Titles matter. A lot. So do email addresses and signature blocks. As unfortunate and as shallow as it is, people make a first impression snap decision about you and your business in an instant. If that instant includes your title it can make or break your business opportunity.
Yes, CxO, Vice President, Director, Manager, Analyst, and other vanilla titles are boring. They're not edgy. They don't have panache. That said, they quickly convey a certain level of skill and experience that the majority of the business population can interpret. Your contact isn't left scratching their head wondering what the heck you do.
Then there's the other end of the title spectrum: Guru, Ninja, Overlord, Grand Poobah, Super Hero. They sound wicked awesome. They get people's attention. But you have to realize not all attention is good.
On top of that, these titles are usually paired with a cool signature block quote or catch phrase and they have sweet email addresses too. Unfortunately all of these things can undermine your credibility and cost you business. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes I see people make when it comes to the arena of titles and personal branding:
Your Title is Ridiculous
A few definitions before we start:
- Ridiculous: open to or the subject of ridicule and mocking.
- Ninja: a covert mercenary specializing in the unorthodox methods of war.
- Guru: spiritual master (origin of the term is from eastern religions)
- Super Hero: a fictional character who has abnormal physical or mental powers conferred upon them either through mutation or unfortunate run-in with spiders or toxic waste
Look folks - these names are fun and whimsical. We all know what people mean when they give themselves these titles. The thing is, titles like these follow the nickname rule: you can't give it to yourself. It's fine if you're such an expert that people in the media or other business circles refer to you as a "guru" however going to OvernightPrints.com and putting it on your business card actually devalues your stature with potential customers.
You folks know I abhor titles like guru (and I've bashed on it before in this post - CLICK HERE to read it). But I bash on it because it's hurting your business.
Think about it. Most folks with these titles sell to business customers. Business customers tend to be more conservative and have many choices of suppliers of services. When you come of as amateurish with a title like this, the business goes elsewhere (and yes, I have personally seen business leaders shy away from doing business with people who have titles like these).
The recommendation: find a happy middle ground. Make your title professional. Use the terms like "ninja" or "guru" in marketing materials but not as your official title. It's probably costing you business. Besides, these titles are so worn out that they don't mean anything anymore. Don't believe me? Go do a twitter search for "guru." If you do, you'll crash the entire Internet.
Your Signature Block Induces Seizures
Signature blocks convey critical information about you. They tell folks how to contact you and learn more about you. I see tons of people make some of these mistakes:
- Your signature block conveys your entire CV all the way back to being the head of your Boy Scout or Brownies troop
- Your signature block contains cheesy, worn out, cliched quotes
- Your signature block contains sayings from scripture (the only ones who can do this are priests, rabbis, imams, and other religious leaders)
- Your signature block looks like someone hit "engage random font and color generator"
The recommendation: be critical in thinking about what to include. Name, title, phone, email address, and a couple of key URLs is fine. Perhaps even stretch the outer limits and promote ONE thing you really want people to look at. Some color or font fanciness is fine as long as it's consistent with your brand and not overwhelming or distracting. Simplify. Be purposeful on what you include and how you include it. Remember - all your signature block is designed to do is get people to call/email you back to engage your services. It is not a product brochure.
Your Email Address Lacks Credibility
Having an email address of "bob@CoolHipCompany.com" can seem edgy and start-uppy. What it tells business clients is "there are 3-4 people running this thing because there's no overlap of first names therefore I don't want to work with such a tiny supplier/partner." Yes. Their thoughts go there.
The other email variant is "TheKingOfRock@company.com." As much as you want to put a cool title as your email address, it's self-defeating. People meet a lot of people these days. People remember names and faces - NOT titles. While your email address is memorable in this case, it's for all the wrong reasons. "Who was that guy with the weird email address again? I can't remember his name..."
The recommendation: look at your email address through your customer's eyes. What impression does it give? Try making sure it identifies you as an individual and that it lets people know you're serious and professional about your work.
Boring is the New Cool
Yes, all the advice I'm giving seems like I'm telling you to be more boring. You can take it that way if you like. All I know is if being boring helps grow your business... well... that's pretty exciting, isn't it?
What do you folks think? Share the worst/most ridiculous titles, email addresses, or signature block stories you have in the comments below!
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Gurus, Ninjas, and Morons: Losing Credibility One Business Card at a Time
Monday, May 2, 2011
How to Handle When Someone Else Takes Credit for Your Work
We've all had that experience where we work really hard on something and instead of getting recognized for our contribution, we have to sit there and choke back bile when someone else takes credit for the work. It's infuriating to think about how hard you worked and how much effort you put into a project only to see some other glory-hound or charlatan pass all that effort off as their own.
Heck, I got a taste of that this week. I saw a bunch of traffic coming to my blog from Dr. Shailesh Thaker's blog (UPDATE: security software now indicates his blog is a virus attack site - DO NOT GO THERE). At first I was psyched. Here was a self-proclaimed "Management Thinker, HR Guru, and Corporate Coach" telling his fans my content was good.
Then I saw it. It was my blog post on shutting your cake hole. The ONLY thing that was different was the author. Apparently that article was now written by Dr. Thaker himself. Hmmm. I wonder if Thaker rhymes with faker.
That's right folks. Blatant plagiarism. Here's my original post and here's his post (UPDATE: he finally removed all posts however his site is now showing up as an "attack site" in my antivirus so I've disabled links to him). Unfortunately he wasn't bright enough to disable the hyperlink back to my blog and that's how I found the content. It turns out he ripped off several of my articles, a few from SmartBrief on Leadership, some from Kevin Eikenberry and others.
So what can you do when you're in this situation? What do you do when someone else passes your work off as their own? How do you handle it when someone else takes credit for work you did? Here are a few thoughts:
Seek Clarification
It could be an accident. You might be wrong in thinking someone is taking credit for your work. They might have sung your praises before you walked in the room to find them presenting your deck. They may have written a nice email giving you full credit but all you heard was "I received this presentation from (NOT YOU) and it's great." Clarify first. Just ask. If you are wrong and the person gave you credit, thank them politely for promoting your work.
Request (Nicely) a Correction
If it's clear they did pass of your work as theirs or they took credit for your idea, ask them (in private) if they could clarify to others that it was actually your work. You might say "I'm glad you liked my work but after your presentation some people are under a mistaken impression that you did the work. I would appreciate it if you could clarify to them that the work was mine." More often than not they'll heed that request.
If it's your content that has been stolen/plagiarized, send an email or make a call asking the person to remove it and to never do it again. Give them a clear timeline for action and show them a reference back to your original work. They might be unaware that the work was stolen (maybe someone on their team did it - see the point above on clarification).
Demand a Correction
If the person decides not to satisfy your request for a correction, demand one. You could petition the person's supervisor to rectify things (the boss might be unaware that someone is taking credit for your work). Let the person know you're upset that they took credit and that they've violated some pretty clear societal standards on giving credit and taking credit. In some cases (like plagiarism) you might even have your attorney send a demand notice requesting redress.
Go Nuclear or Get Over It
If all the above strategies fail, you have two choices. You can go for the nuclear option and file a formal complaint at work (with your boss, HR, etc.) or sue (e.g., for plagiarism) or carry out a public campaign to call out the fraud. Or you can vent about it, make your case, then shut up and move on with life. Events like this can be total energy-sucks. You can choose instead to focus your efforts on being productive and moving forward knowing that the universe will take care of the Thakers... I mean fakers of the world.
And by the way, if you're dumb enough to steal content from a blogger, disable the hyperlinks so you can't be tracked as easily. And if I can ask a favor folks - if you like this blog and this post, please retweet it, share it, send it around. Maybe if he sees his name up in lights enough on Google searches as a plagiarist, he'll remove my article (he hasn't yet responded to my "ask nicely" or my demand of removal...
What will be really ironic is if this post gets picked up and republished on some "Management Thinker's" or "HR Guru's" blog...
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Getting Your Risk-Averse Boss to Take a Chance On Your Ideas
Today's guest post is by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D, author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. You can read all about her at the end of the post. Here's Heidi:
A good friend of mine, “Tom,” recently brought a product to his boss’s attention that would allow his company to take its social media efforts to a whole new level, and might significantly improve their image. It would be an industry first, and not entirely without risk, but with huge potential payoff.
After hearing his pitch, his boss asked, “Are any of our competitors using this?”
“No,” Tom replied, feeling that this was a strong selling point – a competitive edge.
“Well,” his boss responded, “then I don’t think we want to stick our necks out and be the first, do we?”
Huh?
Tom was disappointed, but not at all surprised. For every manager out there trying to encourage innovation, there seem to be ten standing squarely in the way of it. I spend a lot of time talking to people about motivation and growth, and everywhere I go, I hear complaints like:
I just can’t get my boss to take the risk.
There’s a huge opportunity here, and we’re missing it.
We just follow trends, we don’t ever create them.
It’s incredibly frustrating to know you have a real winner of an idea on your hands, something that could really shake things up, and not be able to get it past your Nervous Nelly of a boss. Not that the cautious, conservative approach doesn’t have its place - but ultimately an organization cannot grow without embracing some risk.
The recent recession has only made matters worse. People don’t want to rock the boat at a time when jobs are hard to find. Unfortunately, they forget that without organizational innovation and growth, no job is safe for long.
The problem, in a nutshell, is this: when they make decisions, many managers focus much more on what they have to lose than what they might gain.
When we see our goals in terms of what we have to lose, we have what psychologists call a prevention focus. Prevention focus is about security, avoiding mistakes, fulfilling responsibilities, and doing you feel you ought to do. It’s about trying to hang on to what you’ve got, and it isn’t at all conducive to taking chances.
On the other hand, when we see our goals in terms of what we could gain, we have what’s called a promotion focus. Promotion focus is about achievement and accomplishment, maximizing your potential, and doing what you’d ideally like to do. It’s about never missing an opportunity if you can help it.
In my book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals, I describe research showing that while promotion and prevention-focused people can be equally successful, they work very differently to reach their goals. They use different strategies, have different strengths, and are prone to different kinds of mistakes. One group is motivated by applause, the other by criticism and self-sacrifice. One group readily embraces creativity and risk, while the other prefers careful deliberation and the status quo.
So, how can you get your overly cautious boss to go out on a limb and embrace a great, albeit risky, idea? The key is to stop fighting his or her prevention-focused mindset, and work with it instead.
In the end, it’s all about language. You may be thinking of your great idea as an opportunity for gain, but you can always reframe it as an opportunity for avoiding loss. To persuade a prevention-minded person, you want to emphasize how a course of action can keep your company safe and secure - how it will help you to avoid making a terrible mistake.
For instance, you may be thinking of a new social media venture as a chance to get in front of the pack, but your boss might be more persuaded if you phrased it as a way to not fall behind. (“Everyone is moving in this direction. It’s inevitable. We could lose market share if aren’t prepared for the future.”)
In general, it’s important to frame your pitch in a way that is persuasive to the kind of person you’re talking to. Figure out if the decision-maker is promotion or prevention minded, and pitch accordingly. Remember that even the most timid, prevention-minded person will gladly take a risk, once you help him understand why it would be a greater risk not to.
- Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D., is a motivational psychologist, consultant, and author of the new book Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. She is also a Fellow of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School, a regular blogger for Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, SmartBlog on Leadership/SmartBrief, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and a contributor to the BBC World Service’s Business Daily. Heidi lives in NYC and Easton, PA. You can follow her on twitter at @hghalvorson.
Monday, April 18, 2011
3 Reasons You Should Shut Your Cake Hole
Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply shut up. Simply put a big pair of socks in your mouth and plug up your cake hole.
There are plenty of situations where shutting up is the right strategy. There are also plenty of benefits to doing so. It's no secret - sometimes I open my mouth when I should be doing exactly the opposite and before those of you who agree start spewing "I can't stand when he talks" just realize at least I'm self aware - are you? Hmmm. Hello Pot, this is Kettle...
Anyway, there are three reasons you need to simply hush. Shutting up can build relationships (or prevent destroying them), improve negotiations, and make you smarter. This is a difficult skill to master especially in a world that encourages us to share MORE of our thoughts than ever (hello Twitter, Facebook, blogs - oops). I've talked about other benefits of shutting up before in this post - CLICK HERE to read it. All that said, here's the argument for keeping quiet:
Building Relationships
We've all had that moment where a colleague, business partner, customer, or someone else important to us says something or sends an email that makes our head explode. Our instant instinctive reaction is to fire back and obliterate that individual into a smoldering pile of ashes that are forensically unidentifiable.
Don't.
Count to 10. Write your scathing email reply and say everything you wanted to say (be sure NOT to address it to the person because you might instinctively hit "Send" and then you're toast - just write the body of the email without a "To:" name listed). Reread the email 10 times. Get really mad. Get ready to send it.
Now delete it.
You've gotten it out of your system. Now let it go. This approach holds true for conversations too. Say all those horrible things in your head then let the thoughts evaporate. It's hard but if I can do it, so can you. Keeping quiet can prevent you from damaging an important relationship and keep you from looking hotheaded or unreasonable.
Negotiating
"He/she who talks price first, loses." Wrong. Actually, talking price first wins (the research shows it - it's called anchoring - look it up). But sometimes not talking at all can be a powerful negotiating tactic as well.
Silence is uncomfortable. When someone puts something on the table in a negotiation they expect you to respond and push back. If you instead remain silent after they put something out there, you're implying you are not satisfied with the offer. The silence gets uncomfortable (less so for you because you are in control of it).
Eventually the other party is likely to fill that silence. When they do they'll either rationalize their last point which will give you insight into their objectives or weak points or they'll actually begin negotiating against themselves and put something better in front of you just to fill the silence.
Try it sometime. Don't do it in a high-risk negotiation but see how the other person reacts to the silence. You might be surprised.
Getting Smarter
I love saying "you have two ears and one mouth for a reason." You can't learn while you're talking. Period. I've never met anyone who can transmit and receive at the same time. When you are in receive mode, you can learn new things.
There's another benefit to listening rather than talking. If you want others around you to think you're brilliant, shut up and listen. When others get to share their opinions and ideas, they feel important. You should actively solicit those thoughts from them and listen in an engaged manner. By listening, you can come across as exponentially more brilliant than you already are as I cover in this post.
Shhh
Shutting your cake hole from time to time is a powerful communications tool. Try it. I'll shut up now.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
4 Tips for Handling Overwork and Overwhelm
Today's guest blogger is Marlene Chism, author of Stop Workplace Drama: Train Your Team to have No Complaints, No Excuses, and No Regrets
Are you overwhelmed with a heavy workload only to get another unrealistic request from your boss? Is it really the workload, or could it be a communication problem?
Often the real challenge is developing the courage to tell ourselves and others the truth about what we can do. What we do to avoid a conflict, or dealing with someone’s disappointment is to offer something for which we are unprepared to deliver due to time constraints, abilities, or knowledge. Instead of making a promise you can’t keep, or keeping the promise but dropping another ball, what if you could just tell the truth, and still get the job done?
In my book, Stop Workplace Drama
This leads to ineffective communication between boss and employee and spreads negativity and drama. These four tips will help you to manage a heavy workload while improving workplace relationships:
1. Tell yourself the truth
2. Identify your choices
2. Tell your boss the truth
4. Communicate responsibly
Tell yourself the truth
First you must step out of denial by pretending that you can get everything done. To deny the facts means you are either going to disappoint someone or make yourself physically ill. If you really cannot do all that is asked, you must first face the facts of the situation. Facts include project deadlines, current priorities, estimated length of time to get a project or task completed, resources available.
Identify your choices
Now that you have been honest with yourself, you can list your choices. Can you delegate some of the tasks? What if you could think outside the box and find an assistant who would charge a small amount to do some data entry? What about hiring a personal assistant to free up some of your other obligations? There may be options you have not yet considered, but beware that any choice you make sets the stage for the same level of expectation and that is why you must be honest with your boss.
Tell your boss the truth
The boss really has no idea that you are swamped. She just wants to take things off of her plate. You have to let your boss know the facts. Don’t whine or complain and don’t promise that you can deliver something you can’t. The way to approach your boss is to state the facts, and the priorities, then ask your boss to lengthen a deadline on another project, or ask a team member for assistance. The fact is, you can’t add more than 10 percent more of a workload on anyone without offering additional resources. If you are being asked to double up, something has to go, and you must be responsible for helping the boss to understand the facts, the priorities and the consequences.
Communicate Responsibly
Learn how to engage other team members or co-workers through effective communication. Again, no complaints or excuses, simply go straight to the solution. Ask for what you want. Instead of saying, “This is not fair….” And “Look what I’m expected to do…” Instead say, “I’ve been given another task that is going to take three hours. Would you be willing to…” then make your request. Offer to help out in return, then give the person credit for helping you. You will help yourself, you will show you are problem solver to your boss, and you will also improve teamwork and morale.
- Marlene Chism is a speaker, author and founder of The Stop Your Drama Methodology, an eight-part empowerment process to increase clarity and improve productivity and personal effectiveness. She is a dynamic business and motivational speaker who has the unique ability to speak across the boundaries of many types of audiences: from the fortune 500 executives, to HR professionals to front line employees. Marlene has a master’s degree in HR Development from Webster University and is the author of Stop Workplace Drama: Train Your Team to have No Complaints, No Excuses, and No Regrets.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Why You Should Treat Your People Like it's 1879
Sometimes great leaders have to look back in history to find lessons to apply today. Today I'm going to take you back to some wisdom imparted in 1879 on how to treat your people.
The majority of you know I graduated from West Point. Part of my education there required we learn and remember (and be able to recite verbatim from memory) what was known as "knowledge" from West Point's history. Any upperclassman could ask any plebe (freshman) at any time to recite a piece of knowledge. Failure to do so correctly resulted in some "development time" (which was pretty unpleasant).
The hardest one to remember was Schofield's Definition of Discipline. When I would hear an upperclassman shout "FIGLIUOLO! START SCHOFIELD'S!" terror would strike my heart and I would begin reciting Schofield's Definition of Discipline which went like this:
"The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and to give commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice to inspire in the soldier no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or the other of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them regard for himself, while he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect toward others, especially his inferiors, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself."
Major General John M. Schofield
Address to the Corps of Cadets
August 11, 1879
Wow. Talk about a mouthful. But MG Schofield has some great thoughts for today's leaders:
Harsh and Tyrannical Treatment
How many leaders do you know who lead through fear and intimidation? They may scream and yell. They may be demeaning. They may overtly (or implicitly) threaten people to get them to comply with directions.
It works for a little while but over time it's cancerous. If your boss does it, provide the feedback. Heck, forward them this article. Some bosses might not realize they're doing it. Others might just be bullies (and I've written about how to handle bullies before in this post. Click here to read it).
Tone of Voice
Your people take their cues not only from WHAT you say but HOW you say it. The vast majority of human communication has very little to do with words and much more to do with tone and body language.
Are you conscious of how your voice, posture, and gestures affect other people? At one point in my career I was informed that I can be VERY intimidating. Apparently my voice can boom and my eyes can get pretty intense. To me I simply thought I was paying attention and offering strong opinions. To others, some felt I was going to come over the table at them.
Since then, I have consciously worked at and tried to remember the feedback. Sometimes I have to deliberately soften my gaze and lean back in my chair to take some of the perceived aggression out of my demeanor.
Are you aware of how you come across? No? Go ask.
Respect
It's such a simple concept. The golden rule and all that. Aretha Franklin. You know.
Unfortunately we manifest disrespect in many ways and often without realizing it. Asking someone to stay late and miss a family event. Being ignorant about cultural norms. Simply not thinking about asking people to do simple tasks that are clearly below them. All of these can demonstrate disrespect for who a person is and what is important to them.
It's a simple fix - put yourself in their shoes. If you don't know what their shoes feel like, ask them. Ask about their culture and its norms. Ask if you've ever crossed a respect line. Some of these notions (and more "do nots") are covered in my post on 10 Reasons Your Team Hates You. Go read it by clicking here. It's a fun yet pointed read on things that upset your people.
The Bottom Line
MG Schofield had it right. The way we treat people means a lot. In a market where loyalty to the organization is low and high performers have many other options other than working for you, not being mindful of Schofield's advice can cost you a great team member.
You need to actively think about leading your people. It's so important that I've written on that topic both here on the blog (CLICK HERE to read it) and it has an entire section in my upcoming book One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (come read about it and become a Facebook fan by CLICKING HERE).
Try treating your folks like it's 1879. Things might go a lot better for you. And if nothing else, you can grow an AWESOME beard.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Postscript: This post is dedicated to my friend and classmate Adam Young who has been harping on me to write it for well over a year. Thanks Adam for continuing to push me to cover a great topic. I hope you enjoy it.
Monday, March 7, 2011
How to be a Networking Disaster
You would think with all the platforms out there that make networking so easy that people would be better at it. Unfortunately bad behavior still runs rampant and I get to see more than my fair share of networking implosions.
There are a few key areas you need to royally screw up if you want to achieve "debacle" status on networking. This post is a guide for how you can most efficiently and effectively burn bridges, annoy people, and destroy your network as fast as possible. This is NOT about how to properly maintain your network as explained in this post (CLICK HERE) - this is about apocalyptic network destruction.
Let's define the target area you're going to drop bombs all over. Your network is the sum of all relationships (personal and professional) you've built over the years as well as the relationships of those individuals with their friends and colleagues. I'm going to show you not only how to destroy your own network but also how you can best damage the networks of the people in your network. We're talking second-degree of separation destruction here folks. And for some bonus tips on how to further destroy your network, read this post too by clicking here.
So let's get on with the network nuking...
Use People
The first way to start destroying your network is to use people. Do it shamelessly. You should never reach out to anyone to see how they're doing. Instead wait until you need something for yourself then send out the emails asking for help. Subject lines like "I just lost my job. Can you hire me?" work especially well for this purpose.
Better yet, if someone in your network is dumb enough to help you when the only time you ever reach out is when you need help, mark them as a sucker in your contact database. Be sure to regularly ask them for stuff without ever offering to help them in any way. You already know picking up the phone is a key to successful networking (as described in this post). Just pick up the phone and ask them for assistance. If their assistance does help you get what you needed, be sure not to let them know things worked out and for goodness' sake, DON'T send them a thank you note.
Waste Their Time
Be sure when you ask someone in your network for help (as described above) that you make it as inconvenient as possible for them to help you. Insist on meeting on dates that are difficult for them to make work (but since they're suckers they'll rearrange their calendar to help you). Whatever you do, DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE on how to properly network over coffee.
Once you do arrange the networking meeting, be sure to show up at least 10-15 minutes late. DO NOT under any circumstance call ahead to let them know you'll be late and be sure not to apologize for your tardiness. You want to reinforce to the people in your network that you are more important than they are and you're doing them a favor by giving them the opportunity to help you out.
When you do meet with them, be sure to talk about nothing but how they can help you. Don't bother asking how they're doing or if you can help them. That's a waste of your precious time. Just be as much of a vampire as you can and leech every last thing you can out of your contact.
Don't Follow Up
When your contact asks you to follow up with them and get them details like resumes or contact info, do NOT send it in a timely manner. Heck, don't even send it at all. The people in your network are smart and will take the initiative. They'll proactively go out to LinkedIn and find your profile URL for themselves. They'll then actively send that profile out to all the other people who could possibly help you.
When they do make introductions for you to other people in their networks, it's time to go with the nuclear option. Do NOT, no matter what, reach out to the person your contact has introduced you to. Wait for that new contact to reach out to you instead. It reinforces the perception that you're busy and therefore must be in high demand.
Also, do NOT follow up with your contact either. Don't send a thank you note to express appreciation for the new introduction. Simply ignore their assistance as if they never helped you in the first place.
Mess Up Your Contact's Reputation
When you meet the new contact who is a friend or colleague of your primary contact, be rude and give off a bad impression. Talk badly about your contact so your new contact will know what a moron their friend is. Treat the new contact as rudely as possible. Be late to meetings (or better yet, miss a meeting), be unresponsive to calls and emails, and generally annoy the new contact as much as possible. These actions will inflict maximum damage upon your contact's network which is the primary objective here.
If your new contact is dumb enough to hook you up with a job or is stupid enough to become a customer of yours, be sure not to thank your original contact. Heck, all they did was put their reputation on the line for you with the intro. They really don't deserve much in the way of follow-up or gratitude.
So there it is folks. I guarantee if you follow any of the above guidance you can quickly achieve new heights of networking disasterdom. Before long you'll have no one on Earth willing to help you and you can go about your business without all those annoying LinkedIn invites, job offers, and customer inquiries coming your way. That will leave you tons of time for sleep and Bon Bons on the couch while watching Dr. Phil.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC - Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
NOTE: I know at least ONE person will read the above and miss the fact that I'm advocating the exact OPPOSITE of these actions. If you're that person and you choose to take the above advice literally and actually follow it, you deserve to destroy your network because clearly you're not very bright.
Monday, February 21, 2011
How Mr. Spock Helps You Make Better Decisions
As leaders, we like being decisive and making quick decisions. We know our businesses well and are willing to act. Doing so without true contrarian input can be dangerous though.
You can make better decisions though simply by identifying and relying on your own personal Mr. Spock. Yes, I've been watching movies again and as usual, I can't help but draw a leadership perspective from them.
In Star Trek (the new version - which was awesome) Captain Kirk is decisive yet impetuous. He takes on huge risks and acts on emotion. Many times he's right. He has a good gut feeling and intuition. He knows his team and his organization's capabilities. He's a great tactician. But it's easy to see how his snap decisions could lead to disaster.
Mr. Spock on the other hand is brutally logical and dispassionate. He is stylistically diametrically opposed to Captain Kirk. Needless to say the two of them go at each others' throats (both figuratively and literally when Spock snaps and chokes out Kirk).
As a team, however, the two of them make better decisions. As conflict-laden and dysfunctionally painful as their relationship is at times, it works.
All of us would do well as leaders to find our own Mr. Spock. Here's what I mean...
At one point in my career I had my own Mr. Spock. I was young, impetuous, and action-oriented. My bias was to make decisions, act on them, and see what happened. Sometimes those weren't the best decisions and things kind of blew up on me (I know... hard to believe, right? ;). During those blow-ups I had my team in crisis damage control mode. We would clean things up, learn from them and move on with life.
One day, my Mr. Spock showed up - uninvited might I add. He was even-keeled. He asked difficult questions. He wanted me to articulate the logic and reason behind the decisions I wanted to make. He was a complete pain in my behind.
I avoided Spock at all costs. I made decisions without involving him. I didn't invite him to meetings where we discussed upcoming decisions. I was an immature idiot in how I related to him.
Spock, being a driven little Vulcan, often found out about upcoming decisions and in his unemotional way invited himself to participate in the decision making process. He asked great questions. He pointed out logical flaws. He made my life difficult, slower, yet oddly more insightful.
Spock's involvement in the decision making process helped the team avoid some errors and in one case prevented a pretty good sized crisis. He made us sharper and smarter. Over time I came to respect and seek out his input when I understood the value he added to the process. No, I didn't thoroughly enjoy it but involving him was like Brussels sprouts - distasteful but good for you.
So who is your Mr. Spock? Who is that person that makes you consider other alternatives? Who is the person you avoid because they ask difficult questions and force you to think through your decisions more thoroughly? Sure, they slow you down but sometimes they're the only obstacle between you and the Romulan warship you're flying into range of.
Identify the person who can be your Spock. Have an up-front conversation with them about your style and their style. Let Spock know how you would like to involve him/her in your decision making process. Be sure to agree to disagree at times and try to clarify who makes what decisions and who has the authority to make which calls.
As painful as you might find it, you might learn a thing or two. You will likely make better decisions. Sure things might be slower but wouldn't you rather take a little more time to increase your chances of success than rapidly flying into a Klingon ambush?
Find your Mr. Spock. He'll help you be a better leader because good leaders listen. Good leaders make informed decisions. Good leaders utilize all available resources on their teams. Good leaders are open to input and productive dissent. You owe it to your team and your organization to endure the pain of dealing with Mr. Spock because in the end, it's better for everyone involved - including you.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Monday, February 14, 2011
3 Steps to Successfully Move into a New Role
"Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in." - Michael Corleone, The Godfather: Part III
If you've ever moved to a new role in your company, you've probably felt like Michael Corleone at some point. The folks from your old role keep sucking you back in, asking for help, asking you to continue doing your old job, and basically keeping you from moving into your new role.
Combine that pull with being a new role, new organization, and needing to demonstrate impact pretty quickly and you have a recipe for a very uncomfortable and difficult work experience.
In a recent SmartBrief on Leadership poll I asked what the most difficult part of moving to a new role was. The answers are not surprising:
Step 1: Cut the Cord
Be explicit about when your assistance ends. Put in place a good transition plan. Dedicate your time to helping your replacement get up to speed. If you ditch them and leave them in a lurch, they'll keep pestering you. Put all documents and resources in easy-to-find folders.
And let them know when your support ends. It's easy to be Michael Corleone and get pulled back in because you naturally want to help your old organization succeed. Unfortunately that comes at the price of your new organization not getting your full attention. Let your replacement know "after this date, I expect you to be running the show and i cannot dedicate any more time to coming back and doing your job for you." Sure, it's a little harsh but if you don't cut the cord, they won't.
Step 2: Cram
Learning the content of your new area is a challenge. Treat it like college exams and cram. Ask for any and all relevant documents that pertain to your area and hole up for a few days studying all of them. Immerse yourself in the new content. When you cram and read all of it around the same time, you're more likely to make connections between concepts in the new area than you are if you read things one-off over time.
The cramming will also give you a sense not just of the content but of the capabilities, biases, and skills of people in the organization. The way documents are written and stored says a lot about the person writing them. Start understanding the organizational lay of the land as you're doing your content cramming.
Step 3: Find a Mentor
Find someone in that new organization who has been around for a while and can help you understand the politics and relationship dynamics of your new organization. Have them make key introductions for you. Have them explain the agendas of all the players involved.
But be careful - you need to understand your mentor's biases and agenda too. Seek a second mentor who can help you objectively assess your mentor as well. If you don't you could be assuming the blind spots and politics of your mentor which could hurt you in the long run.
The Results
If you take these three steps, you'll be able to dedicate your focus to your new role. You'll have a good sense for the content from your cramming and you'll know how to get things done if your mentor does a good job of giving you the lay of the land.
The more actively you manage the transition process, the easier it is. Set clear transition expectations and don't let yourself get pulled into old work - cut the cord at some point. Find those two or three people in your new organization who can act as mentors, help you build relationships, and understand the new areas of knowledge. You'll get up to speed faster than doing that on your own. If you do these first few steps well, you'll have more impact faster because all your time will be focused on the new role which you'll understand better and more quickly than you otherwise would.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE Click HERE to read the rest of this post!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
When the Boss Says Yes And Means No
Today’s guest post is by Patti Blackstaffe, President of Strategic Sense Inc. You can subscribe to her blog here and learn about her first in a series of leadership guidebooks LeadershipXXL here. Here’s Patti:
Because you're not what I would have you be, I blind myself to who, in truth, you are.
- Madeleine L'Engle
As a leader, setting expectation isn’t always easy, sometimes it can be a balance between wanting to seem fair or likable and trying to get your team to meet your personal expectations.
The Conflict
In our Canadian winters, a blizzard will build as the north wind collides with pacific winds coming off the Rocky Mountains and the blizzard can last for days at temperatures well below freezing. On days like this, getting in a car can mean your life. It was during just such a blizzard, a young woman needed to determine if traveling to work would be a good idea or not. With road reports unfavourable, 8-12 hour wait-times for tow trucks, recommendations not to drive from family, co-workers and friends had her leaning toward staying at home.
The fact that decision makers from her work had sent an email the night before stating; ‘...our out of town staff are not expected to travel along the out of town routes deemed unsafe...’ supported staying at home. Under the circumstances and when weighing the risks she finally came to the conclusion staying at home was the best decision she could make.
Flash forward to the next day when this employee finds out several of the folks who chose to stay at home were called in and a staff meeting occurred where the boss shouted at the staff, berated them for their lack of professionalism and made accusations of relaxing at the expense of the organization.
The Main Problem
This is a classic case of confused expectation. This leader or boss indicated one expectation but meant something completely different. Organizations are ill-advised to “request” their staff risk safety precautions, thus the supportive email. The trick here was for this woman to decipher if it was the real expectation or not. It’s like being offered a cookie, but what they really want is for you to choose a carrot.
The Results
When employees run up against these conflicting expectations, as in this case, the reactions will be varied and the boss will have risked the employee relationships in several ways.
• Fairness: An employee may decide to seek work elsewhere looking for an organization where the boss is fair in their communication of expectations.
• Defence: One or two may speak to the boss on behalf of the rights of their fellow employees.
• Trust: If the boss does not recognize they are sending conflicting messages, the employees will no longer trust what the boss tells them, assuming instead that worst-case-scenario is the best choice.
• Anger: Employees will be angry, long after the boss is finished with the issue and it will affect every communication to follow.
The Communication
In the leadership community we talk a lot about consistency of communication. The above case is one of the best examples where there was no consistent message and everyone lost, especially the leader.
Setting expectations is all about communication, here are five ways to create a different scenario than the one above.
1. Be realistic. Always lean on the side of safety; just because no one died on their way to work doesn’t mean the roads were safe.
2. Be accurate. If you are leaving a decision up to the employees, then accept their decision this time and lay clear expectations next time.
3. Be honest. Allowing someone to think it is okay to make one choice when clearly you favour a different choice is dishonest.
4. Be consistent. Sending mixed messages confuses your employees, it is unfair and will only alienate them.
5. Avoid angry outbursts. Your own failure to communicate effectively is not reason to berate or upset your employees, if you are angry, address the issue when you are calm and can state the facts appropriately.
Being realistic, accurate, honest, consistent and calm are a few key leadership traits that contribute to building strong employee/leader relationships as well as contributing to effective communication.
Patti Blackstaffe at Strategic Sense Inc works with companies in building Happy Workplaces because she knows Happy Workplaces succeed. She writes a blog called Making Strategic Sense based on common sense values and the art of understanding people.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Three Rules of Three for Successful Communications
For as many words as we use, we’re terrible communicators. Voicemails are jumbled streams of consciousness. Emails are “text bombs” with no rhyme or reason. Presentations are nothing but crippling piles of slides. But don’t worry – here are three rules of three to make your communications clearer, more compelling, and more efficient/effective.
All good things come in threes. Blind Mice, Stooges, Wise Men, Little Pigs, Musketeers, and Rocky movies (for the record, Rocky IV and Rocky V were terrible – see? They should have stopped at three).
If you want to read the three rules that will make you a much better communicator, CLICK HERE to head on over to Tanveer Naseer's blog where I explain these critical rules. While you're there, sign up and subscribe to his blog - there's some really great leadership and communications stuff there.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Monday, January 17, 2011
One Question That Keeps You Out of Trouble
You folks know I love asking questions. From this post on going from having answers to asking questions to my quote "Asking the right question about the future is more powerful than having the right answer about the past" I have found questions to be a more powerful leadership tool than many others that are out there. Heck, when you eventually get to read my book One Piece of Paper you'll find it's full of questions designed to help you become a better leader.
Out of all the questions I know of, the shortest one of all is a great way to stay out of trouble as a leader. I'm talking about the kind of trouble that earns you a reputation as a jackass, an insensitive lout, or someone too obtuse to care about people.
"Why?"
We're generally smart people (that's why they put us in leadership roles). Smartitude can get problematic though when you assess situations too quickly, draw conclusions, then act on them without taking a moment to stop. Think. Get grounded.
Allow me to demonstrate how I could have avoided looking like a complete idiot if only I had asked "why?" instead to being a "decisive leader."
When I was a sophomore at West Point, I had a bit of a reputation of being a haze. I used to pounce upon hapless plebes (freshmen) whenever they made the slightest mistake. Some of it was simply good, clean fun and sport. There isn't a lot to do for entertainment at West Point in the dead of winter.
Anyway, one day a plebe walked by me at a pretty slow pace. This was a problem because plebes were supposed to "move with a purpose" which meant at least 120 steps per minute. In the real world this meant any plebe doing less than 180 steps per minute was slacking and was in need of hazing.
As Cadet McSlowwalker sauntered by, I jacked him up. "Hey mister! Don't you know you're supposed to be moving out a lot faster than that? You completely lack military bearing and are a disgrace to your squad leader!" I ranted for about 2-3 minutes about how much of a lowlife McSlowwalker was because of his lack of urgency.
I prepared to launch into part two of my tirade when a junior walked by and heard me hazing the plebe. He stopped me and asked "hey, can I ask this guy something?" I gleefully nodded in assent thinking this junior was about to turn on the high flames and utterly destroy McSlowwalker.
He asked "Hey McSlowwalker, WHY are you moving so slow?"
"I just had knee surgery on Monday sir and I'm not allowed to walk fast or I'll tear my stitches." The junior told McSlowwalker to get out of there and go take a nap to rest his knee. He then turned his attention to me.
"Dude, you just made an ass of yourself. Before you jump to a conclusion, understand the situation. Asking 'why?' takes about 5 seconds. Don't screw it up again." Having imparted his leadership wisdom, he went on his way.
How often do you jump to conclusions about what's going on? How often do you take action based on those conclusions? How often do you think perhaps maybe possibly you're wrong and you're taking action based on incorrect assumptions? How much better of a leader could you be if you simply asked "Why?" before making your decision?
I'm not saying you won't make hard decisions or mete out justice occasionally. Had McSlowwalker replied "I'm walking slow because it's stupid to walk fast." he would have been a smoldering charcoal briquette on the ground when both the junior and I got done hazing him. That said, it would have been a "just" reaction because we actually had correct facts.
Try it. The next time you're about to make a decision based on assumptions and conclusions, ask the other person in the conversation "Why?" before you act. You might be surprised to find out you're wrong. And it's better to find out you're wrong than to act on wrong information and be hated for it.
Oh, and if you're asking "Why does this post have a photo of a chimp in a Spider-Man costume lifting weights?" the answer is "because I thought it was funny and not everything in life will have a good answer so when you ask 'why?' you have to expect the unexpected."
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Monday, January 3, 2011
New Business Idea? What's Your Problem?
If you have a new business idea, I'm excited for you. If you ever want to get it off the ground however, be sure you have a problem. A REAL problem. I know that sounds cryptic. Allow me to explain.
I love entrepreneurial ventures. I don't just run thoughtLEADERS - I'm also a principal at weBuild which is a web and mobile startup accelerator. I'm also the CEO of one of weBuild's portfolio companies called TiXiT. TiXiT offers discounts for tickets to events like theatre, jazz, concerts, sports, and family shows (and if you're not a member yet, go join here - it's free). I'm also a member of the Ohio TechAngel fund where we regularly evaluate new startup investments. Many folks in my network know my passion for launching companies so I regularly get pitched new ideas.
Why all this context setting? Because I want you to understand the lens I look at new ventures through.
When I hear a new pitch, the first question I ask is "what's the problem?"
You would be surprised how many times the response to that question is a look like a dog looking at a ceiling fan (dazed and confused). If you want to be successful as a new startup, you MUST have a problem. If you cannot articulate what problem you solve for the world, there is a low likelihood you will sell anything. "Pull" selling is exponentially more powerful than "Push" selling. When the world has a problem, they will pull your solution. No problem? You're pushing your solution on the world.
Allow me to offer some examples then some guidance on how to think about this issue.
Some example problems:
thoughtLEADERS: We solve skill gap problems. For one of our courses, the problem we address is communication-focused. There is an absence of training on how to go from an idea to a fact based, data driven, 10 page or less compelling presentation that drives action. The training that does exist in this space is not very practical or applicable outside the classroom. We solve this problem by offering a class targeted at teaching these skills in a manner that participants can apply those methods outside the classroom (you can learn about that class by clicking here). Problem solved.
weBuild: We solve the problem of entrepreneurs in the web/mobile space not knowing how to launch a business. The problem is there is a lack of resources focused on taking an idea from a napkin to a full-fledged functioning business. We solve this problem by providing startups direct guidance on business model, financing, strategy, technology, business development, and even playing interim management team roles. We help them turn their idea into a real business with a platform, customers, revenue, and funding. Problem solved.
TiXiT: We solve the problem of empty seats. Venues (sports, theatre, concerts, etc.) have unsold seats and limited marketing resources. TiXiT works with venues to intelligently discount and market those empty seats to a larger marketing universe in an intelligent and segmented way. We sell seats that would have gone unsold and we sell them to people the venue doesn't know (and again, to become one of those people getting discounts, click here to sign up). Problem solved.
If you cannot articulate the problem you solve, your chances of success are slim. First of all, market adoption will be slow and sales will be hard to come by. Secondly, investors know that without a problem, you will have a hard time selling and growing therefore they are not very likely to fund your venture. If you're not funded, you're not growing.
Stop and articulate the problem. It should not be contrived. It should be a REAL problem that immediately resonates in the eyes of your potential customer. If they don't have an immediate reaction of "OHMYGOSH PLEASE COME SOLVE THAT PROBLEM FOR ME!" then you need to rethink your business.
To define your problem, ask "Why is this customer interested in talking to me?" Put yourself in their shoes. What is their pain point? What opportunity do they want to capture? Cost reduction? Growth? Complexity reduction? Profitability challenges? Information clarity? What are they looking to buy?
Second, ask how your solution makes that problem go away. Be able to articulate a simple "Here's the issue... Here's our solution... Here's how your (customer) life is different after you use our stuff." Yes, this is marketing 101. The problem is many people skip this step. Heck, even this blog post focuses on solving a problem:
- Your problem is you haven't defined your business problem well and customers will not buy your solution so your business will not grow.
- The solution is to read this post and incorporate the ideas on how to define and sell the problem and solution.
- Your life will be different after using this solution because you will have a clearly articulated problem statement that resonates with customers which will lead to sales and growth for your company.
See? Not too complex. Not too hard. Just a little investment of time and intellectual horsepower.
Now what's YOUR problem?
What business ideas have you seen successfully define a problem? Which business ideas have you seen flop because they were not solving a clear problem? Share your ideas please!
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Monday, December 27, 2010
Great Leadership Resolutions for the New Year
As you get ready for 2011, I know many of you are writing your New Year's resolutions. I invite you to choose a few resolutions related to how you'll lead your teams this coming year. To get you started, here are some fantastic leadership reminders to consider as you enter 2011. So as you're writing your New Year's resolutions, I invite you to try a few of these on for size and resolve to apply them to become a better leader.
Occasionally I'll reach way back into the thoughtLEADERS Blog archives and bring you something you likely haven't seen before (I mean, who has time to go root around in old content and find the gems?). This is one of those waybacks. Considering thousands of readers have subscribed to the blog since this was originally written, the posts are definitely new to you.
Since most of you are on holiday break this week you should have time to read through the below-listed principles and the stories behind them. I invite you to read one or two a day with your morning coffee.
Sure there are plenty of leadership books out there (and I'm lucky enough to have one of my own being published in 2011 - join our Facebook fan page here to learn more as that publication date approaches). The thing is, I haven't come across many that are down to earth and practical in the advice they give. To that end, I see a problem and therefore I own it (one of the principles on the list). I'd like to offer the following basic principles as a perspective on some of the things it takes to be a genuine leader. Here goes:
Knowing and leading yourself:
Knowing and leading your people:
Yes. Many of the above points are cryptic. Some are self evident. I expound upon each of these principles in their respective posts.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Friday, December 10, 2010
Join the Revolution! End the Meetings!
As you folks know I occasionally recruit experts to come share their perspectives on this blog. Lately I have a hot button (and it launches a nuke) for meetings (for example, check out this post on the topic). So who better to have share some thoughts on how to fix the issue than Meeting Boy himself? For you twitter fans out there I am sure you will recognize @MeetingBoy and for those who haven’t met him yet, strap yourselves in. If you thought I was edgy wait until you get a taste of Meeting Boy’s perspectives on the topic. Just to give you a taste of his perspective, here’s a sample of his tweets:
- Let's say "excellence" a few more times. That should solve everything.
- The project is poorly managed. What was your first clue? Four people managing three workers? Let's start there.
- When I asked you to repeat what I said in your own words, I didn't mean start presenting the idea as your own.
- This presentation is double-sided, so while it wastes the same amount of time, it wastes half as much paper.
- **High Priority** emails are just like regular emails except the sender has a very high opinion of themselves.
Yes we’re here to bash meetings but it gets better! Not only is Meeting Boy here to share some ideas, he and I are launching a meeting revolution for 2011. It all starts with this Meeting Limitation Act (sorta like the Contract With America or the Patient’s Bill of Rights only better). Meeting Boy and I are co-sponsoring this non-partisan legislation and we’re looking for you to both sign the petition and add amendments to the Meeting Limitation Act by commenting on the post.
So without further ado, I’ll let Meeting Boy kick off the premise behind this landmark legislation and we’ll explain how you can help workers around the world get this bill passed by signing the petition, forwarding it, and adding amendments. Heeeeere’s Meeting Boy!
Preamble
Remember on Seinfeld how the shortage of contraceptive sponges made Elaine more selective about which men she’d sleep with? She had to decide if each guy was “sponge-worthy” and she suddenly became more selective. The Meeting Limitation Act uses the same premise to ration meeting time.
Everything else we’ve tried to make meetings more productive has failed. Once the Chief Operating Officer demanded people publish an agenda. Another time employees were empowered to walk out on any meeting if it went past the published time. Both of these failed within a month. Of course they did because bosses hold meetings, and no one wants to walk out on their boss or say they won’t come to a meeting because it lacks an agenda. You don’t get to keep your job doing this; your boss will find a way to retaliate or dismiss you.
The Meeting Limitation Act fixes that dynamic. The main provision is that managers may call only 25 meetings of 3 or more people per year, not to exceed more than 36 hours total per year. Now I don’t have to tell my boss I won’t come to a meeting - instead the person who apportions the conference rooms tells him he can’t have a room if he’s already booked 25 meetings that year. She doesn’t report to my boss, and doesn’t care if he feels he’s entitled to hold as many pointless meetings as he wants. She just refuses him. End of story.
The Meeting Limitation Act of 2011
Be it resolved that:
Article 1: Every manager shall forthwith be able to call only 25 meetings of 3 or more people per year, not to exceed more than 36 hours total per year. Under this Meeting Limitation Act one of two things will happen:
- We’ll have the usual number of time-wasting meetings per week, but then be done with meetings by mid-February and can work the rest of the year in peace, OR
- Our boss decides that most things aren’t “meeting-worthy” and we only have one meeting every two weeks, which will force it to be about important things.
Article 2: This bill prohibits holding “happy hours,” “fun days,” or any other cleverly disguised ruse to hold a team meeting. If 3 or more people are to meet during company time it shall count against a manager’s cap of 25 meetings per year.
Article 3: This bill shall prohibit managers who don’t use all their meetings from selling them to managers who use more. There shall be no cap-and-trade provision for meetings as it is an enabler of bad behavior and illicit profiteering on the backs of the working class.
Article 4: All restrictions placed on number of meetings also apply to conference calls.
Enforcement: This provision will be enforced by the person who books the conference rooms, and this person cannot report to any manager who holds meetings to avoid undue pressure.
Signed and dutifully co-sponsored by,
Mike Figliuolo and Meeting Boy
There it is folks. The first draft of the Meeting Limitation Act. Think about it. Call your congressman. Of course the GOP may try to block the Meeting Limitation Act, on the grounds that it is anti-boss and the Democrats might block it because it doesn’t allow labor to organize. Either party may filibuster it, but we’re used to being filibustered - most of our status meetings are filibusters as far as we can tell. Eventually this will become law, and when it does, we want the pens the President uses to sign it into law.
Add your own suggestions for amendments to the Act by commenting on this post. Feel free to add as many meeting earmarks as you think should be included in the bill. And last but not least, sign our petition and share it with your friends by CLICKING HERE: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/meetinglimitationact.
If you aren’t quite sure yet if you should sign the petition and lack clarity on what kind of topics are meeting- worthy, here are a few examples:
- Critical failure on the web site and how to prevent the next one - meeting-worthy.
- Weekly status - not meeting-worthy!
- Touch-base about that thing that the client may never approve - not meeting-worthy!
- A vendor was in and showed the boss a shiny new toy, which he now wants - not meeting-worthy!
- Acquisition integration meeting to determine which names go in the new org chart - meeting-worthy.
- Too much food is getting left in the fridge each week - not meeting-worthy!
- Should we have pesto chicken or chicken parmigiana at the next department luncheon - not meeting-worthy!
See? There really isn’t that much that is truly meeting-worthy. Now get petitioning and start amending via comments! Better yet, use the image accompanying this post as your new avatar as a sign of solidarity with those of us looking to end the meeting madness! We also invite you to join the movement by subscribing to The thoughtLEADERS Blog by CLICKING HERE. See you all at next year's meeting!
- Mike Figliuolo and Meeting Boy
Follow MeetingBoy in all the usual places: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and of course MeetingBoy.com
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Best of thoughtLEADERS 2010: The Greatest Posts You've Ever Seen
2010 is almost over so as usual it's time for the year in review list of the BEST posts we've published in 2010.
We're now making this an annual event therefore the award needs a name. I proudly introduce you to The Figgies! A tip of my hat to all my McKinsey buddies who used to call me that. Winning a Figgie is indeed prestigious. Here's how it goes: this list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work as judged by you the readers (with a little of our discretion thrown in). We've also included a few hidden gems we think deserve another shot in the spotlight. There's also a kicker bonus post on the list just for good measure (it's a "wayback" - and speaking of wayback, check out the photo on the trophy... yes... that's me '80's style baby!).
Enjoy. Share. We've loved writing them. We hope you've enjoyed reading them. I don't ask a lot of you folks so here's my one request for a holiday gift - invite all your coworkers, friends, and family to come check out the blog and become readers. The only way we get better is by raising everyone's game. Simply CLICK HERE to invite them to come read our stuff. I'm not asking a lot here. If you found this blog helpful at all this year, here's your chance to return the favor for all our hard work.
Thanks for your incredible support in '10 and best wishes for '11! We hope to be a part of your future success! A little foreshadowing for 2011 - I've signed a book deal with Jossey-Bass and my book on leadership will be hitting stores next fall. This is a REAL book (not one of those self-published vanity press jobbies). I hope you'll sock away a few bucks and save up to buy a copy. More to come on that soon.
Enough sentimentality. Here's the best stuff we've written all year:
Most Viewed/Forwarded: Critical Tips Every Traveler Must Know. This thing whipped around the web at the speed of light. I guess many of you are just as frustrated as I am with the stupidity that occurs on planes, trains, and automobiles. You might want to read it to make sure you're not enraging other passengers around you.
Most Controversial: 4 Ways Leaders Can Overcome the Fear of Conflict. I go telling people to grow up, take off the kid gloves, and deliver tough messages. Some readers rallied to the cry while other readers just cried. Was I too tough or spot on? You make the call!
Best Attack: Hate Presenting? That's Okay - They Hate Listening to You. This one is an attack on all horrible presenters. Are you one of them? Take a read and find out if you cut the mustard.
Best Employee Empowerment Advice: Leadership 101 - Leading Yourself. Before you can lead others you had better know where you're going. This is step one of articulating your own leadership philosophy. It's also a small taste of the first section of my upcoming book.
Best Social Media Bashing: It's Okay to be a Social Networking Clown. As the Joker would say - "Why so serious?" Social media can be fun and professional. And professional does not mean stodgy. This post demystifies whether or not you should tell fart jokes on the internet.
Best Guest Post: 5 Changes Go-To People Must Make to Keep Going. Scott Eblin nailed it in this post on how to continue being the go-to person while still advancing your career. Great advice on ditching old behaviors and picking up new ones.
Best Career Enhancing Advice: The Big Jump - Go From Having Answers to Asking Questions. This one really resonated with folks looking to take on higher level roles and advance their career. You need to move from being the answer provider to being the question asker.
Most Practical Business Growth Advice: Entrepreneurs Need to Bootstrap to WIN. Whether you're an entrepreneur or work at a global company the tips and mindsets discussed in this post can help you appreciate how to grow your business effectively.
Funniest Picture: If You Want to Close the Deal, Go Naked. No, I'm not spoiling the fun by posting the pic here. Click over to see it and read some great perspectives on how to ditch the PowerPoint and have a real conversation.
Best Use of a Jedi to Make a Point: If You Don't Read This, You're Going to Die. This category changed it has because monkeys in the future jedis are not. Yoda makes some great points about how important it is to never stop learning.
Best Get Ready for 2011 Guidance: 1 Simple Way to Boost Productivity by 50%. I know I want to be more productive in 2011. Don't you? Here are some simple thoughts on how changing your meeting behavior can do exactly that.
Wayback Winner: 10 Reasons Your Team Hates You (They Just Won't Say It To Your Face). This is the greatest post I've ever written. It has it all: it's a list, it feeds on fear, insecurity, and drama. Read it. I promise you'll love it.
That's all of 'em folks - our favorites from this past year. I hope you enjoy them. Again - thanks for all your support this year. I'm really looking forward to getting even edgier in 2011!
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC