Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

The Apologizing Liar

Monday, July 29th, 2019

David Horsager, author of The Trust Edge, makes a powerful case against the apology. Well, that’s not exactly right. He makes a case against apologies that are really just lies, which is most of them.

When someone drops the ball and says, “Sorry about that!”, it’s usually just something to say. Most of the time it doesn’t literally mean, “I regret that I did that, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” It’s just the thing people say to get past an awkward moment.

If we accept that response in ourselves or in others, we normalize the lying apology. We get stuck in weak results, lose trust, and reduce our chance of a real breakthrough.

So the next time someone apologizes to you, go one step further to ask if their apology includes a massive commitment to fix the problem and avoid a recurrence. And if you’re the one apologizing, snap out of the automatic response. Make sure your apology has substance and meaning, and a massive corrective action plan to back it up.

Practice Isn’t Enough

Monday, July 22nd, 2019

You’ve probably heard the old joke about the man stopping a cabbie in New York to ask for directions. “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Sure,” said the cabbie. “Practice, practice, practice!”

Nice gag, but practice by itself in any field will not guarantee success. Practicing the right things in the right way will. Winners find the best of the best as their mentors and coaches and are relentless in applying and practicing the guidance they receive. The greatest artists, scientists, and athletes hook up with teachers that know more about the craft than anyone else, then they follow their advice.

The same thing applies to business. Don’t think that doing something over and over is enough to achieve mastery. Find people who’ve been there before who can tell you where to focus your attention and how to practice your skills. That’s the ticket to success that really works.

Signs Of Disengagement

Monday, July 15th, 2019

Have you seen the TV series Lie To Me? The main character is an expert in micro-expressions, including the subtle signs that someone is not telling the truth.

When it comes to disengagement at work, a lot of the same signs are in play, and you don’t have to be an expert to spot them. You just have to care enough to look for them.

When people are disengaged, they make eyes at others during meetings as if others can’t see it. The person playing with a pencil, not making eye contact, or even texting during a meeting is disengaged. They might stand off to the side after the meeting is over, speaking under their breath, or even leave early without permission.

Forbes columnist Kevin Kruse suggests an intervention as early as possible. Engage the disengaged person by asking for input or opinions during the meeting: “Michelle, how do you think we can approach this in the most effective way?”

If the person doesn’t snap out by the end of the meeting, have a quick chat right away: “I couldn’t help noticing that you seemed a little distracted during the meeting. Do you have any concerns about the way this is being done?”

This can be done no matter who you are. You don’t have to be the project leader to address disengagement, just a team member who cares.

Roxanne Emmerich

Create efficiency in all that you do

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Whatever job you are doing, chances are you could shave off substantial time and get the same result, or use the same amount of time and DOUBLE the result, just by saying, “How can this be done differently to create a better outcome in less time?”

But we rarely do it. We dive right in and flail around, thinking a quick start is the best way to save time. No way.

This is especially important as we mature in our work. In fact, it’s the WAY we mature. Some people never get this, so they don’t improve, and they’re in the same job for 20 years because their performance is always the same. That’s not good.

If they’ve been in the same job for 20 years, their performance should be DRAMATICALLY improved from when they started. They should be able to get all the same results in half the time, or twice the results in the same time—at a minimum.

Otherwise…what were those 20 years really about?

This doesn’t always happen all at once. You don’t ask yourself, “How can I do this twice as fast?” right this second—although you could. But every day we should be asking the question, “How can I do this a little bit better, a little more efficiently?” Over time, those little efficiencies add up to a powerful result.

Fixing a Struggling Sales Team. . . When you’re on it

Monday, July 1st, 2019

Have you ever been on a sales team that’s failing to hit the numbers, month after month…after month?

If you are hitting your own numbers, it’s tempting to just keep your head down and continue coming out on top. But the overall numbers matter to the health of the company, which means they should matter to you as well.

In fact, if you’re not on the direct sales team, hitting those goals matters because money for raises and bonuses comes from increased revenue.

YES, it DOES matter to you, no matter what.

So what can you do? Step up and solve the problem.

The most likely problem is people aren’t following the sales process. Perhaps they don’t know how to sell at premium pricing. Or perhaps they don’t have the confidence to make or handle the calls.

Whatever the problem, realize you are there to be a part of the solution. And realize that the solution can never work unless people get honest. Almost all sales discrepancies have to do with people not being full authentic about not following the sales process or making the right number of sales calls.

You’ve heard the old statement…the truth will set you free.

What can you do today to help your organization hit its revenue goals?

Encourage your colleagues to be honest with management about how they need to do things better or different. When the company wins, everybody wins.