone, hockey players alternate with family skaters every other day. I took my kids skating there on Christmas Eve, which was designated as a family skating day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We arrived at the rink to a hockey game in full swing. Disgruntled parents told me that the hockey players - all teenage boys - had been asked to leave but had refused. A few adults and older kids were braving it out on the small patch of the ice surface that wasn't absorbed by the hockey game but many families stood on the sidelines, unwilling to risk the wrath of flying pucks. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After an enthusiastic goalie collided with a young girl, tensions came to a head and a profanity-laced shouting match ensued. As a visitor from "the big city", I glided into the heart of the hockey game, reminded them that it wasn't a hockey day and asked them to leave. The biggest of the players, a hulking boy of about 17, looked at me and said, "We just want a little respect". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was momentarily stunned as this response was the last thing I expected. I calmly explained that they weren't <i>respecting</i> the rules of the rink. He said that they knew this but they still expected to be treated with respect and didn't appreciate being yelled or sworn at and if the families had shown them respect they would have left earlier. At this, a few of the other hockey players gathered around echoing their leader's sentiments that they are good kids who just wanted a little respect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My inside voice said, "You don't deserve respect and you certainly haven't earned it," but, in the interest of the end goal and unwilling to appear like an old codger, I smiled sweetly and said, "Well I am asking you respectfully to leave now." It worked. They packed up and went on their way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Teenagers behaving badly is nothing new. Pushing boundaries, breaking the rules, being self-absorbed is part of the teenage DNA and I was the same when I was that age. The difference is, my friends and I never expected respect and we certainly didn't expect it when we were acting like jerks. We didn't get any respect but we really didn't care. We had no notion that it was our entitlement and we seemed to get along just fine without it. Then again, we weren't exposed to reality shows where spoiled, self-absorbed people are celebrated for embarrassing themselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30 years later, I still cling to an old-fashioned notion that respect must be earned but I think it dates me. I asked a 20-something friend about this and he said respect doesn't need to be earned and everyone is worthy of respect until they demonstrate that they don't deserve it, a kind of 'innocent until proven guilty' approach. This seemed very tolerant and inclusive and characteristic of the millennials but it was hazy to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What do you think? Is it time to shelf the old 'respect should be earned' mantra?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-4646410811286121172012-12-06T11:29:00.001-05:002012-12-06T11:30:30.514-05:00An etiquette guide to the virtual introductionThe virtual introduction - that is, the ability to introduce people to each other without everyone having to be in the same physical location - is a fairly recent phenomenon brought on by the invention of email and the growing demand for everyone to build their personal brand through networking.<br />
<br />
In the olden days when I started my career, if I wanted to introduce two of my acquaintances, I would need to see them both at a conference or similar business event and the introduction would usually arise from the common courtesy in play when two people are chatting and another comes along who knows one of the people, but not the other. Outside of this setting, if I felt compelled to put two people together, I would have had to call each of them on a land line and, once I received confirmation that they were both interested in an introduction, I would set up a mutually agreeable time for them to meet and then gently remove myself from the situation.<br />
<br />
As you can imagine, this took time but the upshot was that I only ever did it if I really believed that both parties had something to gain from the meeting. Today, when introducing one friend to another is as simple as typing a couple of sentences and hitting Send, there are a lot more of these kinds of transactions flying around but that's not necessarily a good thing.<br />
<br />
I'm finding that I am frequently included in virtual introductions and requests for information interviews and meetings now, only the person I am being introduced to is also cc'd on the message, making it awkward for me to politely decline the opportunity to meet someone for any number of valid reasons. While the format for introducing people has changed, the need for etiquette has not. Here is a five-step guide for managing the virtual introduction in a polite way:<br />
<br />
<b>Step 1</b> - Friend A would like to meet Friend B, an acquaintance of yours. Friend A asks if you would be willing to introduce them via email, LinkedIn, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 2 </b>- You email Friend B (without cc-ing Friend A), let her know that Friend A has expressed a desire to meet her and provide some context on why that might be a good idea and a productive use of everyone's time.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 3 </b>- If Friend B declines, for any reason, you respect that and politely inform Friend A that the introduction will not be taking place. If Friend B accepts, you let her know that you will be sending an email to introduce both parties shortly.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 4 </b>- Inform Friend A that Friend B has agreed to be introduced and that you will be sending an email to introduce them.<br />
<br />
<b>Step 5</b> - Send the email of introduction cc-ing both parties and explaining a little about each person and why you think an introduction would be mutually beneficial. Close the email by extricating yourself from the equation and any future follow-up emails.<br />
<br />
In today's rapid-fire world, this may seem antiquated and cumbersome but from an etiquette point of view, it is the only acceptable way to handle a virtual introduction, and also prevents you from making another etiquette faux pas covered in an earlier <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6045831539694000111#editor/target=post;postID=109928128565844879">post</a> - sharing someone's e-mail address without their permission.<br />
<br />
In closing, I would like to suggest that if you have requested and been granted a virtual introduction, a follow-up thank you email is also in order.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-85587695405187319792012-11-11T09:57:00.000-05:002012-11-11T10:33:55.647-05:00Etiquette for parents, non-parents and would-be parents<img height="320" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3rsQ9Hcsgg0VGXypyZdOrUDbWrIWeDrNF3tzQoZMJPxCPgEa83AllD-yr" width="216" /><br />
<br />
I lucked out when I became a parent. I had my kids at the same time many of my friends were having theirs and while this made those early years a lot more fun, it also spared me (and them) from the social minefield that sometimes occurs within a group of friends when one becomes a parent and "breaks up the band". <br />
<br />
I always wanted to be a mother and knew that it would happen eventually so I enjoyed several years of career development, travel, sleep, dating and partying safe in the knowledge that one day I would be ready to put aside my dancing shoes for something different, something with staying power.<br />
<br />
During these years, colleagues would have babies and bring them into the office for viewing and while I'd ooh and aah along with everyone else, I was in such a different head space that much of it seemed obligatory and after ten minutes or so, I'd wonder back to my office to think about the weekend's plans.<br />
<br />
These days my weeknights and weekends tend to revolve around my kids - helping them with homework, going to the dollar store for project supplies, attending birthday parties and ferrying them to swimming, karate, soccer and other activities. When I do go out with girlfriends, it's usually a quick lunch squeezed in between our respective appointments and we seem to talk mostly about parenting. It's not that we're incapable of more sophisticated conversation; it's just that we're at a stage in life where parenting is important and all-encompassing and that's where the discussion usually gravitates. There is an unspoken assumption that we will eventually move out of this stage and resume our life of partying, albeit aboard a seniors river cruise.<br />
<br />
Not all my friends have children. I have some friends who have chosen not to have children and others who would like to become parents but haven't been successful so far. Finding conversation that works for everyone is a bit of a delicate balance. For example, several years ago, I spent an afternoon with four old friends. At the time, four of us had babies and one was happily child-free. The parents were swapping war stories of sleepless nights and endless exhaustion and after a while our childless friend snapped, "If having children is so unpleasant, why did you even bother?" A chill set over the conversation before I gently explained that what may seem like complaining was really a way of bonding and coping with the challenges of new motherhood. Her question was rude but she had a point and we hadn't realized we had been excluding her.<br />
<br />
I can chat endlessly about my children with friends who have kids the same age and they are usually happy to indulge me because they are experiencing many of the same issues and have the same concerns and they're thankful to share ideas and solutions. However, when I get together with friends whose kids are much older than mine, we don't spend much time on parenting. They have already passed through the stages I am experiencing and they are dealing with other challenges like missing a child who has gone off to university. We politely ask after each other's offspring and either reminisce about past years or look forward to future years and then move on.<br />
<br />
I'm sure my tales of getting an eight-year-old to do his homework are boring and tedious to my friends who have chosen to remain childless and likewise, I often can't relate to their stories and how they fill their time but that doesn't mean I don't ask. When friends connect, I think it's prudent to at least ask for an update on the people and things that are precious to them, whether that's children, pets or their latest dance club exploits before moving on to mutually interesting topics.<br />
<br />
It's also good to remember that prattling on about kids can be difficult for friends who want to be parents but for whom it hasn't happened yet. When I was expecting my second child, a friend who had been trying to have a baby for several years told me that she found it hard to spend time with me. I wasn't offended. I appreciated her honesty and felt sadness that something that came so easy to me was frustrating, even heartbreaking for her. I respected her position and while I don't assume all women who are trying to conceive feel the same way, it has made me more cognizant of how I talk to people who are going through this.<br />
<br />
Photos are another touchy subject. Although we've never actually set official guidelines, my close circle of parent friends don't inundate each other with photos capturing our children's every stage. We slip them in holiday cards and very occasionally email a proud moment but we don't pull out photo albums during dinner. We love each other and, by extension, we love each others kids but the truth is most parents are just as bored as non-parents with oversharing.<br />
<br />
I'll close this post with a plea for non-judgement. We live in a culture that currently celebrates babies and motherhood, where celebrities grace magazine covers just for getting pregnant and the baby products industry is worth $30 billion. With all this, it's easy to assume that parenthood is the only route to happiness for women and that's just ridiculous. There are countless ways to have a rich, rewarding, full life and having children is just one of them. If you have friends who have chosen not to reproduce, respect their choices and don't presume that your life is more meaningful than theirs. Likewise, I expect my childless friends to respect my choices and to accept that, while I love catching up with them, my schedule is not as flexible and I'm more inclined to go home after dinner than to continue the night elsewhere.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-23221031903168632462012-10-23T06:22:00.000-04:002012-10-23T06:22:16.868-04:00Teaching your kids manners when the adults are behaving badly<img height="177" src="http://www.google.ca/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://blog.readyflowers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/phone-while-dining-470x210.jpg&sa=X&ei=HmWGUOatFtGt0AGB_IHwCw&ved=0CAkQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNGuj4fDjS85ZKdiaJ5CGdZKWUHqKw" width="400" /><br />
<br />
As any parent can tell you, it's hard to teach manners to kids. Getting your kids to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' and 'Nice to meet you' without constant prompting requires Herculean effort on a daily basis for years before it finally becomes second nature to them. And it's near impossible to reinforce the need for manners when popular kids programs feature characters who talk down to the adults in their lives (if there are any around) and get lots of canned laughter for rude behaviour and impertinent remarks.<br />
<br />
But what about when it's the adults that are behaving poorly? How do you deal with an eight-year-old who asks, "Why do I have to take off my hat at the table when (insert loutish adult here) doesn't have to and he's an adult?"<br />
<br />
At a recent Thanksgiving dinner with my spouse's large extended family, two of the adults brought their smartphones to the dinner table. Both are parents. One tapped quietly, checking emails and texts and ignoring the conversation around her. The other played a loud video on her device and passed it around for everyone to enjoy.<br />
<br />
The device made its way down the table, being passed from person to person along with the creamed corn and the gravy. As it approached me, I wondered how I would deal with it. We have a strict 'No smartphones at the dinner table' rule in my house. My kids don't have their own phones yet so the rule is both a reminder for their father and me in the present and a preemptive strike for my kids in the future. So, face-to-face with something I had sworn to my kids was 'rude', I ran through my options:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Take the phone, glance at the screen, smile weakly to safe face, and pass it on? <i>(safe but wimpy)</i></li>
<li>Get up from the table and pretend to go to the restroom just as it was about to be passed to me? <i>(safe but cowardly)</i></li>
<li>Go on a rant about how nothing is sacred anymore and the ancient Mayans were right when they suggested the world should end in 2012 <i>(confronting rudeness with more rudeness)</i></li>
<li>Get over myself, join the fun, laugh at the video and be a good sport <i>(and lose this teaching moment?)</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
In the end, I mashed all the options together and said, "I'm going to pass because we don't allow phones at our dinner table and if the kids see me with this, they'll use it against me."<br />
<br />
I got a few eye rolls from my dinner companions but that's to be expected. They have already branded me as weird for my insistence that they don't post photos of my kids on Facebook. But I was slightly concerned that I had hurt the feelings of the smartphone owner. After all, while she has a different set of etiquette rules than me, she genuinely thought she was providing entertainment value with her Youtube offering. I glanced glance down the table to see her reaction but I need not have worried. She was busy looking at photos on the other phone that was at the table and hadn't even noticed. Such is the short attention span associated with anything electronic nowadays.<br />
<br />
In case you're wondering, the video featured a dancing vegetable...<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-44374616749353644962012-10-14T11:03:00.000-04:002012-10-14T11:04:22.343-04:00Is karma real and should you be worried about it?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img height="238" src="http://www.google.ca/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.mind-and-body-yoga.com/images/Karma.jpg&sa=X&ei=ydJ6UNv2FbGy0QHR1YDwBg&ved=0CAkQ8wc4Ew&usg=AFQjCNFhJE0rR2vU92nKv3VH1S2r4r1IlQ" width="320" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I detest loose ends.
I’m not talking about stray threads on hems or flyaway strands in my
hairdo. I refer to tasks that are not
complete and have been languishing on my to-do list for days, weeks or even
months. I am tortured by un-purchased birthday
presents, unpaid bills and unrealized dreams. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walk around with an ever-present to-do list – in my
notebook and in my head – constantly shedding and adding tasks but never
decreasing in length. Some items get
carried over from month to month (stain threshold at back door) and others
spend only hours on the list (find son’s hockey helmet). Still
others never seem to see the light of day (learn Mandarin) and exist only in my
mind hoping to be transferred onto “the list” once some space frees up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can connect my general anxiety level to the amount of loose
ends I have following me around and keeping me up at night. When I strike my pen through a completed item,
I experience a physical jolt of satisfaction.
The fewer things on my list, the happier I am and I hold to the belief that
if I ever reach a zero balance on my to-do list I will experience a level of
nirvana that I can only dream of. When I explain this to people who do not worry about to-do lists, they think I'm crazy but the world needs all of us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My obsession with loose ends makes it easy for me to believe
in karma. Karma is one of those concepts that everyone kind of understands,
like global warming or calculus, but can’t quite explain. Spiritualists would say it’s an ancient
universal balancing system while scientists claim it’s nothing more than basic cause
and effect. It is evident in many religious
teachings, modern-day proverbs and motivational teachings: you reap what you
sow, you get out of life what you put into it, do unto others as you would have
them do unto you, and so on. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cause and effect is easy to quantify – neglect your diet and
you gain weight – but the more spiritual side is harder to pin down. Can it really be true that if you go through
the world spreading misery, a universal force will see to it that you get what’s
coming to you? And on the flip side, if
you treat everyone with kindness and respect, are you guaranteed a life free of
pain? We know it’s not that simple. We all know horrible people who seem to carry
on, get promotions and accumulate riches while others who behave like angels get more than their fair share of bad luck. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I have knowingly done something unkind to someone, I
feel crappy almost immediately and look for ways to “balance my karma” by doing
something good. The bad karma I’ve
created for myself gnaws at me until I even it out. Sometimes, I don’t have to try very hard and the
universe takes care of it for me in the form of a parking ticket, plant that
dies or skirt that’s suddenly too tight.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, to bring this back to my loose end theory, unbalanced karmic
experiences are loose ends, rights that need to be wronged and wrongs that need
to be righted so that I’m back on an even keel, with a blank slate and a
promise to “only do good from now on”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I realize that I’m oversimplifying a complicated concept, or
maybe overcomplicating a simple concept, but I think I’m a believer in karma. I realize that it’s impossible to go
through life without suffering, but my day-to-day life seems to be better when my outlook is
positive and empathetic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are your thoughts about karma? Universal law or new age mumbo jumbo?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-18325506521262726482012-09-20T15:42:00.000-04:002012-09-20T15:45:43.312-04:00How about a complaints democracy for volunteer organizations? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS010zULF3UKstAoPwvCEtm90EnUJb24Y4K5gpZQBw76M4MCl724SJk98dzui5VUq4ky5cqEvgDQo30Rqz_2jsJ-mTqc90SZOEUiewVRbd30o2jOr3C5H2RYSiZMdtQBPTyy9Emsq3bg_m/s1600/eye-rolling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_2btiea="2" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS010zULF3UKstAoPwvCEtm90EnUJb24Y4K5gpZQBw76M4MCl724SJk98dzui5VUq4ky5cqEvgDQo30Rqz_2jsJ-mTqc90SZOEUiewVRbd30o2jOr3C5H2RYSiZMdtQBPTyy9Emsq3bg_m/s320/eye-rolling.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
I am involved in various ways with a few different organizations that are staffed almost exclusively by volunteers. Most of these volunteers also have day jobs and family responsibilities. They have taken on the extra, unpaid work because they are passionate about the organization's mission or mandate and because it has an impact on their professional or personal lives.<br />
<br />
Not everyone is suited to chair a committee or mobilize a team. As with paid work, some people are the organizers, some are the planners and others show up to collect the tickets, serve the food or knock on the doors. Some people don't have the time or inclination to volunteer and that's fine as well. It's all optional.<br />
<br />
Common across all volunteer organizations, are the complainers, questioners and advice-givers. These are the people who didn't like the hot dogs at the charity BBQ, ask why you send out weekly emails on Thursdays instead of Fridays and helpfully suggest that you use an inordinate amount of your budget to "go green". <br />
<br />
Some of these people have voices that are so loud and mannerisms that are so intimidating that even if they're the only person in a group of 20 who holds a particular opinion, no one challenges them.<br />
<br />
When you <i>pay</i> an individual or a corporation for a service and that service is not delivered according to your standards, feel free to complain to anyone who will listen and to escalate your complaint until you receive a satisfactory resolution. When dealing with volunteers, however, I'd like to see people adopt a more democratic process where the squeaky wheel finds no purchase and good enough is actually considered good enough.<br />
<br />
The next time you want to offer a suggestion about how a volunteer can "do things better", ask these questions:<br />
<br />
<b>Is the volunteer doing something illegal, unethical or otherwise jeopardizing the reputation of the organization? - </b>If the answer is yes, then this is a legitimate complaint that needs to be dealt with at a high level. If the answer is no, ponder the following questions:<br />
<br />
<b>Is my suggestion actually feasible and can it realistically be executed using the current resources and within the existing time frame and regulatory constraints of the organization?</b> If not, shelf it or suggest a brainstorming session where people can share out-of-the-box ideas for future consideration.<br />
<br />
<b>Will my suggestion benefit other members of the organization or am I just airing my personal grievances? </b>Before lodging a complaint, chat with others to see if it's a common problem. If it is, the association will probably appreciate the feedback. If it's more personal in nature, let it go. It's not useful.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Is my suggestion an easy fix or am I just adding to the workload of a volunteer who is already stretched too thin?</b> Most volunteers are open to questions and even complaints but few appreciate suggestions that pile even more work onto their plates. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Am I willing to participate in the solution or do I simply want to complain and let others do the heavy lifting? </b>If you feel really strongly that something needs to be changed, offer to do some of the legwork to make it happen. It will go a long way.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Should people be allowed to complain about anything they want? Am I being too harsh? Are there any other questions complainers should ask themselves?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-62390181781604992992012-09-18T13:34:00.000-04:002012-09-18T16:23:00.470-04:00Why small business owners should just say no to gurus<br />
<img height="182" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/20/movies/20guru600.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
When you own a small business, people (clients, employees, accountants, relatives and neighbours) are quick to tell you what you can do better. Some of these ideas have merit but most of them don’t. This doesn’t mean that the people sharing them are not bright or capable; it simply means that they don’t have enough context or perspective on your situation to present viable solutions for your business. They are familiar with the part of the business that they touch, but they don’t know your monthly overhead, the reason you’re keeping that problematic employee, why you walked away from a lucrative client, or the major development you’re working on behind closed doors but can’t yet disclose.<br />
<br />
Many of the advice-givers are not small business owners themselves, never have been and likely never will be. They don’t know what it’s like to walk away from relative job security to start something fresh. It’s inconceivable to them that for the first few years, you will not take home the same salary you made as an employee because all of your profits will be reinvested in the company. They can’t imagine the agony of staying awake all night the first time you have to fire an employee or how many hoops you had to jump through to keep paycheques flowing in a recession. <br />
<br />
While their advice is unsolicited and maybe annoying, all of these would-be sages can be shrugged off. Their intentions are good and, even if they’re not, they’re harmless.<br />
<br />
Less harmless are professional “business gurus”, highly paid experts who rake in a lot of money telling others how to succeed. Their bestselling books promise to take your business to new heights, teach you how to swim with piranhas and show you how to get rich working only a few hours a week. They also take their winning formulas on tour, keynoting conferences and adding their voice to business columns. For the most part, they are well-educated, intelligent, articulate and authoritative and have achieved success in their field. I’m just not sure that qualifies them to give advice to small business owners. <br />
<br />
Take <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Welch">Jack Welch</a> for example. He joined GE, already a huge corporation, when he was 25 and worked his way up the ranks till he retired at 65. He was Chairman and CEO for 20 years, during which time, the company’s value rose 4,000 per cent. His personal net worth is estimated at $720 million. He has written countless bestsellers on his management style and is an inspiration to many. <br />
<br />
Obviously, he is accomplished. I’m not disputing his abilities but I do wonder what a small business owner can learn from a person who spent his entire career at one company. Is a corporate hero qualified to give advice to someone running a small ad agency in Toronto or a metal fabrication shop in Dallas?<br />
<br />
Guru is a Sanskrit word meaning teacher or imparter of knowledge. In ancient times, a guru was someone who ‘dispelled the darkness of ignorance’. But what if you’re not ignorant? What if you know what’s best for you and your business? What if you can trust your instincts?<br />
<br />
A familiar suggestion from the business gurus is to “get out of your comfort zone”. The underlying premise is that your complacency and resistance to change is holding back your business. This is sound advice for corporate dinosaurs clinging to their glory days but I think it’s flawed advice for small businesses. What’s wrong with your comfort zone? It gave you the courage to strike out on your own, guided you into the right business niche and helped you assemble a team that works well together. The one time I followed this advice and ignored my instincts, the results were disastrous. <br />
<br />
I’m not saying that no one has useful advice or that you can’t benefit from discussing business problems with a mentor. I just think you'll learn more from a retired restaurant owner than from someone who rode a corporate wave to fame.<br />
<br />
In closing I’ll leave you with this wonderful quote about social media gurus from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Blanchard">Olivier Blanchard</a>, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and one of the most cited economists in the world: “A social media guru is a term used to assign imaginary expertise in a nascent communications field to an individual with little to no real world business experience”.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-17755849807093274602012-08-26T12:13:00.000-04:002012-08-27T10:08:17.239-04:00Are you guilty of Death by PowerPoint?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHhhRkbcNI-XjVbjVzHZTYXwcIuKF0F8EviI_NIhBIKYbc9oU6T8CM1l3Sf2uSHJ_LksG-an5zWl6s7Tg0WYss3rbn0iJsc1f7ex3Y4NhoIMWZccW_A9VmU6CSrYhCK16WHJ2sZaFglQ/s1600/Death+by+Powerpoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHhhRkbcNI-XjVbjVzHZTYXwcIuKF0F8EviI_NIhBIKYbc9oU6T8CM1l3Sf2uSHJ_LksG-an5zWl6s7Tg0WYss3rbn0iJsc1f7ex3Y4NhoIMWZccW_A9VmU6CSrYhCK16WHJ2sZaFglQ/s400/Death+by+Powerpoint.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I created the ghastly image above in exactly four minutes using the full range of PowerPoint's handy-dandy text, image and design options. It's an extreme example to be sure but will not be completely foreign to anyone who has worked in an office environment in the past decade. <br />
<br />
You may already be familiar with the phrase, Death by PowerPoint, and while there have been no confirmed cases of people who have actually expired while enduring a PowerPoint presentation, workplaces across the universe are rife with stories of people who metaphorically died, or at the very least, stated that they would rather die, than sit through yet another boring slide show. Not surprising when you consider that 30 million slide-driven presentations are delivered every day.<br />
<br />
Toronto communicator <a href="http://www.fivestepstoconquer.com/author.html">Eric Bergman</a> tackles the PowerPoint epidemic, its most common symptoms and potential cures, in his new book, <i><a href="http://www.fivestepstoconquer.com/">5 Steps to Conquer Death by PowerPoint</a>.</i> The book chronicles PowerPoint's journey from shiny new software to boardroom staple, examines the underlying assumptions and misconceptions that force us to choose bullets over conversations, and provides guidelines for breaking free of our addiction. More importantly, Eric goes back to the communications principles behind sharing data of any kind and reminds us that, before assembling any presentation, we need to be mindful of the needs and wants of our audience. He even includes a <a href="http://www.fivestepstoconquer.com/audience_manifesto.pdf">downloadable</a> Audience Manifesto that you can give to the next presenter you hire. <br />
<br />
I am not a huge fan of PowerPoint but I can't say I hate it either. I am not a natural presenter and in my experience, there are very few people who are capable of taking the stage and delivering information in a way that is informative, passionate, and captivating all on their own. I approach public speaking with hours of preparation, weeks of rehearsal and tons of butterflies flitting around in my stomach. Other people have the confidence to "wing it" but even then, only a few of them can truly pull it off and many of them are just confusing the desire to speak about themselves with the ability to inspire an audience.<br />
<br />
When I present to a large group, I like the security of a few slides behind me. They serve as an anchor to calm my nerves and prevent me from rambling or going over my allotted time. So, for those of us who perform better with slides as a backdrop, Eric's five-step process helps ensures they augment our words rather than detracting from them. The five steps are:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Put your audience first</b> - Focus on two-way symmetrical communications where both the presenter and the audience have their needs met and there is equality between the information being shared and the questions and feedback from the receivers.<br />
<b>2. Structure the conversation</b> - The spoken word thrives in an environment of storytelling even when you're imparting complicated information<br />
<b>3. Minimize visual aids </b>- Question the value of each and every slide and only include visual aids if they supplement your story. If possible, use flip charts, props or audience participation to bring things to life.<br />
<b>4. Convey your message and your personality</b> - Every presentation needs a message and a call to action but no one will accept it if you are not personally believable. Relaxed conversation is your best presentation style.<br />
<b>5. Answer questions throughout </b>- Telling people you'll try to make time for questions at the end suggests they are not important. If you have 20 minutes to present, plan a 10 minute presentation and make conversation a priority.<br />
<br />
I liked Eric's inclusion of scientific research on how adults learn, the impact of body language and how we receive and process information. Rookie and seasoned presenters alike will appreciate his Basic Presentation Framework which I'll be using to structure my next presentation.<br />
<br />
In closing I'll admit that I would challenge Eric's assumption that we choose PowerPoint without thinking and just accept that it's the standard way of delivering information. This may be the case for some users but most communicators I know agonize about whether slide-based presentations are necessary or useful and regularly question their value. When I was running a PR agency, we often suggested to clients that we present without slides only to have them insist upon a formal presentation complete with paper copies they could scribble notes on. Some of them urged us to put as much detail as possible on every slide so they could meet at a later date to review them on their own. <br />
<br />
As all agency people know, getting clients to embrace modern approaches to communications is not just a matter of education. Sometimes you just have to wait for them to come around. But now I'm thinking that sending them Eric's book as a gift might not be a bad idea. Thoughts?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-14631536193847026582012-08-09T22:47:00.000-04:002012-08-10T12:04:11.134-04:008 Commandments of the Checkout Line<img height="213" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KxI8LXnVwwY/TwRkDoAGDpI/AAAAAAAD2TY/2tm_Ib3jYMs/IMG_9451.JPG" width="320" /> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The funny thing about etiquette is, it’s the little things that drive us nuts. Sure, there are thousands of etiquette books and hundreds of guidelines about netiquette and dress codes and proper forms of introduction but when it comes right down to it, we become most infuriated when people violate the small, unwritten rules of civility. Few of us are offended if someone wears white after Labour Day or sticks their name tag on the wrong side of their body, but try to sneak 11 items into the express checkout lane and we turn into Emily Post. In my observations of everyday etiquette, I have noticed that the grocery store checkout lane is a bottomless pit of bad manners so I thought I’d address some of the worst offences here, in Moses style.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Thou shalt not disobey the express checkout rules</b> – If you’re able to shop for, and pay for, groceries on your own, you must know how to count to 10 (or eight, or whatever the case may be where you shop). Eleven is not 10. Twelve is not 10. Only 10 is 10. And, in case you’re wondering, two of the same item still counts as two, not one.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Thou shalt have your cards ready </b>– Before you enter the store, or at least when your groceries are being checked through, locate the card you wish to pay with. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing someone dig through a wallet or bag searching for an elusive debit, credit or worse, points card, while a lineup of shoppers fumes behind them. Have your payment card at the ready and if you can’t find your Air Miles or PC Points card, just leave it and vow to be more organized next time. I actually stood in line once while a cashier let someone go out to their car to look for a points card.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Thou shalt not force price checks</b> – I get it. There’s nothing worse than picking up ten frozen pizzas because you think they’re $2.99, only to see them clock in at $5.99 but that doesn’t mean you can hold up the entire line to prove a point. If the deal was advertised in the flyer, show it to the cashier. If you thought you saw a sign, and there aren’t too many others in line, have them check. But holding up five other shoppers because you’re convinced the margarine was $.10 off when you have no evidence to back it up, is not cool. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Thou shalt prequalify your coupons</b> – So you’ve seen <b><i>Extreme Couponing</i></b> and you want to get in on the action. Fine, frugality is good. But, as a fellow couponer, I can tell you that Canadian coupons are much more restrictive than their U.S. counterparts and your efforts to save money will often be stymied by expiration dates, quantity limits and pairing restrictions. Coupons are great but before you dig through your purse for that that crumpled scrap entitling you to $.50 off cheese strings, read the fine print.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Thou shalt try to pack your groceries quickly</b> – Now that we pay for plastic bags and stores no longer pay teenagers to bag our purchases, many of us have to cram our fish fingers and milk into a mish-mash of reusuable bags, bins and backpacks. Understandably, this takes time but there’s no need to be a perfectionist about it. Finish the job as quickly as possible and move on so that the next customer can use the conveyor belt. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Thou shalt not alleviate boredom by talking into your cell phone</b> – I know checkout lines are boring but that’s what the <b><i>National Enquirer</i></b> is for. If three-headed dogs aren’t your thing, browse the news on your smart phone but refrain from long, annoying conversations. Remember that the people sharing the line with you are trapped and can’t get away from your inane conversation. If you can’t resist, at least hang up when it’s time to pay. Trying to fish a credit card out of your wallet while simultaneously bending your head to keep your phone from falling, all while having a conversation, is not only time-consuming, it’s disrespectful. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7. Thou shalt behave if you’re allowed to go ahead</b> – Once in a while, you will find yourself behind someone with a bulging cart when you only have two things. Depending on their mood, time constraints and level of awareness, they may let you go in front of them. They may not and that’s their prerogative. If they do let you go ahead, you must not hold them up in any way. That means no questions, no price checks, no haggling over price. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8. Thou shalt not chit-chat</b> – This is not really an issue in a large city where most transactions are anonymous and the chances that you know a cashier personally are minimal. However, in the small town where I grew up, it’s not uncommon to wait in a checkout line while the customer in front of you chats with the cashier, getting caught up on everything from her mother’s hip replacement to the upcoming Rotary BBQ at the arena. I know this is lovely and we all need to smell the roses, etc. but when people are waiting in line, it’s best to keep social chat for social events. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Is there anything you would like to add to the checkout line commandments? I would love it if I could get two more to make an even ten. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-57878705607983891842012-08-06T21:14:00.002-04:002012-08-06T21:18:30.766-04:00Life is better when you know what to expect<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img height="253" src="http://femthreads.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/bjbunny1.jpg?w=600" width="320" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Twenty years ago, I landed an amazing job at Canada’s
largest public school board. Reporting
to a fabulous communications director, my role was to help our 200 schools better
communicate with parents and the school community. Two weeks in, my boss asked me to meet with
one of our elementary school principals to <i>chat </i>about public relations
tactics. It was my first opportunity to actually counsel someone. I was nervous but I prepared
copious notes and took comfort in the knowledge that an informal discussion would be a trial run for more structured presentations in the future. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I arrived at the school and told the secretary I was from the communications department, she immediately picked up the microphone for the school’s PA system and announced
“Will all staff please report to the lounge for the public relations presentation”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My heart started to race when I heard the word ‘presentation’. I didn’t have a presentation. I didn't even have handouts. I wasn’t prepared to <i>impress</i> anyone. It was supposed to be just a chat, a CHAT!
Panicked, I weighed the options available to me. I could race back to the parking lot, get in
my car and flee. Sure, I’d probably get
fired, but I wouldn’t have to suffer the indignity of being unprepared for a
presentation. I could pretend that I’d
fallen ill and the meeting would have to be postponed to a later date. This wasn’t totally inconceivable given that
I already felt sick to my stomach. In
the end, I stayed, plastered a smile on my face, thanked everyone for giving up
their lunch to listen to me and spoke with minimal authority from the notes I
had written for what was supposed to be an informal chat between two people. It wasn’t my finest hour but I learned a
valuable lesson that served me well for the rest of my career – always confirm what is expected of you in any business meeting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being clear about your expectations is a vital part of
business etiquette. The purpose of
etiquette is to enhance the comfort of the people around you and what’s more
uncomfortable than arriving at a meeting, only to find that you’re in a pink
sundress and everyone else is wearing a navy blue suit. If you’re hosting a meeting, whether it’s a
conference, social gathering, new business presentation or staff BBQ, it’s your role to tell people what they can expect and what is expected of them. Here are some tips to help you:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Be crystal-clear
about dress code</b> – Let people know how you’ll be dressed or what is
expected and refrain from using ambiguous terms like smart-casual or
relaxed black-tie. Rather than fall back
on confusing terminology, I usually try to spell it out in a way that leaves no
room for interpretation (e.g. Our office has casual Fridays so we’ll be wearing
golf shirts and khakis to the meeting and you can feel free to do the same).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Set them up for
success</b> – If someone will have a speaking role at the meeting, explain the
parameters. Let them know that you’re
looking forward to hearing their presentation, that you’ve allotted 20 minutes
and that you will have an LCD display ready for them. Let them know who else will be in the
meeting, who else is presenting and who, if anyone will introduce them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Have an agenda</b> –
If possible, distribute the agenda by e-mail before the actual meeting but at
the very least, distribute it at the start.
That way, if someone has come unprepared, they’ll at least have a few
minutes to collect themselves, and their thoughts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Establish meeting
rules</b> – If the meeting starts at 4 p.m. and you have a hard stop at 5 p.m.,
let everyone know they should stick to their allotted time to ensure everyone
has a chance to speak. If you are chairing the meeting (and every meeting needs a chair), keep everyone on track.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Manage technology</b>
– Most people are not so important that they can’t go one hour without
responding to e-mails but I regularly see people tapping away while others are
talking. If you’re the meeting host, let
people know ahead of time what your expectations are regarding smart phones and
IPads. If the meeting is two hours or
longer, tell them you’ll have a 5-minute break during which, they can check
e-mails but you’re looking forward to receiving their full attention when the
meeting is in session. (Note: as a former agency person, I realize you can’t
say this to clients who check their emails while you’re pitching your little
heart out). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Share follow-up plans</b>
– If there are follow-up items, share the process with meeting attendees. Let them know when they can expect to hear
back from you and, if a decision is to be made (as in the case of an RFP), tell
them how much time you will need to make it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-59871424900404314632012-07-13T12:23:00.002-04:002012-07-13T12:23:48.815-04:0010 Not-So-Obvious Items for Your Event Bag<img src="http://www.gd-wholesale.com/userimg/57/2713i1/nylon-cable-ties--cable-tie--plastic-ties--twist-tie--steel-cable-ties-881.jpg" />
<br />
<br />
If you plan and manage special events, you have an event bag. The bag (usually an old briefcase or gym bag) contains extra items that might come in handy for any event, on top of all the supplies you are already packing. So while you will already have pens for the registration desk, your event bag will contain an extra box of pens for when the ones you have go missing, which they will. A well-stocked event bag usually contains typical office equipment such as scissors, a stapler, Sharpies, name tag holders, string, tape (of the duct, masking and double-sided variety), thumb tacks, pushpins, paper, USB sticks, and the like.<br />
<br />
The event bag needs to be checked and inventoried before each event and in a perfect world, it would be restocked immediately after every event but, as any event planner will tell you, restocking the bag is usually the last thing anyone wants to do in the exhausted hours immediately following an event so it gets tossed into a corner where it remains until it's opened hours before the next event.<br />
<br />
If you regularly plan events you know all the staples you need for your kit but there are many more, not-so-obvious items you may want to include. Following is my list of the top ten must-haves for your event bag, based on two decades of managing (mostly) successful events.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Plastic ties (see photo above) </b>- <span style="background-color: white;">At every event, there is something that needs to be secured, fastened or otherwise jury-rigged onto a pole. When that happens, nothing beats plastic industrial ties. They adjust to any size and you can just snip off any extra length with scissors.</span><br />
<br />
<b>2. Eye drops </b>- Spectacular events don't happen overnight. A seamless execution is the result of months of careful planning and last minute changes. It is very rare to get a good night's sleep before an event, usually because you are still at the venue hanging banners at midnight. To ensure you look fresh and awake at event time, always carry different varieties of eye drops.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Adhesive bandages</b> - All that last minute lifting, hanging, shoving, cleaning wreaks havoc on your fingers and minor cuts and scrapes are the inevitable result. Having these on hand will prevent you from dripping blood onto your beautiful rented table-cloths.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Chargers</b> - Of course your cell phone is dead. You were up all night trying to find a florist who could deliver 1000 purple lilies by morning since the florist you already booked fell ill. Your event kit should include every type of wall charger available for today's array of smart phones, cameras, music players, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Flashlight</b> - Have you ever crawled under a stage trying to figure out why your PowerPoint presentation isn't working or your exploding confetti gizmo has malfunctioned? It's a lot easier when you can see where you're going.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Sewing kit </b>- I have never staged an event in 20 years where we didn't need to pull out the sewing kit. Dropped hems, popped buttons and inappropriate cleavage present themselves in the moments before the lights go up.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Stain remover </b>- It's hard not to spill coffee on your shirt when you're quaffing gulps between table setups. A dab of stain remover may not hide it entirely but it will at least diffuse it over a larger area so it fades. If you have a car, bring along an extra blazer as well.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Flat shoes</b> - Every seasoned (female) event planner knows that you wear flat shoes during set-up and put on the heels when it's event time. Nowadays you can buy ballet flats that role up into a ball and come with their own carrying case. <br />
<br />
<b>9. Snacks</b> - It's time for the event and you realize you've been onsite since 6 a.m. and haven't had a thing to eat. When there's no time to nibble (and there never is), you can hit up your event bag for granola bars, protein bars, chocolate, etc. If you're super organized, you can include a small cooler with cheese strings and other items.<br />
<br />
<b>10. OTC medicine</b> - Don't let your great work be sidelined by migraines, indigestion or nausea. A well-stocked event bag can double as a portable medicine chest.<br />
<br />
Those are just a few of the not-so-obvious essentials I make sure to include. What are some other surprising things you pack for events?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-1295152093484348072012-07-11T09:50:00.000-04:002012-07-11T11:53:44.391-04:00You're never too senior to carry boxes in PR<img height="320" src="http://www.tamaracselfstorage.com/Images/WomnWithBoxes.gif" width="213" /><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your first job promotion is a mixed blessing. When you hear the news that you're moving up the ladder, you feel great. You've proven yourself worthy of more responsibility, you have a more important-sounding title and hopefully, a pay increase. But the initial elation wears off when you realize that colleagues who were friends last week now report to you, HR has been added to your job description and you don't actually get to ditch all the things you disliked about your former role. In fact, a promotion often means you will do your former job, as well as a new one.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In 20 years experiencing my own, often stumbling, movements through the management ranks and witnessing the behaviour of my own team members once they've been promoted, I've noticed one constant - delegation is not what it's cracked up to be. In fact, it's much less fun than anyone ever imagines.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While a junior role requires you to draft a news release and submit it for review, your shiny new senior role has a lot more steps. You have to receive the assignment from your manager, choose a team member to handle it, meet with them to discuss it, set expectations and deadlines, follow up if the deadline is looming and you haven't seen anything, review the draft, meet with the staff member to share your feedback and provide suggestions for improvement, set another deadline for the revised draft, and then go through the process all over again. And when you do finally have a workable document, you must resist the urge to rewrite the whole thing and accept that just because it's not "the way you would do it" doesn't mean it isn't good quality. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In a management role, even if you only have one direct report, this scenario repeats itself all day everyday and due to the frantic, often last-minute nature of public relations, many assignments don't have the luxury of time for training and mentorship so you do them yourself anyway and at events, you'll often find yourself carrying boxes, fetching water for speakers, tracking down A/V people and other tasks you thought you had left behind when you were promoted. No such luck.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I finally became a vice president at a PR agency, I thought, "This is it. I've arrived. No more schlepping boxes for me." Only, it didn't work out that way. While there was certainly a delineation between my role, the most junior person in the office, and everyone in between, I still found myself carrying boxes of press kits, straightening signage, picking up lunch for demanding celebrity spokespersons and, on one occasion, doing a midnight Wal-Mart run because, after setting up for an early morning event, a client was unsatisfied with the particular shade of purple on the tablecloths. I could have delegated the task but I was the only person who owned a car, I lived closest to the store and my staff, who had been on their feet for 18 hours, were exhausted. It was not the time for a power play.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I kvetched about this to a mentor of mine who is president of a large global agency based in Atlanta, he said, "You have to realize that, in PR, no matter how high up the chain you are, you will never stop carrying boxes." While I was immediately gratified to find out I wasn't alone, I was distressed to realize that if even he was admitting this, then it must be true.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He went on to explain that while everyone in an agency has a different role and each step involves the shedding of old duties and the responsibility for new ones, everyone on a team is responsible for the final product whether it's a perfectly executed communications plan, a spectacular launch event or successfully shepherding the organization through a crisis. He also reminded me that event management is a big part of PR agency life and no matter how far ahead you plan and how many times you confirm the details, things will go wrong. Speakers cancel, planes are delayed, product is stopped at the border, A/V systems malfunction, taxi drivers get lost, flowers wilt, employees get ill, there aren't enough coat hangers, client approval is late, and so on. But the show must go on and at that point, it's all hands on deck to make it happen. While someone has to take charge and direct traffic, there's no reason that person can't also carry boxes, if that's what's required to make it happen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In his book, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_48_Laws_of_Power">The 48 Laws of Power</a>, which I recommend as a fascinating insight into how people operate, author Robert Greene suggests that to attain true power, you must "Keep Your Hands Clean" and avoid doing the dirty work. He would suggest that, at a big business event, the true leader arrives at the last minute looking fresh and professional wearing a clean suit and carrying nothing. This will set him or her apart from the "workers" who have only a few minutes to wipe the dust off their clothes, throw on their event shoes, slick on some lip gloss and squirt Visine into tired eyes before the lights go up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm sure Greene would disagree with my mentor's assertion that you'll always carry boxes in PR, at least in the sense of establishing your credibility as a powerful leader. Others leadership gurus would say you need to roll up your sleeves to gain the support of your team. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What do you think about carrying boxes? Good or bad leadership strategy?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-82522622305374275462012-07-02T14:28:00.000-04:002012-07-02T14:36:14.167-04:00Why We Need An Undo-Send Button<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<img height="213" src="http://www.desicomments.com/dc2/02/182861/182861.jpg" style="background-color: white;" width="320" /></div>
<br /><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm old enough to remember when there was no e-mail and I have no doubt that it has revolutionized the way we do business and coupled with smart phones, it enables us to work from any place at any time. This is good if you'd rather handle correspondence from your Muskoka dock, but bad if you're expected to respond to e-mails during your daughter's dance recital. <br /><br />But e-mail's greatest benefit - quick and easy communication - is also its biggest downfall because it doesn't account for the limitations of the human brain. While some of us can manage multiple tasks at once, research has shown that none of us do it well, and with the same kind of attention to detail we would apply to single tasks. And with many people juggling multiple email accounts, Twitter handles, Facebook pages and Blackberry messenger contacts, it's inevitable that eventually, a mistake will be made and the wrong message will be sent to the wrong person. If you have done this, you know that it creates an extremely uncomfortable situation, for both the sender and the recipient.<br /><br />I had my own e-mail mishap several years ago. A situation had been annoying me for a while and rather than dealing with it in a mature and forthright way, I chose to kvetch to someone else by e-mail, only I accidentally sent it to the subject of my aggravation. While the message was more factual than gossippy it was still derogatory and was the kind of content that belonged in a private conversation, not an electronic missive. I realized my gaffe about a nanosecond after I hit Send and the ensuing physical reaction was quite remarkable. Within two minutes, my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty, a hive-like crimson flush was breaking out across my face and an unprintable string of profanity was coming out of my mouth. I believe it was the modern-day equivalent of the fight or flight response our neanderthal ancestors experienced when confronted by a hungry sabre-tooth tiger. Our bodies send out a shot of adrenaline to help us deal with a perceived danger but while the caveman used the adrenaline to hurl a spear at the tiger or high-tail it out of there, my adrenaline just collected and pooled in the pit of my stomach until I felt quite sick. <br /><br />In my panic, I immediately sent a quickly-crafted apology email which acknowledged my guilt but didn't do anything to repair the damage or address the underlying issues. At the time, I had just finished reading <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319">The FourAgreements</a> by <a href="http://www.miguelruiz.com/">Don Miguel Ruiz</a>. If you haven't read this book, I recommend it. It's a quick, light read and helps you put life's ups and downs in perspective. In short, the four agreements are 1. Be impeccable with your word, 2. Don't take anything personally, 3. Don't make assumptions and 4. Always do your best. <br /><br />Since the text was fresh in my mind, I decided to apply it to the matter at hand. Obviously I had failed miserably at Agreement #1 as I had used my words carelessly but I was determined to rectify the situation in a more appropriate way. Ruiz spends almost an entire chapter on apologies and the fact that humans are the only species who relive a mistake over and over. His advice, (which is infinitely easier said than done) is to apologize quickly and sincerely and then let it go. The rest is up to the other person. So, tail between my legs, I went to see the recipient of my misfired e-mail and apologized, in person. While she accepted my apology with grace, it took a while for us to rebuild our relationship and it actually took a similar mistake on her part for it to return to normal, our mutual errors having cancelled each other out to the point that neither existed anymore and the air was finally cleared. <br /><br />There are many lessons here - address issues before they get out of hand, don't use e-mail to deliver sensitive information, always double-check the To and CC boxes before you send but in my experience, most people only make a mistake like this once. The experience is too traumatic to be repeated. </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-65038956078747481222012-06-23T15:04:00.006-04:002012-06-28T09:27:20.101-04:00Do you need to go on an information diet?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTNXxCP1aOVHDJsnpzA99PzVh_2ByCeR-rBCLdjfX6C9e6-VwVV6hgZojVPQIY3__RKXFG1A9hLJwaUWaLNAR1x9EH_y8RRThMjnj1DpExeWKzep1g6MKS3WJ9J9KRTQYfLRLUdGGITU/s1600/iStock_000016657827XSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTNXxCP1aOVHDJsnpzA99PzVh_2ByCeR-rBCLdjfX6C9e6-VwVV6hgZojVPQIY3__RKXFG1A9hLJwaUWaLNAR1x9EH_y8RRThMjnj1DpExeWKzep1g6MKS3WJ9J9KRTQYfLRLUdGGITU/s320/iStock_000016657827XSmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Do you use your smart phone as an alarm clock and then immediately start checking e-mails?</span></div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
If so, you might want to think about embarking on an information diet. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Johnson_(technologist)">Clay Johnson</a>, the man behind Barack Obama’s social media strategy, shared highlights from his book, <a href="http://www.informationdiet.com/">The Information Diet</a>, at this year’s MESH conference</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
According to Johnson, when we search on the Internet, we are often looking for validation of our existing opinions rather than information that will help us become informed. We already have our biases and so if we want the details of a specific news story, we tend to search the websites of the media outlets which most conform to our own point of view, whether that’s TMZ, Fox News or the Toronto Star. If we are annoyed with our spouse, worried about our kids or concerned about our appearance, we search for others who are experiencing the same things and who react the same way, rather than seeking out different opinions.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
Johnson believes many North Americans are over-consuming useless information because it’s readily available. To prove his point, he asked the audience to name Kim Kardashian’s ex-husband. Many people yelled out the answer. He then asked if anyone knew the child poverty rate in Toronto and the room went silent.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
In his book, The Information Diet, Johnson recommends we take the following steps to trim our information waistline:</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<b>1. Become a conscious consumer of information</b> – Every time you visit a website, ask yourself if it’s vital to what you are trying to achieve in life. Rather than mindlessly consuming information all day, schedule time for different types of Internet use.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<b>2. Seek whole news</b> – Johnson says the life cycle of an event starts as actual truth, becomes reworded truth, turns into processed truth, is reported in the media and ends up on TV, where it’s furthest from the truth. While it’s not always possible to find out the truth, get information from multiple news sources and points of view.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<b>3. Be a producer more than a consumer </b>– If you check emails and news sites before breakfast, you’re starting your day as a consumer of other people’s thoughts and opinions. Try to start your day as a producer of your own content, through your blog, Twitter stream or website. Johnson recommends writing 500 words before 8 a.m.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<b>4. Subtract junk from your daily intake</b> – Remember that your clicks have consequences and, because the Internet stores information about you, your reading patterns affect everyone in your demographic. Remember that the next time you stop by Perez Hilton.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<b>5. Content is not a commodity</b> – Until we are comfortable with the concept of paying for filtered, fact-checked, responsible content, we will continue to be spoon-fed a steady diet of misinformation.</div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
6,000 people have already taken the pledge to go on an information diet. To learn more, visit<a href="http://www.informationdiet.com/" style="color: #003768;">www.informationdiet.com</a></div>
<div style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 7px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<hr style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px;" />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6045831539694000111" name="disclaimer" style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, 'Sans Serif'; font-size: 12px;"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-85433415512091804942012-06-17T07:53:00.000-04:002012-06-17T09:01:54.679-04:005 Lessons I've Learned About Freelancing So Far<img height="207" src="http://thelucidword.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/freelancing.jpg" width="320" />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Snazzy new logo? Check.
Website? Check. Solid business
plan? Well, sort of. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just over six months ago, I started a freelance
communications business. With two
decades of industry experience under my belt, including 7 years owning an
agency, I was ready to truly work on my own.
When I shared my plans to go solo with acquaintances, the response ran
the gamut from, “You’ll be surprised how hard it is to make a go of it” to “They’ll
be lining up to pay for your services as soon as you hang out a shingle”. The advice was well-intentioned but not
particularly helpful as the people who provided it were speaking from their
personal experiences which were informed by the economic environment in which their
own freelance endeavours had flourished or floundered. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t prepare a formal business plan when I started and
it would have been a waste of time if I had because the ups and downs of these two
quarters have helped me clarify the kind of work I truly enjoy, the emerging
trends I need to focus on and the amount of hours I want to spend building my
business and more importantly, my personal brand. I also know that meaningful freelance work
will always be a part of my life, even if I choose to become an employee or
take a contract somewhere. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I completed my own mid-year review, I challenged myself
to write the five most valuable lessons I’ve learned so far. Here they are:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1. Flex time isn’t
free time</b> – As a freelancer, you need to be hyper-vigilant about carving
out, organizing and protecting your work time.
Sure, you can do your grocery shopping on a Wednesday morning but in
order to meet client deadlines, you’ll probably spend a sunny Saturday afternoon
holed up in front of your computer. The
ability to work when and where you want is a selling feature of the freelance life
but if you’re easily distracted, it’s probably not the life for you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2. Do what you do
best</b> – When you freelance, there is no workforce, team or department to share
your mistakes, absorb your poor judgement or fix your mediocre work. It’s just you and while it’s tempting to be a
jack of all trades, you need to zero in on your strengths and build your
business around them. Work only with
clients who are a good fit with your skills, approach and expertise and only
accept assignments you know you can excel at.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3. Build your brand
relentlessly</b> - If a potential client Googles you, what will they find? If
you’re a freelance communicator, their search should reveal a current website,
a showcase of your content in the form of a blog or newsletter, a professional
presence on Twitter and Linked In, examples of how you give back to the
industry through volunteering or mentorship.
You need to make time to cultivate a professional reputation that goes
beyond your paid work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4. Network
strategically</b> – As a sole practitioner, you can spend your life in coffee
meetings. A few will yield paid work
eventually. Others will spark new
friendships. Some will frankly be a
waste of time – time that could have been spent meeting deadlines, building
your brand or learning something new.
Networking is imperative to your success but decide how many hours you
will devote to it and be judicious about how you approach it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>5. Learn to say no</b>
– The word “no” is a freelancer's best friend so learn to use it and use it
with conviction. Say “no” to people who
want you to work for free, family members who need you to pick up dry-cleaning,
work that doesn’t fit your abilities, and endless, drawn-out RFP processes with
minimal chance of success. Learning how
to effectively say “no” will enable you to say “yes” to more of the things that
will make you happy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-82731347397985757802012-05-31T08:58:00.001-04:002012-05-31T08:58:40.365-04:00Handling Awkward Situations With Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/-XW2Ur1KhYo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
In a truly cringe-worthy spectacle, back-from-obscurity talk show host Kathy Lee Gifford made a spectacular faux pas yesterday while interviewing Martin Short. After pronouncing his marriage a showbiz success story, she asked him how many years he had been married and other lighthearted questions like how he keeps things romantic with his wife.<br />
<br />
While it's true that Martin and his wife Nancy Dolman were married for 36 years, the sad truth is that she passed away from ovarian cancer in 2010.<br />
<br />
There were many ways that Short could have handled this extremely awkward situation and no one would have judged him if he had become irate, but he chose to be a class act and show us all a thing or two about grace under pressure. He answered her questions and moved on without correcting her. Short is a seasoned professional who knows how to think on his feet and while I don't know what was going through his mind, he probably decided that informing the hapless Kathy Lee that his wife was dead on live TV would only make it worse for everyone. <br />
<br />
After the segment, Kathy Lee <a href="http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00051041.html">apologized</a> to Short on Twitter but I'm hoping she took the time to do it in person as well. And, I'm sure there's a researcher at the Today Show who is dusting off his or her resume this morning.<br />
<br />
On the other side of the spectrum, at an awards ceremony I attended last night, someone was called up to the stage to present an award. When the MC handed her the microphone, she explained to him that he had pronounced her last name incorrectly and informed him of the correct pronunciation. The MC was obviously uncomfortable and under the circumstances, the correction seemed unnecessary. It was a long night and it's unlikely that the paths of these two people will cross again.<br />
<br />
While most of us will never have to deal with questions about a deceased spouse on live television, we could all learn from Martin Short on how to handle someone's gaffe with aplomb.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-74932217942556746172012-05-29T18:12:00.002-04:002012-05-30T09:55:29.092-04:00Should you disrupt your primary job function to be "nice"?<img height="320" src="http://psdreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/How-To-Design-a-Realistic-Takeout-Coffee-Icon.jpg" width="312" /><br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">But I was just trying to be nice...</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last weekend, I left the cottage with my kids to return to Toronto for an afternoon engagement. I had just enough time to get there with one coffee stop and one bathroom break. Yes, I should have given myself more time but that's another story.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Feeling groggy and facing a three-hour car trip, I decided to pick up some coffee at a local coffee shop to steel myself for the trip. I won't name the coffee chain here but it is a huge chain with a great deal of Canadian share of heart and a long history in this country. Some would characterize their coffee as uninspired but I like it. It's mild and reliable and I know exactly how it will taste and that appeals to me. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mindful of my impending deadline, I checked the drive-thru line and since there were only two cars in it, I calculated I could complete my transaction in five minutes, seven if someone was ordering a sandwich. I would have gone into the store but I was alone with my kids and wasn't in the mood for what would happen if they came face to face with the doughnut display case.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I joined the drive-thru line, I was third. One car was at the window already and another had just placed an order. After ten minutes, the line hadn't budged and new cars had joined in behind me. I assumed that perhaps the driver in the first car had ordered breakfast for several people and it was taking a while to microwave the eggs and sausage. After 15 minutes, there were eight cars behind me and I started to worry that something was wrong and the mechanism that signals waiting cars to the drive-through was malfunctioning. So, jammed in a static line with no way out, I did something I almost never do. I honked my horn, quickly and only once. Seconds later, a furious voice came through the order speaker announcing that the staff of this particular coffee chain do not appreciate it when people in the drive-thru honk their horns and to stop it at once.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Soundly put in my place, I slunk down in my seat and waited my turn. Finally the first car drove off, the second one was dealt with quickly and I sheepishly pulled up to the window. If looks could kill, I wouldn't be here to write this post so, I smiled wanly at the clerk and explained hat I had honked my horn because I became frustrated with the delay and lack of communication. She smiled back and said, "Oh, that's okay. The driver of the first car was going somewhere and asked us for directions. Two of us were trying to help him get where he was going."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was floored. I know that she truly believed that by explaining that the holdup was due to their efforts to be nice, I would trade in my impatient attitude for a newly-acquired appreciation of their sense of community. Sadly, it had the opposite effect. Although I didn't verbalize it, inside I was thinking, "I waited for 20 minutes so you could give someone driving directions?" At this point, I just wanted to pay for my coffee and get out of there, which I did, after lifting the lid to make sure all looked normal.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I fumed all the way home and pondered why I was so upset about what was, at its base, a gesture of kindness. It occurred to me that, in our paid work, whatever that might be, we all have things that are considered our primary function. A plumber's primary function is to repair broken pipes, a coffee chain employee's primary function is to serve coffee and in my role as a freelance communicator, my primary function would be to communicate on behalf of my clients. In the course of our day to day life, we also encounter requests for help or other interruptions, that do not coincide with the primary functions of our paid work but could be considered part of the primary function of our existence as human beings and citizens in a society. But we can't respond to everything that is put in our path. We need to assess, consider the consequences and make decisions. While most people would willingly arrive late at a meeting so they can help the victim of a car accident, it's probably not a good idea to make customers wait 20 minutes for coffee so you can tell someone how to get to a bed and breakfast. In this case, there was an easy fix. The coffee chain employee could simply have asked the driver to pull over, come into the store and wait until there was a lull in the customer traffic. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Later on that day, I tweeted to the coffee chain that I had experienced a service disruption in one of their franchises. They responded immediately and suggested I call their guest services line so that I might explain the situation in detail the next morning. I did so, spoke with a wonderful woman who apologized profusely and promised to follow up with the store in question. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Overall, I was pleased with the customer service response and I hung up the phone, relieved that, despite a small blip, I had been treated with respect and kindness and could continue to patronize my favourite coffee shop. </div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-74412612853482778072012-05-17T10:24:00.001-04:002012-05-30T09:53:36.059-04:00Is it still rude to wear a hat indoors?<img height="240" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-02-22-20120206jubileemedals33.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">But it's part of my outfit...</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><br />
I was at a business event the other night with about 200 other people. The guest speaker was great and the topic was relevant but throughout the night, I was distracted by something that other people may not have noticed - a young man wearing a fedora indoors.<br />
<br />
The 'No Hats Inside Rule' was strictly enforced in my childhood home and is so ingrained in my psyche that when someone violates this etiquette guideline, it just feels wrong, like snow in summer or a cheerful DMV employee.<br />
<br />
I have carried over this particular rule to my own home and family. My kids and their visiting friends know they are not allowed to wear their hats inside and absolutely must remove them for meals. If I'm out for dinner with my peers and one keeps a hat on during the meal, I would never ask them to remove it (that would be rude) but it will annoy me for the duration. Of course, that is my problem, not theirs.<br />
<br />
But times change and well-intentioned rules are relaxed or abandoned all together for reasons of practicality or enlightenment. The rule of removing hats indoors was established decades ago when men regularly wore hats outside to protect them from the elements. They removed the hat indoors so that the elements (rain, dirt, etc.) did not fall onto meals or other people. Where did they put their hats? Well they probably checked them with a coat attendant who knew how to properly store them so they didn't get smushed. It's unlikely that the same service is available today in most establishments.<br />
<br />
Today, hats are a fashion statement for both genders and can be such a part of one's "look" that asking someone to remove their hat is akin to suggesting that they take off their shoes. There are other things to consider. Many of the etiquette rules that formed the North American approach to acceptable social behaviour were written at a time when the population (or at least the ruling class) was homogeneous in terms of religion and therefore, didn't take into account the need to observe the customs of faith by wearing hats or head coverings indoors. <a href="http://www.emilypost.com/everyday-manners/common-courtesies/479-hats-off-the-who-what-when-where-of-the-hat">The Emily Post Institute</a> notes this in its updated, more modern list of acceptable places to wear hats, as well as the fact that cancer patients need not worry about this rule.<br />
<br />
So, like so many other "old-fashioned" guidelines, the "no hat" rule will probably fall by the wayside in the next few years for reasons that include an embrace of different cultures and a general relaxation of appropriate attire. I can accept that, but I don't think I will ever be able to stomach a baseball hat worn indoors at any time.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Do you have guidelines about hats in your home? Does it annoy you when a man doesn't remove a fedora indoors? Would you even notice?<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-12610702761570300812012-05-07T10:40:00.000-04:002012-05-07T20:17:19.511-04:008 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Burning A BridgeTo my knowledge, I have burned four bridges in my career. It's possible that I have unknowingly and unwittingly burned more and that other people have burned bridges with me (with or without my knowledge). But, there have only been four times in two decades (one every five years or so) that I have deliberately and willingly decided to end a business relationship in a way that clearly demonstrates there is no possibility of ever working with that person again. <br />
<br />
Burning a bridge is a bold career move that is sometimes necessary and often misguided but it always feels great, if only fleetingly. Many dysfunctional business relationships can come to a natural end without the need to torch anything. People are fired and laid off everyday without the need for drama and business partners, clients and consultants often realize that they are not a good match and go their separate ways with a handshake and an assurance that they will be civil if they bump into each other on the street.<br />
<br />
Burning a bridge usually means you leave a business relationship by telling your boss/colleagues/partner/client exactly what you think of them and their methods in no uncertain terms. You might even channel your inner Scarlett O'Hara and declare that "as God is your witness, you will never cross paths with them again". Highly unlikely if you work in the same industry but full of impact nonetheless. Others burn bridges in more passive ways, simply disappearing, not showing up for work, refusing to answer phone calls, etc. In this case, their silence speaks volumes.<br />
<br />
It's hard to have a successful career without lighting a few flames but you should do so judiciously and ask yourself the following questions before you pour the gasoline:<br />
<br />
<b>1. Was this person's behaviour truly abusive, egregious or unethical? </b><br />
There's a big difference between someone who is incompetent or a bad fit and someone who is abusive. We have all had our share of crappy bosses and catty coworkers but unless their behaviour can truly be described as abusive, just move on and chalk it up to a learning experience.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Do I plan to continue working in this industry?</b><br />
If the answer is yes, then think twice. It's a small world and you'll likely encounter the person again. I once purposely burned a bridge with someone I considered unethical and years later, he showed up as a valued partner in a piece of business I wanted to win. When I found out he was involved, I backed out, but it was lost revenue nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Is my reputation strong enough to withstand this? </b><br />
Have you spent years helping others, building your reputation, growing your network and collecting a portfolio of good work? If so, you can probably survive any mudslinging that arises as a result of this situation but if you're just starting out or your reputation is already on shaky ground, walk away quietly and regroup.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Do I need this person for a reference?</b><br />
No matter how much you may dislike someone, unless you already have three solid references to present at future job interviews, don't burn the bridge. I've been shocked to see some people dramatically burn a bridge in writing at their very first real job and then actually ask that person for a reference later.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Can I burn a bridge in a dignified manner?</b><br />
Don't just explode in a hail of profanity. That's all that will be remembered. If you're going to have this conversation with someone, do it with as much class as you can muster. Plan your departure in advance and choose your words carefully. Leave out personal insults and petty grievances. They'll only weaken your case.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Is it really necessary to put it in writing?</b><br />
So you've decided to burn a bridge. Why create an everlasting archive by putting it in an email or letter? Simply meet with the person in question and explain why you will no longer do business with them. I know some disgruntled employees have received front-page coverage with spectacular public resignation letters but that just paints you as an attention-seeking troublemaker, not an ideal future employee.<br />
<br />
<b>7. Did I play a role in the breakdown of this relationship?</b><br />
Is this a case where you did your very best, worked hard, followed through and acted professionally but were still treated poorly? If so, get out the propane torch. But think seriously about your role, if any, in how things went awry. Unless you come out squeaky clean, it might not be worth it to play the blame game.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Do you have the stomach to handle the potential outcomes?</b><br />
You just want to say your piece and move on to greener pastures but the object of your wrath might not cooperate. They might fight back, take it public or launch a smear campaign against you. Are you okay with that? If not, you may not have the stomach to handle burning bridges. Better to take the high road and focus on more positive things.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-45384339213498662662012-05-02T14:04:00.000-04:002012-05-02T14:21:07.649-04:00She'd be great, if only I could motivate her<img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAkGBhQSERUUEhQUFRUWGRgXGBgYGRgbGhgYHBUXFxgXGhgYHyYgGBkjGRoYIC8gJCcpLCwsFx4xNTAqNSYrLCkBCQoKDgwOGg8PGikkHCApLCkpKSksKSkpLCosKSkpKSwsKSkpKSkpKSwpKSkpLCwpKSksLCwpKSwsLCksKSwsLP/AABEIAKgA8AMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAcAAACAgMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBQMGAAIHAQj/xABEEAACAQIEAwUECAEKBgMAAAABAhEAAwQSITEFBkETIlFhcTKBkaEHFCNCUrHB0ZIzQ1NicoKy4fDxFSVjg6LCFiRU/8QAGQEAAwEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQF/8QAKREAAgICAgECBQUBAAAAAAAAAAECESExAxJBUWEEE3GBoSIykbHhBf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A6eF8zWwQVoK2B86R0EiitqjU16TQBvWwqLPXoegCQVtUeevO0oESzWTUeaszUASTWTUeavM1AyTNWTUc1magCSayajzV7NIDaaya0rKYG01k15FefGgDbNXhNaZv9aVqbwHUfEUASF68zVCcQv4l+I/etfrS/iX4igZPmrUtUJxS/iHzrU4kePyP7UBZ6xy61tnqI3Z6N/C37UOmKXOUnvABipkEKdM0HpPWigsML1qXqI3K1Nyihk/e/A3wrYI/9G3y/ekpz/8A6Lw/7wqK1fMx9avH1uD9qqiLZZksv+E/Ksa24+6aV4a7/wBUn1cV7cxQzFRcUlYnvDSdR8qKDIxluoj1NeNcjqvxpLexuX8B/wC4o/OpbOJJ3Cj++p/KigG+YROe3/FWKwP37fzNKmxgGkn4frW3bj8Sj3inQZGUr/SJ8D+1eyn4/gppZ2w/EvxrwYhZ9tP4hSoK9xn3P6Q+5WryR0dv4Z/alYxiTGdfjU3aD8S/GigoJJPS58bcfrXvan19CR+lDq48V+Nel/6w+I/eigonF3xV/wCNf2rc3F/DcP8AfA/WgmxIH4T5Bln5mvUxBP3Y9Sv6GigoMDp+G5/H/nXpNv8AA38Z/egnDn2WQeon9ahZbw3uWI8kaf8AFSDqMpt/0Q/iNeZrY/mk95/yoWwCd3X4R+tSm3/WHxH70B1Ju2t/0Kf691eNjVG1pP8AXuqDKv8ASL8RW/1cfjHxFAdT1+KEezat+p0/IULiOOYgexYsHzLsP/Wpjhh+MfEfvXgwf9dfcRTDqhbc5kx093DYf17Rv2rwcw8QP81hV9Wc/lTM4EfjX4ivBgF2zr8RRY+oLZ4zi4l2sDyVXn5mhcfnvPbe4ylrbZldAUYDZkkzKMNCp0poeGL+NfiKgu8OI9nK3/cUfIimFIy5cG6zHUHcefpQ5xNT2sJG5C+rAj5DavDwpf6VPif21pDKZlrIq+LyVh+vabT7Q/aqna4eSBVkJit7flQV+1vp18PKrvwDgNt7pF1QwyMQDO+nhQnOXBLdu5bW2oUF0ECdijkjzkgH3Unuh3milYKxJ0FXfl/lTtBLaUl4NhAN/GugcGvgKKAI/wD4ZaikuO5WKt3QD7qe82YxhYTs7jWy160pZDByljI94pLg7136yk33ZA2UoWmZB9qR6HSsJc6jJQe2VCEpJy8FfxeFKmCBQhTXYdavHFOGhjMUixPDQGXTx/KtgEWWt1SiL2GiicDhJ3oEBPw+48dmjtG+UExPjFLlvoGaWHQddxII9Qa6RwHFJYJzGM0R5xv1qg3ODMXuEZTNxm0IOhYkfKplJxWEVCPZ02R8uWS1++N4A8928Ks1vAkEGNq95B4Uy4nEswGVlXKZB+98qt74QG2x0+98qbkTZV7XATefNMCIpXzvy8bSWypJnNO/lVw4RcymPU/Kgueu0a2nZwYzZtvKN9qmwexXyRy32uHLOSDnI+S004xyiOybKTOn50XyMzjCntBrnJ2A0gdKb8VxBWyzLvpGnn4U7ZFuylcv8rt2xDExlPjvPrVi/wDig8TUXL3GGuYh7bRmRAzDLEZjpr+lWXNSsJNp0ck4vyq4a4fNvHz86u/DuWh2VvX7iz8KU8a4xcBcKqmC0Sp/erngn+zQn8K/kKBytCjiPCVybwTCjzPgPnUOH4GCNc3wo7jl0DsCTAF5dfc1T4LiVu4XVHDNabI4H3WgHKfOKVjtgDcFA2zfA0BiOGMXRddwevn51ZHxagx18gTQty4MwaYA3kERv40wUmDf8Dkak0Hi+Xz0J+Jp3ZxZCDtIV+o8DO1R3eJW/wAYoF2Yuucw2w8BxOUyIPXbXaktoBQJj/c0tXFsToZ60da4sAxV7aZI9tWliYiYIgddvCtNaKGfCsUFunMjQFKzprMba1DzXZ7S7bYaKjIzEzoIdRoNySaT/WAZCh2gfdWdKPwdwm2CylFKspBjMRmmYI33iQaQqzYusYRVJ74iTHpTpHNqM3XUajUeNBYzsN0LBvBoIPwOnwNHcLx65ld87CWUaEoBpJykb6CKTY/AJx/G9pZAGmS5buGeoVth560Jw699tbjrcBPrEUfj+HJ2bRcLT0K5dM0mCfCl1lFS9bIOgOZtRpEjpXD8RxyfJCa0qv8Ak6uGUVCUXvP9FoxOKQDVlHvpS95XPdk5dTCnr5xFavwe6wMZDMxDqTr5DrS/hFi9ZZjdxBuFg6hIyqBGkD7xUAfxV3o5brQW/D88kECPxaVphCo0zKYMaHSaX4/EvC5LbXJIBie6N/fsfhTXAJfXMWyZJlQqwQIO/dHXLpNCd3kbtUQcf4YHRc4PdkgAwST086WcKxFu0XtvmUSsZraNmLCYUEzAJgnqfSmmJxwBUu3dkZj5DceRPSj7PB8G+HXFZIKZnDak9VAP7VElKrX+Apw7U2E8tYZrV+7KkKbYIbpObUCNJjpTi/xFRaJAzSzLppqN6rpwt9hlw9tWAMEM2UQRqQdyaTY+92Vq4xW4lxcsm4xyhmLSoEKPu6a/Gmk39iJdU8vYxvcXVLjdvFq2oEsZmSdPdHlWq3FuW89hkyFjlbKcxAOpObxojAMhtBxJzaFWIIBhSdDvv7qA4bzFbw7XBiC7KdQDaBCiY0K7D1qHdmlKrCMPxZbjnNlEEiGZkGm52E+Q86JtOwUw6MuvqvUroT0ip+L4NbgbM5KoZUECRDAaHwB6UHxG1bsJcLvoxljAALMAoOmvgKpqiYtPKBrd3KrXScmYKWcOobIuoAWRJjQT0NHWeKOSFGfIYZrmeD2Z1WASSG/zqG1wO1YtMl1bAtH+UGSW1MZsxMyDGvSjX5cS12jWFylyuYEFR3RlBGh1pU0/Ydp72LsTie0DG0LhkwpLLvGxkmTOvpR2B4uXKjNeCBQAUX2mGjdPZ03mkzcoW0ZQczuWPdDEdCSNBrHlrR9rh3ZvnRSoYC0EFwdnpoAq/i8dZql5v7BLx+QTmS/eu4a4qE3LiEEJEgESUYvAAgbnXXSkvAMdxSyQ99fsLriXOViW1ltBJOka6aUXxbgjJezhsaksCy5ptHrkAEbn3GrLZv3RbXN2qggQugbYyxI2BM0LOBVQqPH8TGYNbHeI+1AAYT90gb5dR4edFjjp757VFCsYXKGLAbNvrJn0oR7c3lYscyl2dcpMqxgE69BHSk2IxGIyshv23uExDocgWIZSYGuk5htDUJUssfnQa/Ol+4xRFiSFDG2VczIUgTHh76ZcQ4+uEcC8AV7K0q98Zu07xafEbGaTcsYYtcJdVzatKDuhVEqwzagk/nRfNvC7d2yM+cNktlCqMxLBW00Gxqoq2LwVjlrjFy+TNoKMpyhcx082O5ps16DB38K3YXBoxj1YD5HUfCgcZgnLEi6Lc7FQxIPiNhNADzhtoBGudpDajJIBKgb7zBn5Vp28+c/nVa4Ly1bs4j6w925euHNOiopLCCdJNOeI4oLZuFBlZUZlYEyCBIIM9KSBBfGOQMbeyZGt210zKWIaOuwiY+FHAi1mS13VBiAT+tcu4N9JmOtuDcxNx7ZEPm70AjVhV/xvEslxZs37wZtRZQkkQCZOyg6anxorAIF4vzKqXVtNmZ2gCDsW20O4pxgL2HRoIJuEAHvSCwEkez3Yk6A00wXE8Nd/lcD2MDQuLRefDuEsPeapycWHZYvFWrJW1aZlUXGLEurhTDdB4VjJzTVaNIdGn2u/HoWfEYhWUqEUA75ZBPlI1ilttkylbbi33igCK7knKGb2MxGh3pfy5xz6+jZFyESGlhC6e0D1qPlzlf6te+3xS3Gc5UKm6pTeTmUgAnbXyrS0mJQclgtOHtoUVkZ2Vh7UxENl1DCTqDW+dlkdoYnuxMxH3p036ConwL2AykpkACIEznXPnJZn3bvbChvrQkCRJ0p70SgC9y7Ze5nS0Wdj3mlyp8cyqYPw3qyYBXsWxbUWhb+6rAqBuYE/GKVYXHML6G6ba2rZYrlb2tIAbzO81nOHODJ2S4UFnzS69mzDszAmSoB8oofdL9Qmo3gaPi7zZLtki2J7wRZF0D7pDeyN+8Ndag4q63Qr3rdstblgWAuGOixIB3qfEYmGIGw28vSkmL4oq3kDrmthpfwnKSqnXxipbrY1G8DXCX0yw9t8pJYwNSWidoAEaR4ClPFuWbFx0uYY9ky6G2Vyo4nSTMBh0p8nMKXrN02xbBRWkgEFT2ZYQdjt8qr+D4thsYLVtrt83MskMogsQA3eGw6ehNJt1cRpU6kMLydthstzEdk+bvkEFHXMCNQNJIGxrzj2E+sqUzi2tw+2YkLvKAkZmBAj1opcBatwQilh94wdY3AOi+AjoBQMG9ePsRaUs5fN3fQDUkgH4U1dJMHStrTN8Nyoowd6wuIe7cuSe0uMsgkiQoB2MeZoHhXKT2ls37mKvZ1cZrTEi2YaD7ZkiNaZW7mELBO1tlyCwCZ4gDMdekATVL594U164jYRxehf5NCJRZ9ozEzufCnJtbFGHb9pYuLcRy4q0+4VbsrMAhlKnvHQACZoBbr3bQSxaCObkstucg0KjLJJDayxJFb8scPuYm2BcuNCDIcwUqIAzNJ3HpvHSKa4/Frg1RLNwWyXlrhUAmZJ0G0mmng1fVKpRz9xdieVr2FUYm7ezokM9oO+usBVnRzmj4U7xuNZsdhEXYhi2o0HZbnxgkViY3EOI7RGB6NbjwPhSLD8xJdxAVeza7qqtBAMaMqseuh0jWhGPgseJ5Za5jbzI9y2xS3cS9uhYSpUptOx3qm8TtcRNx7Ll7qqy52RFMgmQwYCdRNWTEcVxSSWutbk5VAyGXOoRQRtGpPQCTWh5keywDWWZ8iklSJI3SRGh1kDwIopDp+oVy1ic6X2DZ1UXUDAEA+xA1EyACCOlEcN44wtrBU6Db9aKwVgJhLuVMmZXfL4M4LGT5kjyrm/DeHX03/xUXQtD83e+qpqdSSwWQPIxPzol8Vet/zJYQTI8OokmlpcIxZFRGjVgO9H9ppPzrzC23xLlLbh3UAnM0AeGrHWjsk6ZVNqwm/ctEF7jdkYkqMrAabQsVhwttk7rC5mXXMezEEeYM/EVDieS8YSIt2yAQYNxdaa4e2RK3bKKUjNkdTlnaQIPTpTbRCyLOE8udiD2SWrWbRolyRtqTm08qIxlp09twRMbn/CYgU2PCU01ImIgjr5H9KzE4M2tDeA9d/4ZNJFCW1d1FU2/wAduthWwdtUZWv3y56wHkDTp51e8RxC2upUXI8VVR8QJNDcNwtoTdTDLYuPJZ7chjJndwYHXQilLIJ5Od2uUsU2dLVq4qyrZnPZhTGozsRMeVP+DchMuuJxTH+pZJOvQm7c0B/sqfWrzgrVkGbguXGndzIjwhSZPnReFwuHYd58hknQmCCdNW2orAXTwQvj2KZSSQB945joN5PX0iuQcY5nxKX7irdMBu6IBgH3V1rHYIpmCHtBG6g/hPhNcf4jgWFxbjJcksNMpj8pnyqtC+gwscaxN20c6tI6lcsr8KufBfpStP2Vm+6oUgBmzwSNF9nrrHhVe4lw+7dtKuHVixkHKGLTEwc23roBXnCfo3UMr4u9qCp7KzDGRrD3TKjzyyav5q5OJJrJXJFxdF7xWK78CSSYgCSfcNa84hwG29i6l67bs3XM2y5UxAEyJ1B2IogcQ3yAIDvl3Pq57x+Vc8+li5Iw3rc/9aycbFdZOhctcpJZwxti6Ll5wS3ZkBHEFcoEHuQdSI3rW3wDh2HQFezF+2UTuuwPaEiFgnrvERp0rlHLmPvrh3Fu+bRE9mVaHmfZiNVPhU3APpFxxxFq291XDXFRs1tC0Fgp7wEzvrRFJYXgmTzfqdUx14nMASCSRI3E9Rvr8aS/8WGF4devqqG6yW0mILNce6hJ88oofmbi3ZW3IXMRplkrPkCNVPmPCosLzJafhVxGtIlw6LbLZ2gGEclvAkmiTpFpdnQJyIn1i65y3DcRTkykZe+rIS8iY16Uk4nbuWGa07qzJ3WZdiR5+Qq18hcv37LfWrjGzbIhEIl7v90+ynWTVT545it3rgu2hlZyZkdFJGcx1J/KoU35R6n/AD+fi+H5nOeUl+Sy8hYw9lfE+yyEDwmenTpUvGbQv3MrFhkV3zCCAwtu4zdRop2pJyDxQnDXVaJRx3oAJBBImN+utMsLi1a6+Yrlb7LL3s5YoygKo3QhiC3Q6VrGLo4fiuf5/LLkXljPj3NGJs3n+0uJbkZSZyzkUwpIgn0rmNpn+uI/aKPtRcLkwB3w0+sT8avf0spFrDwbjEMwhidECqFhdBptm3PWue/U7n4fmP3rZyhOKTVUcUYNNuzpPG+PYK65791YmIXMmrhskg6KYhjuRppUHC8Uxu52Ocuytrsyu0Bj1jKDA9KWcocGs38JcS4irf7YAPmhkslRmcCYIXX3kVa8Ty7eV5tW7RtLlCkXTmFtFCqdRqwQT7zXM1k3TLXicWTg7zwAcrR4aaCqXhOJM3tKJ8qt2G+0whX8Rj3ZjS08ueFa9UxO2UnmK8exMTuJImlnLOFu3MUhRHZMwVjBhjEkkdNq7nw3lbD2B3bYLRBZ+8T476D3VHxfhttEzooXcQIAMjqIrLPewU116lbxXDkgKTbtwymAMzQGBIhNpEjU9ajuX7Yu3bgDObu4cgKAGzABV8+pNAZ+g2rwtWsv1bElQZiOLu33o8l7unu1+dAW1a44RBmZjAHifU9KjvXIofgHFUbGW1V9YueX820RU+wMdNyJiLq95rdryMuT56EQPCjrXAsRhrc3MRZZUGv2bAwB0hqh5fAbDWmJYkopPebXTfeheJcRa1YxZEtkezlVszDVc0RuZI2qpcbiiFKxpg7vaWwzoFJGYyNhMLow0Zt4NA4zHks4thFKnKbjwSSBORB4jyESRRfLvG71+2HxmF+rAiQzP3mP4haIzExpJ26Vri79hSDatAlSSrPrBOpISd9PvfCsqZaYBgeEXWzO5uKDrmuCB/FM/KpzxAWtrj3CPAkIPjLN7ooXG49nMuxY+f6DaorHA8RiULWVXLOWWaJPWNzpVaB+5NhsfcvK+a2MhbSFIDARqcplvfUi2bY3RvQOR/iFH8N5PxFpQDfQneOzMDyBzBj6miMej2ULXjbgAnQmTA6Kw/WlaFYDNgkd25bHlrPvmq5z5yquLtWvq1xe0RzK3GyyjDUhjAkETHnVttYZHQO2RQQG3AIB2Ohj3+VDDCK+tsPkmO0nuk+CggM/u086PcbdnOMFwO/h8NcFzDXp1nKAwPh7IOlD4X6N8Tbu4e+oLgvbulcjBgMwJjpp4aGujXMKoGYXFAmAdV2nY+49ag4Ti7124Vs3HaASSrd3Y5dTvmPyBqYx6u0aSn2STWim863Lgc2hbftGMKmU5mzbQvWmPKvINvCZb2Oy3L+6WJlLZ/FcP3mB+7sPM1ZOM8SWxD929iFhe0j2AW1C5YJ3/wBbUJ9ZRtSup/C5B+DZqsyDcTxNnbMxkn8ugHhXC8fji7agDLKCNNA7ET5612lbVskS1xR17ob4EH9KpnE/outklsNjFOpIS+hQyemdZHyFMHYt5IvEYXEN/wBRfyqs8SxLrfYqzLJnQkbjyNdI4PyDfsYZkD2brXLimEbQCBMlo6zt4VVON8l4hc15rblEudk2UGc0Sp2ko0+0PCgVYAeIWrvZpczu20zM/GTNLCdTVhbD9nhL3bBkZGChGManXrvA8KWYHAreGjhXAkAjRvf0qI35Lkk2uoRy9xlsLe7VcpIVhDTBkbaV2jlPi7YvA3MRcthDLogVjBCiJ9M2kVwa5oCPvAx8P867zw3DfVuH2bHVbYzf2iuZv/I1Ylfka8DE4ZfX9Wo1bJqsYLiuS1aE7gn5mj7HMHnV9bGMMD9JWCvMFS6JbxIiiON8Q2Q6E6gHQ6A9DrXy4mIIMgwfGuv8j8xtisPLyXtnKSYkiDl0idgZM+FRFZM1QaXqNr4FDve3pfisbVMqybjd9vq9xl3Any3jeq3yfh713E2iENzJdUt4Aa6T4V3bh3LFoYRbFxQwYAvI9pjBJ9x29K14byfYw4+zlfTSsG3ZUZqmKsPwBtlw+ECjYZ7oI8iBtXt0thlhFt22Zu9kGbUAxDtrt1p5dxSoyrqZMTrJPuqv8wvIkSO919K0jK8E9fUW3sWWMkkk7k6n51AblQtcrRrtUUaYu9Ao/lYl1wqlmAZ8YxysROXIF28KS425prXvLPMVuEtG3fL2jdyPZIYt2jAsOzidIGu1CavJEk2X7i1xrNl3S7dlUYjWRIEiZHjVb50xkJmdtexST/WKSY9SaMxXE1a06vfu2ldSp7WwQYO+oifWlHGsGvELqLZuE2lVQWVSMxCgADN0nWlNxawKFpjHlO4L2Es5gGNsvabr3d4IPTUfAU6DhrsMSUtoXYnU5dQBVZ4XxnDYHJhi1x7knMQumZjuWG0AjTwFWw8OS0e3uXLiKCCEUwXhYVW6t45fealFN0VpuW8Ri7ofE5bGHQTl0hU3VQuxYgDMTttFTcR4kltDawy5Lcks33nPiT0HT08Kl4xx17xj2V6KP1PU+fwqtY+/VpUHuA8Q4x2TqYzQRpoPLfpE07wvM1thL2XA8coYeeq0j5asJf4lZS6oZCWYqdjlRmEjqJrpPDuOYZrahLb201AGTu6HWMug1oSb0hdq2V1MbhH+8qnwJKH/AMqnbhCMJR2j3MPiKfXb+EfQm3r+IAa+Go38qo/MbJax1y0ihVASMoywSsnUVNepQZf4I3RkPrIpVxLEYjDCS7INY75IAjUweg0+Q6034Fbe7cMO5Co75SZBgaLrruRt+tLMfyTi8ScO194RhPZ7OFHeCGdA53PgPSnoQn4XxZuzuYrEjtEZyuGR0U3Ll6IzjTRQNxtv4UvvNhQyC5hEF5hnudncuWys+yIMgOdSRpuPSrBe4ZirNy7fayjdgvZYdF1t2tPa13A8d2Y+AmqgygMC7guxDNmG8kk94+0SSZI0qLKqsjfhnKWDvYhDbOJU5g5RijoQpzEEiCBp4VfOJ4qS4JGinaeopdyhw+3L3UA0GSQZEmCa1xmIk3T4g/CIqxPCFV+/Jtj8NtR8ST+tH4Ejqari4kltPT4Uww2IIqu5jmzlZ3q+fRrcCMyEgs8mBrAUdT41WhwrWfZ30mZ/amn0eXmOLMnRQ4A6eyfCpjstItN/Eb++hLGFuXGUqpK51BOn4hPuqHF3d/U/nVe4jinttmR2WfAnf/am2XGls+n0xiHZlPoaHx+MCiemm3nXzFb5rxK7XWp7y59It1bgXEMXtP3WE65eseBqGhqPHZ1fmLinY22uIAz2yHUEwCJh9f7JkUuxfF+3w6Xoy5zMTMakb+gqHmPlvt8K1y3iMlgp2kn8IEhCfPQeNJeE4ieG2CPE/wCJ6cSp14J3v1GcRQF7EVDw+/ee8ow4Vrm4DiVHiW8qZmMeM4Z0wzXisKsHXrPWPD1qs8vcba5jMO6Bsy3FnKADlOjGQBA161cee714cPu9uqAghFZWbvMSMxC9QPMdKH+irhlu1bGIIzdpIJMaROgGx1rCUkmbqLpo6vbuPGpzD3H/AHpPzDi+zkBRbBBZniPGZbYCKJt4lbhAL6eBBXz0gxQXFsIL6G3cb/67ausmXUbJ4rmOpHl51pRz07EPAuD22vDFW3VxrBQggnLAgjVSCfWpuNYpjcIZi0QBPQRr8fnQfL+Dw2HxF1MMj/aGWILMlsKO6jFjuTJ8TNa8Yvfat7vyq0W1WWDPdrOG4Nblwm5JRAWYDqPPy8aAfEUPxDir2cLcZCAblxLcxrlgkj36U5YRKdjjgty1/wASVnypcVroIMD+bKoq/wBUKJ9Yonltz2KSTEHTfXMZkDWuf2McjEvJDEGRMyTsdetX7guIN+yjnh2dSIFy2QCSvdOinTUeFHDzJWmOcNNBHF7miD/q2gJ/tVW+esQBxK/sICa/3RT3H38Jbg3bOMtlSHjvkSpkbiNKCu30xONTEKua07XCQ6jUC0AJB86vknGVUSl6ibD8TIEqxU+Kkg/EEVPb51xdv2bxMdHAb8xNWocMwj+1h7YJ8AB+UVUuauF27eIy2RlQ20aNdzmB38xWTtlJUFj6TbuVkvWbVxXBDZSyEg6HxAqs8ycTGLxAuInZoqJbVJBCBBECANOvx8ay5gDUnCuENdvW7Ue24X3T3j8JqQOh8uYL6vw1WIhmU3T6t7I+EUjD6sDqIAq382uEsKg0DMB/dUT+1UlH759361TJbCBaX8I+A/SvCi+Ar01GxpCOcYtbhuOUkidMhJER1nT9an5DBXHbn2bkjzy1cMfg0t22uXScqg7beQgbUq5Twmq3IgkMT7wf0rRKmFEd+5v60l4rqvvpndJ1jpP6/PypXZZnJ7sDSAd/73h6b1DKEj1rNNOJ4AgghdzBjxj5UBbw07kDWP3FBLTs6rwXjdk8DyYtxkJYBQT2jwe6qjr3up0E0Hy7c/5Th/It/jeqTfx62rY+8wGVfAb1b+CCOF2R1k/NmpxNJUR37tFct41rdx3WNRk+YJpVibkUvucTe3qDpSZfG4xlctFi5+4lcv2UUK3cJMbiSN6acvcQt2MLatsx7okwOp1NVC1zlprNevzYpEDSamjq7cV9kyz8V5xVyq25VVO50LNGiqNz+lJuM8+taITK5HUnSddSPHwFCYKwG76HUbk6xOmnhS/j+HAXK0kkzrv/AKJqjCbaR0/lXnzBYhBh7CtbuHvZWGpjViW6mg+O4j7V/d+Vc8+jPTiSdO5d08O4auPMV/7Z/UflVLRzW2sgd7F6xUvEknCLZdG/+xc+zcDRXAEM3gJPv1qsYziLZ4UxGp9f9q1xnF71xQty47KIgE6CNtKfVtDtI94fwC+cQlq4y2w7ZS5II1Ond6nyrufA8GuHtWsOLrFkWDIIzEyxj+rJ0FfPxJkGSSCCCTMEbb1ZMNz7fQEuRcYwczaNp5isnCaWDS4Sfk7j2pjIzK09CRqOsg6Uh5ibsmw7LbUd9hoAASUAju+tD8r8Ut42yl0MswRcUlsyPOxGxHgdKD5w5cfEJZtJd7Mi61wESfuKBqpBWNTTS9SPoPreOWO9aj3/ALikHHOGJevh8mgtqgnxDE9KF4FgMZZu28Lcv27hudoyO+Z8qoq93UqZJM7nahTzllxDWLiKStw2yyEgTmyzBmR75rpjxOStCcktktzga9JFF8u4EWcQLjSwUGIAkE6TqddJplcsGo1TLWdFUQ818TF11yzCr1Eak6/ICqst37Qeoprxh+97hVXx+N7M5omCKzezPyWF2qEtS/D8SVtQfjRYuTSAaFZqK9aIEgT5CAY8qysroArP/BLrTmGUeA3Pqf0rZuG5B4Ae6srKjqABibqLuwqt8fvKwXLrBNZWVLQN4FOIxLPE9K6NwJv+V2f7R/xtWVlEfIo7AcW1KMW8gisrKktiZ9KhZ6yspmQ45a4hluZWJyHU+6s4zjma8Lh0BYmPjA936msrKRp2biG/Ro88SU+KXT/4GrTzK321z/XSsrKrwJaKlwbgt6+huqy+0ZB3Y9fQdKHxq3bP8paZfPcfGvKypUmdsvh4fJU1sHTiQPQ1tdvyszWVlVZwWT8E5iu4W8t200Ebj7rr1VhXTuB/SdYuwb3cc6b90a7Cem2p8KysoQKTLBjbGFxqqWbNlkqysVYTvBGmvhS0fR3YDhluXhBBglTMEHfwrKytu8o6ZpSeyyOlCYxYFZWVC2WVnjDd73CqXx65pHiw+QrKyonsz8geExBFN8PjSKysrMpn/9k=" /><br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">If only I could have more autonomy...</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I ran a business, the realization that it was my job to motivate staff hit me like a ton of bricks. I had just assumed that everyone was motivated by the same things and at first, took a fairly formulaic approach to motivation. When this didn't work, a mentor suggested that you <i>can't</i> actually motivate another human but you <i>can </i>find out what motivates them and use that to your advantage. So, how do you find out what motivates someone? You can ask them outright but you won't always get an entirely truthful answer. For example, some younger workers claim to be motivated only by meaningful opportunities but my negotiations with them usually revolved around higher salaries and fancier titles.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, in my lifelong quest to understand how to bring out the best in people (myself included), I was excited to read <b>DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us</b>, a <i>New York Times</i> bestseller from author Daniel Pink. According to Pink, the old carrot and stick approach to motivating employees with external rewards like money is a relic of the 20th century that needs to be scrapped. He asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction is the "deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things and to do better by ourselves and our world" and to implement this, we need to let people experience autonomy, mastery and purpose at work. Pink encourages modern workplaces to abandon motivation 2.0 (assume that if you give employees total autonomy they will shirk their duties) and embrace motivation 3.0 (assume that everyone is ready to work hard and do a good job in the right setting).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pink asserts that people are happiest and most productive when they're in "flow", that magical time when we lose ourselves in our work, becoming deeply engaged in achieving our goals, challenging ourselves and learning new things. I completely understand this concept and I have experienced it often but if I'm perfectly honest, I'm more inclined to experience "flow" when I'm reading a book on a beach or tending to my garden, in other words, things that are not attached to how I pay the bills. Pink believes this Zen-like state is also achievable in an office setting and provides many ideas and examples of how to make it happen, including: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Results Only Work Environment (ROWE)</b> - Focus on results and nothing else, let people work whenever and wherever they want and don't waste time judging how people get the job done. I love this idea and I can see it working with highly-disciplined individuals in certain environments. However, although Pink touches on autonomy versus accountability, he doesn't really offer any solutions for how to deal with employees who are allowed to work from home at midnight and still don't meet their deadlines.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Remove financial incentives and just pay everyone a healthy flat salary</b> - Sounds good, but what's healthy? Is it the going rate in the industry or a few thousand more? Is it what you think the employee deserves or what they believe they've earned? Pink argues that commissions, bonuses and even billable hours don't work and just force people to get creative when filling out forms and I can't say I disagree. But human nature suggests that that there will always be people who think they're working harder or contributing more than their peers and who will expect external rewards, whether it's in the form of more money, extra vacation time or public recognition.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Let employees run free for a few hours</b> - Informed by the reality that even the most creative person can get crushed under the weight of a deadline, Pink shares stories of companies which carve out time each month for employees to work on something completely unrelated to the business and not connected to compensation at all. In this free time, liberated from client demands or management constraints, employees can really get their minds working and come up with their best work. According to Pink, this is how Google News was conceived and scientists at one organization even won a Nobel Prize for Physics for something they developed in their non-work time. I can get behind this. Many marketing types would say that the work they do for fun is much more creative than what they're "allowed" to do for clients. But when every single day is packed with new deadlines and fresh crises, how would a consulting firm find the time?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The book is well researched and Pink backs up his claims with reams of scientific data, study results and real-life examples although most of the workplaces he mentions are large tech companies and the scenarios don't always translate to an advertising agency or a retail outlet. I enjoyed the book, would recommend it, and I agree with Pink that the old models of motivation and reward are not working and are no longer applicable. I would even say that this approach, or a form of it, is worth a try.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I'm still skeptical about his belief that inside every seemingly lazy, disaffected worker is a hard-working Einstein just waiting to burst out if only the workplace culture is revolutionized. It doesn't take into account the many personality traits and innate differences that shape humanity. In my experience as an employer, wife, friend and mother, I know that some people genuinely want to do a good job at everything they touch and will respond to any kind of motivation. Others can only excel if they're passionate about the subject matter. Still others are purely transactional, will work for money, do no more than what's required and don't care what you think of them. Some thrive in a structured environment where they're monitored closely and there's little room for distraction and others can be trusted to work at home and not spend the day watching Tom and Jerry reruns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What do you think? Are you ready to embrace motivation 3.0?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-62081134362514715862012-04-15T22:04:00.000-04:002012-04-17T19:04:21.042-04:00How About Some RFP Etiquette?<img src="http://chameleonassociates.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/rfp.jpg" />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">So, did we win?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Request for Proposal (RFP) is popular these days. With shrinking budgets and increased pressure to demonstrate due diligence, more organizations are issuing RFPs to ensure they choose the right external partner, or at least create the perception of doing so. When consultants choose to participate in an </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">RFP process, they do so knowing that they may not win and even if they do, they will probably never recoup the hours of unpaid time they spent responding to the proposal. When the search ends, there will be one winner and multiple losers but all candidates should be treated with respect, honesty and professionalism. If organizations insist on using RFPs, I'd like to see them adopt these </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">etiquette guidelines for issuing, managing and closing the process:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. Be honest</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - I recently reviewed an RFP that painted a rosy picture of a company but a quick Google search revealed the organization was in a shambles. Why hide this? No one can prepare a thorough, appropriate response if they don't have the necessary background and context. <br /></span></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. Share your process</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - RFPs are a ton of work so help people decide if it's worth participating. Share your plans for decision-making - the deadline for proposal submission, what should be included, when the shortlist will be announced, what is involved in phase 2, when you will make your final decision and how you will inform participants. If an incumbent has been invited to participate, be honest about that. It's important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. Don't kick tires </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- Most of the research, writing and collation of RFPs is done after hours and on top of an existing work load. Don't issue an RFP unless you have the budget and the intention of hiring an external partner. Nothing is more frustrating than putting hours of unpaid time into a proposal only to find out that you've decided to manage your campaign "in house".<br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. Answer questions thoroughly </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- If candidates have questions for clarification, take the time to provide proper answers. The best approach is to collect all of the questions and combine both questions and answers in one document. One-word answers or responses like "whatever you think is best", "anything goes" or "wow us" are unacceptable.<br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5. Don't ask for ideas</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - It's unrealistic to expect anyone to provide creative, feasible ideas based on a couple of paragraphs in your RFP. Phase 1 is about qualifying candidates, and looking for expertise, experience, case studies, references, etc. If you narrow the pool to a shortlist, meet with them to provide the information they need to develop workable ideas. Better yet, wait until you've actually hired someone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6. Remove the guessing game</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - If you have a budget (and you should if you're serious), share it, or at least include a range. If consultants have no idea what they're working with, it's impossible to provide the best case studies and references and brainstorm appropriate ideas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7. Avoid the revolving door</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - It's efficient to book several presentations on one day but try to hold them in a room with two doors or leave time between visits. It's awkward for everyone when candidates meet each other in the hallway.<br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">8. Practice proper follow-up </b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">- No one should ever find out they didn't win an RFP in AdNews. Acknowledge receipt of all proposals and honour the dates in your initial process. If you are delayed for some reason, let people know when they can expect to hear from you again. When you choose a winner, inform the unsuccessful parties before making any announcements. <br /></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">9. Use only what you pay for</b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> - I recently participated in an RFP which stated that all submitted ideas, even from consultants who didn't win the business, would automatically become the property of the issuing company. Why should they? If you choose a partner and start to pay them, you can use their ideas but it's unethical to use creative ideas from an agency you didn't select. <br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>10. Give feedback </b>- If someone has spent hours of unpaid time responding to your RFP, they deserve more than a cursory dismissal. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Let unsuccessful candidates know where they fell short and provide candid feedback to help them with future proposals. If you have been honest and professional about your RFP process, you should have no problem articulating how you made your final decision and what they could have done better.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-80609443972356963762012-04-04T10:30:00.000-04:002012-04-04T10:30:27.832-04:00Is it better to be right or happy?<img height="240" src="http://www.susanblackburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/large-happiness.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Almost 20 years ago, a new age aficionado I worked with loaned me a cassette tape she thought (hoped?) would "broaden my outlook on humanity". The tape was a recording of a talk given by Christina Thomas, a teacher of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6045831539694000111#editor/target=post;postID=8060944397235696376">A Course in Miracles</a>, a self-study program of enlightenment. I enjoyed it quite a bit but the one statement that struck me most was Thomas' assertion that, in life, you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be happy. the notion of getting rid of resentment as the route to happiness features quite broadly in A Course in Miracles and the many self-help movements it has birthed.<br />
<br />
At 24, I thought this was complete hogwash and didn't see any reason why I couldn't be both right <i>and </i>happy. I also believed that it was bad luck to buy lottery tickets because it would be an affirmation that I wouldn't make my own millions, but that's another story. I returned the tape with thanks and, although the phrase didn't really leave my conscience, I didn't give it much thought for years.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to 2011. It's a day before my birthday and I'm convinced my husband has forgotten about it and I will be disappointed when it turns out to be a non-event instead of a celebration. When I mentioned this to a mutual friend, he asked why I didn't just remind my forgetful husband of my impending anniversary and I launched into a rant about the fact that it's one day out of the whole year, it's important to me so it should be important to him, I've dropped numerous passive-aggressive hints he couldn't possibly miss. I went on and on with variations on the popular female notion that, "if I have to remind him, then that takes the fun out of it".<br />
<br />
After a few minutes of bewildered silence, my friend said, "You are setting him and yourself up for unhappiness and you need to ask yourself whether it's better to be right or to be happy." Ah, that phrase again. I left the conversation with that wounded sense of betrayal you feel when you bare your soul to someone expecting sympathy and you get rebuked instead.<br />
<br />
But something about it stuck and when I was honest with myself, I knew my friend was right and I was the architect of my own misery. My husband is an amazing guy who sometimes forgets things. Why did I so desperately need to "prove" this point? The notion of being right versus happy gnawed at me over the ensuing months and I started to look for, and find, examples of it playing out all over society. The estranged family member who realizes only after the death of an "enemy" that they no longer remembered what had driven them apart. The politician who is willing to derail productive debate on an important issue because he's so focussed on his hatred of his adversary. The single-cause activist who makes it her life's mission to change one thing and misses out on everything else life has to offer. These are extreme cases but we all struggle with the overwhelming need to prove a point from time to time, and end up spending hours rehearsing our positions, reliving unpleasant conversations, and eventually, regretting that all those hours could have been spent doing something enjoyable, something that didn't revolve around proving another person wrong.<br />
<br />
There are some cases in life when I believe you can be right and happy. For example, protecting my children from danger seems like the right thing to do and their continued safety and survival makes me happy. But there are many more situations where you need to choose one of the two. Every time I feel offended, insulted or otherwise put out by someone or some thing, I try to ask myself if I want to be right and therefore start down a path of attempting to show this person the error of their ways, regardless of the consequences or if I want to be happy, let them know gently that what they've said or done has upset me and then move on, whether they accept responsibility or not. It's easier said than done but I've gained some mastery with practice. The trick, it seems, is to ask the question immediately before the negative thoughts start to take over.<br />
<br />
So, a year has passed and another birthday is coming and this year, I decided I wanted my birthday to be amazing and devoid of the silly emotions that come with proving a point. So, starting a month ago, I reminded my family of the date and told them I wanted a huge celebration with decorations and breakfast in bed and gifts and champagne and foot rubs and singing and clowns...well you get the idea. In other words, I communicated my wishes like a mature adult. As a result, I'm really looking forward to this birthday instead of worrying that people will forget it.<br />
<br />
So, is it better to be right than happy? I can't deny that sometimes it feels good to be right but usually the euphoria is short-lived and is negated by the waste of time and energy it takes to get there. Choosing happiness is more peaceful in the long run.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-21746672210119106642012-03-26T09:43:00.000-04:002012-03-26T09:43:46.245-04:00Why the World Needs More Introverts<img height="248" src="http://www.rarst.net/images/AreyouITextravertorITintrovert_12F21/it_introvert.png" width="320" /><br />
<br />
Ponder these questions:<br />
1. Do you prefer one-on-one conversations over group activities?<br />
2. Do you like to express yourself in writing?<br />
3. Do you tend to think before you speak?<br />
<br />
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you just might be an introvert. Maybe you already suspected this. Maybe you know it but have spent a lifetime trying to pretend you're more extroverted than you actually feel.<br />
<br />
Why would you do that? Maybe it's because North American society dramatically undervalues introverts and as you traversed from elementary school to college to your first job, you might have learned that your introverted tendencies were something you needed to hide, fix or deny.<br />
<br />
I've always known I'm an introvert but thanks to <a href="http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/about-the-book/">Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking</a> by Susan Cain, a New York Times bestseller, I now have a better understanding of what that actually means. Many people assume that introverts are shy, withdrawn and even antisocial while extroverts are loud, friendly and gregarious. While these things may be true of some people, the truth is more complex. <br />
<br />
For example, one of the main differences between introverts and extroverts is simply that extroverts can handle more sensory stimulation. Loud music, roller-coasters, crowded streets or an animated group discussion don't bother the extrovert and in fact, they energize him. If an introvert is exposed to these same things, she is thrown off-balance and, after a period of time, she feels over-stimulated, begins to shut down and is desperate to escape to quiet surroundings.<br />
<br />
Consider public speaking. Most introverts are terrified of speaking in public and experience a variety of mental and physical reactions to it. These include sleepless nights, elevated heart rate, excessive sweating, shaking, vomiting and even fainting on the way to the podium. But, because so many careers require public speaking, many have trained themselves to do it by only accepting engagements on topics where they have expertise, spending weeks planning, and practicing breathing exercises, etc. beforehand. When it's over, even if it was a huge success, the introvert is completely depleted and needs to immediately retreat to solitude to recover. While extroverts may also get butterflies before giving a speech, they don't put so much pressure on themselves to succeed, spend less time planning, wing it more. If the speech is a success and the audience is pleased, the extrovert feeds off that and sticks around for the backslapping. <br />
<br />
One of Cain's most interesting claims is the notion that extroverts <b><i>react</i></b> while introverts <i><b>inspect</b></i>. If an introvert and an extrovert both go to the same sales pitch, the extrovert is more likely to react instantly to what is being shared, to be wowed by high-pressure tactics and to be excited about the possibilities. Inherently suspicious, the introvert will probably experience none of these things. He'll need to go back to the office, think about what he heard, digest it, maybe do his own research and then come back with a host of questions. <br />
<br />
When the extroverted tendency to jump in and see what happens is combined with the introverted need to inquire and make informed decisions, great things can happen. Business partnerships, boards and senior management teams which value and include an equal distribution of both dispositions, have the perfect combination of fearlessness and risk aversion.<br />
<br />
But this rarely happens. Because our society values speaking up, sharing your opinion and excelling at teamwork, introverts rarely make it to the top and when they do, their cautious approach to change is often viewed as a hindrance. Introverts dislike teamwork even though, fastidious about details, they often do the bulk of the work and demand little of the glory. They are also less interested in wealth, fame and status than extroverts, which knocks many of them off the corporate ladder early on. <br />
<br />
Cain believes that we live in a culture which admires <b><i>risk-takers</i></b> but a time which needs more <i><b>heed-takers</b></i>. Some people have gone so far as to blame the 2008 economic meltdown on a lack of introverts in high finance, positing that, if only there had been more cautious, quiet, inquisitive people at the top, it never would have happened. I'm not sure if that's true. Perhaps they were there and no one listened. Perhaps they don't have the chutzpah to make it in such a high-octane business and so there's a dearth of them at the top.<br />
<br />
Reading the book has been therapeutic for me in the sense that I feel more comfortable with my introversion and realize that there's nothing wrong with my preference for working in solitude and my desire to always leave parties early, if I go at all. As the parent of a classic introvert, I'm also determined to let him be who he is and resist the temptation to "bring him out of his shell".<br />
<br />
If you think you might be an introvert, you can take Susan Cain's quiz <a href="http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/quiet-quiz-are-you-an-introvert/">here </a> You might just be surprised.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6045831539694000111.post-76452306483641249682012-03-22T09:37:00.003-04:002012-03-22T09:47:17.096-04:00Why our elected officials should apologize more<img height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MTP3upvWaIY/TZ5O6O-4RxI/AAAAAAAAAw4/qGRcZ66Wn_Y/s320/Harper+-+Carson+-+I+didn%2527t+do+it.jpg" width="256" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A couple of years ago, I wrote a <a href="http://acallforclass.blogspot.ca/2009/01/sorry-seems-to-be-hardest-word.html">blog post </a>on the importance of saying "sorry" when you're in the wrong. The need to apologize exists whether you are totally responsible for a debacle, or if you own only a small part of it. Some jurisdictions have even instituted apology legislation, which means saying sorry cannot be used as a confession in legal situations. This accommodates the human need to see an appropriate level of atonement and accountability in order to start the healing process, rebuild trust and move forward after a disaster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I realize that finding politicians who don't take responsibility for their actions is like shooting fish in a barrel but there's a situation unfolding in Ontario right now which has truly taken blame-slinging to a disgusting new low. In short, the </span><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1136628--25m-in-ornge-money-unaccounted-for" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Toronto Star</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> recently revealed outrageous spending irregularities at ORNGE, the province's publicly-funded air ambulance service and the ensuing investigation has unearthed a laundry list of questionable practices including the use of taxpayer dollars to renovate a high-end office building, establish a complex web of shell companies to shield itself from government scrutiny, send executives to foreign schools for expensive MBAs, loan the CEO $1.2 million for a house purchase and much more. After a forensic audit, $25 million of taxpayer funds is still unaccounted for so the Ontario Provincial Police has been called in to investigate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's painfully clear that the Ministry of Health, which oversees ORNGE, was asleep at the switch and even when warned about potential problems, chose to ignore the evidence. Now that the truth is out and the police are involved, many are calling for the </span><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1140879--ornge-briefing-ignored-by-officials-with-premier-s-office-and-health-finance-ministries" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Minister of Health, Deb Matthews</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, to resign. She has refused which is typical, but more astoundingly, has yet to take even a shred of accountability for letting this happen on her watch. Consider her statements:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"There's lots of blame to go around"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"People who chose to take money out of the pockets of taxpayers"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"You can't legislate trust"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"We were misled"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"I am sickened when I see people who were in a position of trust, abuse that trust"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If she was using these statements to talk about her role, however detached, in the debacle, the words would be appropriate but sadly, she is not. She has used them, and countless others, to deflect blame away from herself and her team. In a rare turn for a politician, she has also claimed that she inherited the mess from her predecessor, a fellow Liberal who actually set up the controversial air ambulance service. When confronted with this, his refusal to take accountability was even more profound. Among his quotations:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"I feel like I have been scapegoated"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"It's just too convenient to lay the blame at the feet of politicians"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"the system is always set up to throw politicians under the bus"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While it's true that the Ministry of Health is huge, has thousands of employees and myriad sub-committees and spin-offs, the reality is, the buck stops with the person in charge. I ran a business for ten years and even though it was much smaller than our Ministry of Health with its thousands of employees and myriad spin-offs, I was not always able to oversee every decision. As a result, sometimes mistakes were made and clients were disappointed. But, as an owner of the company, I understood that ultimately I was in charge and it was my role to apologize, even if the entire transgression had gone on without my knowledge. While you can choose to privately reprimand employees who breach organizational ethics or just plain screw up, it's unacceptable to publicly blame someone else when a program you are responsible for, goes awry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No one expects perfection from elected officials but everyone expects at least a show of contrition. That provides a starting point for moving forward and rebuilding trust.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If Deb Matthews hopes to emerge from this relatively unscathed (and it may be too late), she needs to make a simple statement along the lines of, "While I cannot oversee every single thing that happens in my portfolio, I'm sorry for the role I played in this and I hope you'll have faith in me as we work to clean up this mess." Is that so impossible to consider?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have never been involved in politics, I'm not affiliated with any of our political parties and this blog post is not an attack on the Liberal party. So, I'm not aware of the popular theory on how these scandals should be handled but I'm wondering if there's a "never apologize under any conditions" ethos that exists among political advisers and if so, it needs to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0