Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Power Questions for Coaches
Managers are hearing a lot about coaching these days. Modern management has moved away from the military command and control model, to one of two-way communication. In short, there is less telling and more asking; less directing and more discussing. While there is still a critical need for the leader to set a clear direction and rank priorities, how the employee gets there is much more of a collaboration, in order to get the best ideas and results.
I've developed a coaching model that has worked well for me, as I work with executives and managers who are developing their talents and buffing their weaker spots. It includes four elements, which don't have to be executed in perfect sequence.
The best coaches are great questioners. They know how to unlock the other person's motivation, discover the person's goal and help him or her change behaviors, in order to get what they want. Unfortunately, many managers do too much talking and jump to conclusions. They solve the problems for people, instead of helping them figure it out for themselves. Worse, they sometimes criticize after the work is done, instead of coaching along the way.
The following questions are built around the four parts of the model:
- Be a 3-way mirror of the person's behavior
- Mine for their goal
- Probe for the perception/intentions gap
- Splice in new behaviors
As a leader, I think you'll find these questions to be useful whenever you are approached for advice, want to change someone's behavior, want to help someone develop, or in any meaningful exchange.
3-Way Mirror
Can you play back to me what you said and did, so we can analyze it together?
How do you think it looked from the other persons' vantage point?
If I were asking your direct reports about this what do you think their perspective would be?
Have you asked others how they interpreted it?
Mine for their Goal
What are you trying to accomplish?
What is motivating you to do that?
What overall objective were you trying to achieve?
What actions were you taking to reach your desired outcome?
Probe for the Intention/Perception Gap
How were you hoping she would respond?
What are you worried will happen now?
What's the worst thing that could happen? The best thing?
What part of this issue is your responsibility?
What were you planning to do next?
What part of this can you control?
Does this situation make you feel vulnerable? Why?
What exactly is getting in the way of your goal?
What would it look like if it turned out well for you?
Are you open to trying a different approach?
If you "ruled the world" what would you do?
What does your ‘gut' feel is the right thing to do?
If you took personalities out of it, what would be the right course of action?
Six months from now, what part of this will matter?
Who else can help you with advice or experience?
If this happened to someone else, what advice would you give them?
The best leaders are the best listeners. Try these questions—I think you'll see a change, for the better, in the way you lead.
The Latest Thing to Come Back to the Office? Summer Vacation
Posted: 25 May 2010 08:50 AM PDT
The Hiring Site: Mary Lorenz |
No surprises here: American workers need a vacation now more than ever.
And thanks to an improving economy, more workers are tending to that need this year, according to CareerBuilder’s annual vacation survey.
According to the survey of nearly 4,800 workers, 56 percent of workers say they are more in need of a vacation in 2010 than they have been in past years. With less anxiety over job stability and the economy, 36 percent say they feel more comfortable taking a vacation this year than they felt in 2009.
Not only are they more likely to take a vacation, but workers say they’re taking longer vacations, too, with 23 percent saying they plan to take a week off this year (up from 19 percent who said the same last year) and 12 percent will take off two weeks or more.
And while 21 percent of workers say they still can’t afford a vacation this year, that’s slightly less than 25 percent who said the same in 2009. (Hey, a slight decrease is still a decrease – we’ll take it!)
Beach BlackBerry Bingo
While employees are a little more lax about taking time away from the office, many still plan – and are expected by their bosses – to check in while they’re away:
- 49 percent of employers say they expect employees to check in with the office while they are away (down slightly from 50 percent who said the same last year)
- 37 percent indicated that checking in would only be necessary only if they are working on a big project or there is a major issue going on with the company (down from 40 percent who said the same last year)
- And where 28 percent of workers said they planned to contact the office during vacation regardless last year, slightly fewer workers – 25 percent – said the same this year.
Companies Need Employee Vacations, Too
Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, says that it is to a company’s benefit when workers take advantage of their vacation benefits. “Utilizing time off to recharge batteries is even more important today as staffs have shrunk over the last 18 months and workers are dealing with added responsibilities and pressure,” she says.
Now that it’s prime time to schedule some days off, help ensure that your employees’ time off is a true break from the office:
- Encourage your employees to take advantage of their vacation benefits. They’ll appreciate that you’re looking out for their best interests – and the time off…and that can only improve morale.
- Encourage your employees to check in with one another – If you are operating with smaller staffs, having more than one person out of the office can negatively impact productivity. Ask that your employees be flexible with one another and work together to schedule vacation time before booking anything.
- Encourage your employees to plan ahead – Give yourself – and your vacationing employees – peace of mind by planning for the unexpected. Before they leave, encourage your employees to start keeping a record of important information, key contacts and deadlines that will come up while they are gone and give it to a coworker they have trained to fill in for them while they are gone.
- Lead by example – If you are a supervisor, you should go through all the steps of planning and executing a successful vacation away from the office. That way, your workers will be more comfortable doing the same.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Motivation
In life you must be willing to take chances in order to achieve your goals. When taking chances, do so with conviction. Believe in yourself!!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
The 7 Stupidest Employee Mistakes Ever
Read the outrageous blunders people have been busted for at work
By Alexandra Gekas Posted May 20, 2010 from WomansDay.com
When Apple software engineer Gray Powell realized he’d lost a prototype of the super-secret, next-generation iPhone at a bar, he was probably pretty worried. But when he saw that tech site Gizmodo.com had gotten hold of the phone and written a story detailing its every feature, he most likely started searching the want ads. While it appears Apple may have mercy on Powell and spare him the unemployment line, he will always be remembered for making one of the biggest employee blunders of all time. To make Powell feel a little better, we’ve rounded up a list of epic workplace mistakes.
Employee Keeps Journal About Procrastination
Emmalee Bauer of Elkhart, Iowa, was always typing away at her work computer. The problem? She wasn’t doing her work—or anything at all, for that matter. Instead, she was writing a 300-page, single-spaced journal about not working. “This typing thing seems to be doing the trick,” she wrote. “It just looks like I am hard at work on something very important.” Unfortunately, her boss caught on and found the journal. Later, Bauer was even denied unemployment benefits by a judge who said her journal showed a refusal to work and “amusement at getting away with it.” Photo by iStockphoto.
Journalist Fakes Pulitzer Prize–Winning Story
In 1980 Janet Cooke, golden child of The Washington Post, wrote a profile of an 8-year-old heroin addict she called “Jimmy,” for which she won the coveted Pulitzer Prize. After publication, however, the government wanted to know Jimmy’s whereabouts in order to help him. Cooke claimed she couldn’t reveal her sources for fear that drug dealers would endanger her life. Days later, the whole thing fell through when it was revealed that the story was fake. Obviously, Cooke was forced to resign and return the prize. Photo courtesy of FBI.gov.
Intern Skips Work for “Emergency,” Posts Party Pics Online
In 2007 Kevin Colvin was an intern at a North American branch of Anglo Irish Bank. One day Colvin e-mailed his manager, Paul Davis, saying he’d have to miss work due to a “family emergency.” But when suspicious coworkers checked his Facebook page, they found a picture of him at the Halloween party he’d missed work to attend. In response, Davis e-mailed him: “Thanks for letting us know—hope everything is OK in New York. (Cool wand.)” He attached the incriminating photo and copied the whole office on the message. Photo by Shutterstock.
Illinois Governor Tries to Sell Obama’s Senate Seat
Rod Blagojevich served as Illinois governor from 2003 until 2009, when he was impeached for trying to sell the Senate seat Barack Obama left vacant. “Blago,” as he’s known in Illinois, was charged with 16 felonies, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal agents. Continuing to claim innocence, he has since written a book and appeared on the reality television show The Apprentice. His trial is set to start on June 3, 2010. Photo by Alexandra Buxbaum / Retna Ltd.
Waitress Complains About Customers on Facebook
Anyone who’s ever been a server knows the holy trinity of customer sins: sitting at the table too long, staying past closing and leaving a bad tip. Well, Ashley Johnson, a waitress at Brixx Pizza in Charlotte, North Carolina, got hit with all three in one night when a couple stayed at her table for three hours—keeping her an hour after closing—and then only tipped her $5. So what did Ashley do? She complained on Facebook, of course! “Thanks for eating at Brixx,” she reportedly wrote on her wall, in addition to calling the patrons “cheap.” A few days later, Johnson got a call from her manager giving her the ax for “violating company policies against speaking ill of customers and depicting the restaurant negatively on social networking sites.” Photo by Shutterstock.
Port Authority Guards Sleep on the Job
Ever since the events that occurred on September 11, 2001, security has been a high priority in the U.S., especially in New York City. Unfortunately, not everyone takes it so seriously. New Jersey photographer Joey Lepore snapped Port Authority guards sleeping on the job at the George Washington Bridge. And it wasn’t the first time, either. Lepore says that before he took the photos, he’d actually spoken to the guards and asked them to stay awake. It wasn’t until the third incident that he decided to record them in the act. The guards were relieved of their duties shortly thereafter. Photo by iStockphoto.
Principal Accidentally Sends Profanity-Laced E-mail to Parent
Most of us have gone through the embarrassing experience of sending the wrong e-mail to the wrong person. But it cost Eva N. Ravelo, an elementary school principal in Miami, her job. She mistakenly sent a crude e-mail to Abigail DuBearn, the parent of a student at her school. Ravelo had intended the message—which was in reference to an earlier e-mail from DuBearn—for her vice principal. DuBearn was so insulted she sent it to the PTA, whose members circulated the message among other parents. Ravelo was subsequently transferred. Photo by iStockphoto.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Carpe Deal’m… Seize the Deal!
You crank out more phone calls than you can count. You do everything possible just to get an appointment. What do you do when someone finally shows you some buying signs?
Too many sales people take the approach of, “I’m still waiting to hear back… they promised to call me when they are ready to move forward.”
Are you kidding me?!!!
I’m going to share two examples from my own personal sales experiences. These are things that I’m constantly working to improve upon. I hope these points help you win more deals!
Get Those Questions Answered
When a prospect sends you a long list of questions they are either…
- A HOT prospect on the brink of making a decision
- Testing your company’s “response ability”
- A “see more” who has nothing better to do
Two of these three scenarios are great news for you! That’s why it is critical that you respond quickly, thoroughly, and accurately.
We once had a prospect who, out of the blue… following months of follow up, sent us a complicated question. We didn’t know it at the time, but she sent the same question to three or four of our competitors who had also been pursuing her firm.
We jumped on the opportunity and focused on a quick turnaround to provide an answer. She later revealed that my team provided the most thorough and accurate response. It won us the deal!
Go Get that Paperwork!
I remember another scenario where I had been working an account for about a year-and-a-half. There were many times when I nearly gave up on the account because I thought it would never come through. At every opportunity, I sent value added information to keep working my way up the prospect’s priority list.
One day, I got an “unsolicited” email reference letter from a current client who was gushing about our company’s product and operations team. As I had done many times before, I used it as a value added opportunity and forwarded the email to my slow moving prospect.
The next day, I called the prospect. The receptionist informed me that he wouldn’t be available that day… So I called again the next day. This time he took my call!
I asked, “What did you think about the email I sent you?”
“I’d say that’s (pause) a pretty nice feather in your cap Doyle.”
I laughed and said, “It sounded like you were about to tell me that it was enough to finally have you come on board…”
“Well… why don’t you bring over the paperwork. Let’s take a look at our calendar.”
“Are you kidding me?” (laughing)
“I was going to ask if you were sitting down.” (smiling)
Here comes the important part of the story…
“I’ll come out there today, what time can you fit me in to your schedule?”
“I’ve got a lot going on today… I’ve got to do A, B, and C, and my schedule will depend on a document I’ve been waiting for.”
“Are you expecting the document to arrive this morning?”
“Yes.”
“Then I will call you right after lunch and we can figure out if you have enough time to fit me in toward the end of the day. If it today doesn’t work, we can look at tomorrow.”
“OK, that sounds good.”
I called him right after lunch and there was no answer. I followed up with an email that read, “I just left you a voice mail with the ‘after lunch’ call I promised you. Give me a call when you return.”
One hour later, I called him again. Once again, there was no answer. I chose not to leave another voice mail… but I sent him a second email with two simple questions, “How is the day working out… can you fit me in today at 4 PM?”
About 30 minutes later he replied, “Come on over… I’ll be ready for you!”
Some people will read this example and think I was being too pushy. Remember, I’d been working on this account for over a year-and-a-half. If he wasn’t ready, I knew he would shut me down. Believe me, he’d done it plenty of times before.
There was trust and a mutual respect for one another. I’d learned to gauge his mood, his voice inflection, and his answers to questions. His responses told me that he would be willing to sign paperwork if he could just fit me in. The opportunity was there.
When the buyer is ready, they are just as excited as you are. Carpe Deal’m… Seize the Deal!
How To Build Instant Rapport With Your Prospect
Written by Silvia Quintanilla, CEO, Industry Gems
[Contributing Author]
Human behavior is a fascinating thing. What makes one sales interaction so successful, and the next one a big disappointment?
Much of it has to do with rapport. The question then becomes, how do you build rapport with a prospect right from the get-go? Remember…
People like to do business with people who are like them.
We’ve heard this before, but this principal became deeply ingrained when I attended a two-day training seminar by Dr. Donald Moine, a veteran Sales Psychologist. He teaches techniques for building trust and rapport.
I’ll start by sharing one of his lessons at the most basic level… How do you shake someone’s hand?
If the statement is true, and people really buy from those who are like them, then you should shake the other person’s hand the same way they are shaking yours – when you reach out, immediately make adjustments to use the same grip and the same style.
Let’s take this to the next level. Say you’re speaking to a new prospect over the phone. Listen closely to the way they speak. Here’s a quick list of the most common things you’ll hear…
- Relaxed and informal speech
- Formal and very businesslike
- Fast paced or slow paced
- Soft speaker or loud speaker
Learn to adapt the way you speak just enough to match your prospect’s style of speaking.
Why is this important? If you naturally speak loud and fast, and your prospect speaks low and slow, there will be an obvious disconnect in your conversation. On the other hand, when you match their speaking style, it creates common ground, and builds rapport! On a subconscious level, your prospect will like you and trust you.
It took me a while to remember to do this in my own conversations, but with practice, it now comes naturally. It has helped me elevate my sales interactions to a whole new level!
What about you… What techniques are you using to build rapport with your prospects?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
5 Ways to Kickstart Your Own Job Recovery
Posted: April 14, 2010
At TalentDrive, a three-year-old Chicago software start-up that allows recruiters to search thousands of databases for résumés that best match job openings, there's something called a "purple squirrel." A biochemist who speaks Portuguese and lives in Dubuque, Iowa, for example, is a purple squirrel—a candidate who quite possibly does not exist. During this recession, it seems as though many openings recruiters were charged with filling required purple squirrels. The jobs were so extremely specialized they were out of reach for most people. Now, TalentDrive's chief executive, Sean Bisceglia, has a good barometer for measuring the start of the recovery:
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Thursday, May 13, 2010
Stop Boring People to a Snore! 5 Tips for Powerful Sales Meetings
How to keep the bore at bay? Focus on communicative meetings. What in the world does that really mean anyway? To me it means that it is two-way communication. No more meetings with death by PowerPoint.
The president of a mid sized company was sharing with me how she really wanted to 'mix things up' at her upcoming company meeting. Having been privy to a previous meeting, I knew that the general format included over 90% of the time spent with the employees sitting and listening (for hours) - maybe with a few handouts of text and numbers in their hand - in a darkened room with MANY PowerPoint slides shared.
Enthusiastically, I offered to help her make it more interesting, fun, and communicative - both ways! I asked her how she was planning to mix things up like she stated. She responded that they didn't really have time to do much differently, and that she would take some time to let them do brainstorming.
Okay, you get the picture of what those employees just sat through, don't you? You've probably been in meetings such as this. The bigger question, then, is this - do your meetings follow this format too? You might be excited about the topic and all the detail, but is your audience?
If you want to make your meetings more communicative, it isn't that hard. It does take some forethought and reflection. For each 'point' you want to share, ask yourself (or others): How can this be shared in the most concise way? Which details really need to be shared verbally, versus other communication formats?
- No more than 24 words on a slide
- Use a color theme throughout - a dark color on a light background is easiest for most eyes to read.
- Use graphics instead of words whenever possible. A quick example: To start a meeting or make a point - use a quotation, a cartoon, a question or a graphic. For example, one powerful meeting opener started with 28% alone on the screen. The audience was trying to guess what that number meant - it generated energy and buzz. And it was the percentage of profit increase from the previous year.
The best part may be the energy that employees will carry back to the real 'work' after the meeting - instead of the snores they were stifling during the meeting. That energy will lead to more sales!
Nancy is also a principal in Sharpenz...Half Hour of Power. Ready-to-go sales training kits for 30 minute sales boosts are available through Nancy's Sharpenz.com. Visit Sharpenz now to download a free sales booster.
As Temperature Rises, So Does Competition for Jobs, Survey Shows
Posted by: Mary Lorenz on May 12, 2010
Despite a recovering job market, there appears to be no year-over-year increase in employers’ summer hiring plans this year, according to CareerBuilder’s Annual Summer Hiring Forecast, released today.
According to the survey of more than 2,700 employers nationwide, 22 percent of employers plan to hire seasonal workers this summer, in line with estimates from 2009. Fifteen percent of employers say they are planning to hire the same amount of summer workers as last year, while 5 percent plan to add fewer.
“While companies have begun to take steps in the right direction toward rebuilding their workforces, their summer hiring plans clearly show that they are still waiting to see what the future brings before they move forward with recruitment,” said Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s vice president of human resources, in the press release.
Summer plans? Of those employers who say they plan to hire seasonal workers this summer,
- 71 percent will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while 14 percent will offer more…
- …and 57 percent will consider bringing these employees on full-time in the fall.
What’s a seasonal worker worth? Here’s a breakdown of the compensation offerings from employers this summer:
- 43 percent of employers are offering $10 or more per hour
- 30 percent will offer between $8 and $10 per hour
- 9 percent will offer less than $7 per hour
- 6 percent will offer $20 or more per hour
Who’s hiring? Across all industries, those doing the most hiring include:
- Retail – 40 percent
- Hospitality – 33 percent
- Office support – 28 percent
- Customer service – 21 percent
- Landscape/maintenance – 16 percent
- Research – 13 percent
- Sales – 12 percent
- Restaurant/food service – 12 percent