Full confession – I despise meetings. I have spent much of my career sitting through insanely inefficient meetings – I prefer to call them “boil the ocean” meetings. The topics in these meetings usually lacked clarity and focus so the meeting would drift…badly. Of course, when your boss is sitting in the meeting (or worse, was the one who called it) it is difficult to exit early. But alas, I have found an inspiring article with a fantastic idea. This is from Inc.com (emphasis mine): “Interaction should be constant, not crammed into meetings once a week. You just turn around in your chair and bounce an idea off one of… Read More
Continue ReadingRudeness At Work
From Shine on Yahoo comes one of those surveys that makes me think we are over-surveying (emphasis mine): …96% of Americans report experiencing rudeness at work, and 48% say they are treated uncivilly at least once a week. This kind of manners meltdown can have a direct effect on the bottom line. According to surveys conducted by Pearson and her colleagues, 48% of poorly treated employees have intentionally decreased their productivity and 12% say the boorish behavior compelled them to quit. Workplace rudeness costs employers an average of $50,000 per worker. “There are very high costs associated with even seemingly inconsequential inconsiderate words and actions,” adds Pearson. Insert yawn here… Read More
Continue ReadingSocial Networking Series
I received a PR email notifying me of a 3-part series starting tonight on Nightly Business Report. Here are the details: “Social Networking” Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Thursday, January 28, 2010 Similar to the introduction of TV in the 1950’s, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly becoming a core component of many Americans’ daily lives. But where businesses could easily impact the American consumer through TV advertisements, the road map for marketing through social networking is a bit more complex. The rules are certainly different, but as NBR’s Scott Gurvey finds out: the rewards may be even greater. Tuesday 1/26: Pt. 1… Read More
Continue ReadingI Don’t See The Point Of Twitter
I know the Twitterheads are going to flame this, but I have to agree with Ricky Gervais: But after composing only five Tweets, Gervais gave up on January 9, telling his 13,000 followers he was going to stop his updates because “I don’t see the point.” He followed up with an explanation on his blog, calling Twitter “undignified.” (As opposed, say, to David Brent dance.) “I just don’t get it, I’m afraid,” Gervais wrote. “I’m sure it’s fun as a networking device for teenagers but there’s something a bit undignified about adults using it. Particularly celebrities who seem to be showing off by talking to each other in public.” I… Read More
Continue ReadingTerms Of The Recession
Here is one from the weekly Herman Trend Alert of which I was not familiar: “corporate cocooning” – staying put out of fear A rather appropriate construction for today’s economy, wouldn’t you say? Here is the paragraph from which it is used: Due to “corporate cocooning” (staying put out of fear), the “unprecedented churning” of the labor market we have forecast in the past has not yet happened. Now, we again see a high level of expectation of job hopping. Wise employers will heed this warning and take steps now to engage their valued employees and avoid this unwanted turnover.
Continue ReadingWho’s Your Friend?
I’m sure you have encountered those people who you wonder if they have any social skills whatsoever. I used to work with a guy who would walk in to any conversation between people and just start talking about his topic. No waiting, no gentle interruption – he just walked in and started firing away. Totally annoying. In that light comes this article from CNNMoney.com. The pull quote from the Q & A article: For one, my old boss, who laid me off from my last job with no warning (and no severance pay), has sent me a friend request. That is some hubris on the boss’ part. However, I have… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Opening Impression
This is the opening sentence from an email caught by my junk filter: Sorry for not having the pleasure of knowing your mindset before making you this offer as it is utterly hell confidential and genuine by virtue of its nature. “…utterly hell confidential” is a new construction for me. This example is anecdotal – the larger issue is the prevalence of email communication in selling. The days of cold calling are receding while initial email communication is advancing. This fact adds another factor to successful sales hiring. The ability to be effective on the phone will always be important in successful selling, but the email approach is replacing the… Read More
Continue ReadingOdd Hold
I’m on hold this past week with my website hosting company with some questions about our account. I have a somewhat complex question/request for them which requires the customer service rep to put me on hold to obviously research it. I don’t mind being put on hold as I am ever hopeful they come back with the solution. However, I was a bit shocked by the hold music when she put me on hold the first time. The song was Another One Bites the Dust. I kept waiting for the dial tone as surely she was preparing to hang up on me. I was relieved when she returned. I explained… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Wrong Approach
I received an email recently from someone I presume to be a salesperson looking for work. Obviously this is a common occurrence these days, but here is the error in the delivery – the email had no writing. Yup, it was just a blank email with an MS Word attachment that appeared to be a resume. This approach is a wasted effort in today’s world. I never opened the attachment for fear it may be some malicious, virus-infested computer-killer. Dramatic, I know, but the point is valid. It is similar to a phone call that comes in on your home phone at night and lists nothing more than “Out of… Read More
Continue ReadingLyin’ Eyes
Clearly the greatest song from the Eagles and a key to discovering lies in an interview. Forbes.com covers fascinating topic with a startling point at the beginning of the article: …they only work about 80% of the time, according to the American Polygraph Association. That is far lower than I expected. Clearly, it is probably better than the vast majority of people, but I thought the number would be north of 90% for sure. Ah, but here are the fun “tells” for interviewers to use: Liars often give short or one-word responses to questions, while truth tellers are more likely to flesh out their answers. And this: Skilled liars don’t… Read More
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