Managing | The Company Rocks

Danny March 4, 2010 1 Comment

How to Lead a Meeting People Enjoy Attending

Don’t laugh, you can learn how to lead meetings that people really look forward to attending!

This 7 minute and 19 second video appears in my March, 2010 newsletter, The Catalyst. Please take a moment to join my mailing list if you would like to receive my newsletter each month. You can sign up right here on this page.

Successful meetings follow a process. In this video you will learn the three-step process for successful meetings:

Prepare for the Meeting – Determine the purpose for the meeting and prepare an action agenda and invite the proper participants to the meeting.
Run the meeting skillfully – Run the meeting in support of the action agenda and ensure full participation for each person invited to the meeting.
Follow-up – Assign roles and responsibilities during the meeting. Ensure acceptance of these assignment. You are already preparing for your next meeting – to follow-up on the decisions and information from this meeting.

If you would like to learn the techniques that I used to create the PowerPoint presentation I used in this video, I invite you to visit my online store to get details about my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for PowerPoint 2007.”

Why Are We Meeting?

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Business Practices, Communications, Managing, Presentations Tagged: Agenda, Decision-making, Follow-up, Meetings, preparation, Process, Seven Deadly Sins of Meetings, Training

Danny June 30, 2008 Leave a Comment

How to get better results – encourage them!

“People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be – not what you nag them to be.”

– S.N. Parker

Do you manage people who are unmotivated?

When I ask this question during a training session, most managers raise their hands to signal “Yes.”

Unfortunately, there is no such person. Every person is motivated – by something. The problem (as most managers see it) is that other people may not be motivated by the same thing that motivates you.

“Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” – Stephen R. Covey

We only have the power to motivate one person – ourselves.

But we can can create a motivating environment – that is, we can build a nice big fire on a cold night – that encourages people to want to produce better result. Or to move closer to the fire so that they can stay warm!

“We must motivate ourselves to do our very best, and by our example lead others to do their best as well.” – Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A

We can encourage other to produce better results by:

Modeling the behavior that we want to see – setting an example for our staff to see.
Encouraging the behavior that we want to see more of – recognizing and appreciating our staff when we observe them performing their job the way that we expect them to.

It’s that simple. It works. Try it and see for yourself.

But remember – it starts with you. Motivate yourself to do your very best. Don’t be surprised when people wnat to be around you – and to join you by doing the very best that they can.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Managing, Training Tagged: build a fire within yourself, Motivation, self-motivation, Stephen R. Covey

Danny June 26, 2008 Leave a Comment

Words of recognition pay big dividends

“Good words are worth much, and cost little.” – George Herbert

Recognize the behavior that you want to see more of – and you will get it! Behavior reinforced is behavior repeated!

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It also seems like it should be easy to implement.

It is.

But most of us don’t do it – enough.

Why not?

Words come easy. Effective use of our words requires thought and effort. And… a plan.

Words of recognition, appreciation and encouragement pay big dividends. People want to do their best work. However, many managers don’t help their team members to do the best that they are capable of delivering.

It is easy to criticize. It takes time, effort and a plan to offer effective, constructive feedback. Here are the three key elements of that plan:

To be effective, recognition must be timely. Offer your words of encouragement and appreciation as soon as your witness the action or become aware of it.
To be effective, praise must be specific. Saying, “Good job, Joe!” is not enough. Those are empty words. What job did Joe do? What, specifically, made it a good job? What specific level of “good” did Joe deliver? Try this: “Joe, thank you for delivering your monthly report ahead of schedule. I appreciate the effort that you put into clarifying your department’s action plan for the month.” It took more thought to say it this way. It required you to put more effort into it. But… I guarantee you that “Joe” will put even more effort into his work. He will appreciate your effort to recognize his efforts!
It must be tied into your organization’s overal goals and objectives. Tell “Joe” why his good work matters. Connect the dots for “Joe” and the rest of your team.

Remember these words:

“Everyone wants to be appreciated.So if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.” – Mary Kay Ash

I, too, like to receive feedback on the articles that I post. Please take a few minutes to give me feedback. Tell me what you like – and why. What you don’t like – and why not? And help me to produce more of what you want to read about.

Follow the simple plan that I outlined here. It works! I guarantee it.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Communications, Managing Tagged: constructive feedback, performance appraisal, reinforcing behaviors

Danny June 4, 2008 2 Comments

How to acheve success by failing

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.

– Thomas Watson, Jr. President of IBM (1952 – 1971)

Business Week Magazine has an interesting article titled, “Why Failures Can Be Such Success Stories.” Along with an accompanying slide show, the writer details the multiple failures of many famous people and explains how and why they were able to rebound from a potentially debilitating experience:

Basketball superstar Michael Jordan was cut from his High School team.
Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job because “he lacked creativity.”
Jack Welsh, former CEO of GE, literally “blew the roof” off a building because of a failed experiment early in his career.

What drives these people – and thousands of others just like them – to succeed? Why didn’t they just sink into the floor and seek cover from their mistakes?

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

That’s one explanation. And quite acceptable – in a clinical sort of way. Theoretically, I can accept the need to learn from my mistakes. And I have – made many mistakes – and learned from many of them.

What is more complex is the “blow to the ego” that usually accompanies a colossal failure. It is not the mistake, per se, that matters. It is how we personally react to the mistake. What we learn about what went wrong is important. But… what we learn about ourselves – and our reaction to the failure – is what determines our success – or our potential failure.

“We need to teach the highly educated person that it is not a disgrace to fail and that he must analyze every failure to find its cause. He must learn how to fail intelligently, for failing is one of the greatest arts in the world.” – Charles Kettering

What we can teach – others and ourselves – is the concept of “self-efficacy.” Resiliance. The ability to bounce back after a failure. Learning how to look ahead and learning from your mistakes. Learning not to view mistakes as a personal failure. To quote from Douglas MacMillan’s Business Week article:

“While self-efficacy is akin to other aspects of positive thinking such as self-confidence and self-esteem, it relates in particular to self-assurance about being able to excel at a particular task rather than to a person’s overall self-image. When failure strikes, people with high self-efficacy learn from their errors and strengthen their resolve to succeed.”

“Self-efficacy” is a trait that can be learned. It is a trait that leaders learn. It is a trait that leaders teach to others. A trait that they help to nurture in others – personally and organizationally.

How? How do you teach “self-efficacy?” By coaching and mentoring your staff. By offering constructive feedback on a continuing basis. By teaching people to “fail intelligently.” By teaching people how to succeed – by failing.

“Most people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying that they made them.” – John Hays

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Career, Consulting, Leadership, Managing, Mentors Tagged: Coaching, constructive feedback, Learn from your mistakes, self-efficacy

Danny May 17, 2008 Leave a Comment

Time and The International Date Line

“Time – unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.”

– Peter Drucker

Greetings from Australia! I just “lost a day” by crossing The International Date Line.

Losing a day…. Where did it go? Time flies, I agree. But losing a day by flying (across The Date Line) – that is still quite a concept to grasp.

Increasingly, I am attuned to time. How to make the most of it. How to prioritize my activities. How not to waste time. How to better manage my time so that I can accomplish what I want to.

Time – once it is gone, you can never get it back.

Except… when I return to Los Angeles from this trip. I’ll get back that day that I lost when I re-cross The International Date Line. What will I do with that “found” day?

Better question: “What will I do today? How will I manage my time, today? What will I do in order to accomplish what I indentify as my priorities?

I am going to start by reviewing my list – while I am having my morning coffee.

Have a great day! Use it wisely. You will never get it back.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Managing Tagged: Priorities, Time Management

Danny May 16, 2008 Leave a Comment

The Right Words at the Right Time

“The wrong words said at the wrong time discourage me.
The wrong words said at the right time frustrate me.
The right words said at the wrong time confuse me.
The right words said at the right time encourage me.”

– John C. Maxwell

Think about these words for a few minutes. Think about the times when a few well chosen words, spoken at just the right moment, helped you to …

gain the strength and confidence you needed to accomplish more than you thought possible.
take comfort in the love and care of your friends and family to help you recover from a setback or loss.
gather the courage to make a major change in your career.

Yes, words have incredible power. And they gain even more power when the right words are said at the right time. And to the right person.

But the wrong words, said at the wrong time… they can be devastating. They can …

damage your self-confidence.
dampen your enthusiasm.
deter you from moving forward in your job or your career … or your life.

The wrong words, said at the wrong time … Why would anyone choose to utter the wrong words – regardless of the time?

You wouldn’t choose to … unless you were malicious, vindictive or intent on inflicting pain. The operative word is choose.

It is your choice. Do you want to lift people up or put them down? Do you want to prepare your word choices – in advance? Or are you content to just say something – and hope for the best?

Think about what you are going to say – long before you ever have the opportunity to say it. Choose your words carefully. Practice saying them – aloud. Practice saying them over and over again – until you have internalized them. So that your words are sincere. So that the words are yours. So that how you speak the right words at the right time makes an impact – on the right person.

Not sure about which words are the right words? Just think about the words that people say to you. How do they make you feel? Be honest with yourself. Which words and phrases lift you up? And why do they do that?

Now, think about those words and phrases that deflate you. Why did they do that? How did they make you feel? What word choices could have been substituted? How would those word choices have made you feel better? Why?

Are you are taking the time to choose your words carefully? If not, why not? Think about the difference a word can make the next time that you deliver a employee performance evaluation. Better still, reflect upon the words your boss used when he or she last reviewed your performance. How did you react? Why? What would you have preferred them to say?

Choice words. Choose yours correctly. You always have a choice. Words do make a difference – over time!

Please take a few minutes to share your experiences with words and phrases. Which words motivated you? Tell us about those words said at the right time. Enter your comments in the space below. Thank you!

Click here to view or download this article as a Text Document – Published on www.ezinearticles.com

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Communications, Managing, Mentors, Motivation Tagged: Motivation, Word choices

Danny May 12, 2008 1 Comment

Practice your responses

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, nor is it supposed to. Practice is about increasing your repertoire of ways to recover from your mistakes.”

– Joan Gutin

Mistakes happen. And… they will continue to happen in the future. But… it is a huge mistake if you fail to learn from your mistakes. Especially in the way that you respond to your mistakes.

What can you anticipate? What is likely to occur? How will you respond when it does occur?

Have you thought about your response? Have you practiced your response? If not, why not?

Originally, I planned this post as a follow-up to my previous one – “Why do politicians fumble Q & A sessions? But then, I thought about this in a broader sense. I am constantly amazed to observe the number of people who:

Fail to anticipate sales objections – and to prepare their response.
Fail to address risk factors for their projects – and lack a Plan “B” to go forward when they do occur.
Fail to offer coaching and feedback to their staff – and wonder why they don’t achieve better results.

It is one thing to anticipate events and to prepare a plan to address to address them. It is quite another to actually practice the words that you will say during your response. To articulate them. To speak them aloud – and with confidence and conviction!

Words alone are insufficient in getting your message across. How you speak the words – your tone of voice – is the key to how your words are received and acted upon.

When I hear a politician – or any speaker – stumble over their words during a Q& A Session, I question their sincerity. I question their truthfullness. I question them.

Why? Because I get the feeling that they are “making it up as they go along.” That their response will be different the next time that they are asked this same question.

It is not what you say but, rather, how you say it that counts.

Let me give you an example. I am a musician. I can play a piece of music on the piano – hitting all of the correct notes. But, my performance will be flat and uninspired if I have not practiced – and internalized – my interpretaion of those notes. I need to practice not just hitting the correct notes, but also striking the right tone – for that piece and for my audience.

Speaking is no different. Sales is no different. Asking your staff to change is no different.

Learn how you can be different. Practice your responses!

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Communications, Leadership, Managing, Public Speaking Tagged: preparation, speak with conviction

Danny May 5, 2008 Leave a Comment

Respect is the best incentive

“The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It’s terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stock boys.”

– Sam Walton

Carmine Gallo wrote an article for Business Week Magazine last month that is required reading for any manager:

“A Simple Employee Incentive”: Taking the time to give people your undivided attention can do more for retention and engagement than gift cards and other goodies.

I frequently hear business leaders say, “We listen to our customers. That is the key to our success.”

I rarely hear business leaders say, “We listen to our employees. We actively seek out and listen to their opinions.”

As a manager, do you maintain an “open door policy?” Most managers do. But what do you do when your staff pass through your open door?

Do you look up briefly, ask them what is on their mind and then … continue to read your e-mail?
Do you act annoyed that they just “dropped by” to talk?
Do you really care about what they have to say? If you don’t then why say, “My door is always open.”?

Here is a brief excerpt from Carmine Gallo’s article:

“When you’re face to face with a colleague, employee, or customer, and you check text messages or Blackberry e-mail, you’re communicating something—you are telling that person that whoever is on the other end of the message is the most important person in that conversation.

In your next conversation with one of your employees, try speaking as if he or she is the most important person in the room at the moment. Look him in the eye, avoid interruptions, ignore gadgets, and ask questions about his interests. It’s the simplest, least expensive, and most effective incentive available.”

Take Carmine’s advice to heart. Better yet… put it into practice today! Don’t tell people that you care… show them that you care about them. Give them your full, undivided attention. Respect is the best incentive.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Communications, Managing Tagged: active listening, An engaged workforce, listen to your staff

Danny May 3, 2008 Leave a Comment

The difference between what and how

“Once the ‘what’ is decided, the ‘how’ always follows. We must not make the ‘how’ an excuse for not facing and accepting the ‘what.'”

– Pearl S. Buck

I train a number of clients to improve their project management skills. The first – and most important – step in the process is to clearly identify and agree on the ‘What.’ What problem, exactly are you planning to solve? What opportunity, exactly, are you planning to take advantage of?

You define the “what” – your goal – by asking a series of questions that begin with the word “Why.” One popular methodology is to use the question and answer system known as “The 5 whys.” Asking and answering a series of “why” questions will enable you to get to the “root problem” that you are planning to solve.

The root problem is your “What.”

Unfortunately, many projects fail because we are too anxious to start working on the “how.” And as Pearl S. Buck cautions us, “we must not make the “how” an excuse for not facing and accepting the What.”

“Our plans miscarry if they have no aim. When a man does not know which harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

What is our goal? What is our real problem / opportunity? Is everyone on your team able to answer these questions clearly? Do you all agree on “why” this problem / opportunity is important to solve or pursue?

If not, this is the likely scene in your place of business:

“A lot of people run full speed with incredible urgency in the wrong direction.” – Justin Menkes

Ask simple, strategic questions. Then listen to the response. If the response only reveals the explicit reason – the symptom – then continue to ask questions, and listen until you discover the implicit reason – the root cause of the problem. The late, great management guru Peter Drucker said it best:

“My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.”

Once you agree on where you are going, determining how to get there becomes much easier. There will always more than one way to reach your destination – the ‘What.’ Never allow discussion of the ‘how’ to precede or interfere with your rigorous pursuit of the ‘What.’

In my training classes, we work several exercises around Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “”Six Honest Serving Men.”

“I keep six honest serving men

(They taught me all I knew);

Their names are What and Why and When

And How and Where and Who”

Learn to ask questions. Listen. Understand the difference between the “What’ and the ‘how.’ Lead with the “What” and manage the ‘how.’

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Leadership, Managing, Quotations Tagged: Peter Drucker, project management, Rudyard Kipling, The 5 Whys, the difference between leadership and management

Danny May 2, 2008 Leave a Comment

Why are we meeting?

“The two words information and communication are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things.Information is giving out; communication is getting through.”

– Sydney J. Harris

What do you think about meetings? Think about a recent meeting that you attended. Did it save you time? Or was it a waste of your time?

I hear a lot of groaning and complaining about meetings. Is this a fair description of the meetings at your business?

“Meetings – where minutes are kept and hours are wasted.”

As a manager, do you confuse information with communication? Are you giving out? Or are you getting through? Does your team merely pass along information? Or have they learned how to effectively communicate with each other about what is really important?

Business Week Magazine has an interesting article – “How to Make Meetings Matter” – online. It’s a short article. I recommend that you click through to read it as well as the accompanying eight-step “Playbook.”

Properly structured, meetings are the way the we do business. Properly run, meetings are also the place where a company’s culture is perpetuated. In the Business Week “Case Study,” the C.E.O. of the company that altered its meetings says, “it’s about building a tribe, not broadcasting information.”

The “classic” article on meetings is – “The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings – and Seven Seps to Salvation”– by Eric Matson. It was originally published in FastCompany Magazine in 2005. Click through to read it – and learn from it!

The Seven Sins are:

People don’t take meetings seriously
Meetings are too long
People wander off the topic
Nothing happens once the meeting ends
People don’t tell the truth
Meetings are always missing important information, so they postpone critical decisions
Meetings never get better

How many deadly sins did you commit during your meetings this week? At least one, I am sure. What are you going to do about it? Look at Sin #7. You can start by reading Eric Matson’s article. Make that your first step to salvation.

Your team members will thank you for it – by starting to take your meetings seriously – Sin #1. Because they are starting to see that you do!

Please take a few minutes to share your meeting stories with our readers. You can write a meeting “horror” story. Or you can share a meeting “success” story. add you comments below.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Business Practices, Managing Tagged: Seven Deadly Sins of Meetings

Danny Rocks “Training You to Excel”

How to Lead a Meeting People Enjoy Attending

Related Posts

How to get better results – encourage them!

Words of recognition pay big dividends

How to acheve success by failing

Time and The International Date Line

The Right Words at the Right Time

Practice your responses

Respect is the best incentive

The difference between what and how

Why are we meeting?

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