Trust and Exceeding Expectations in Customer Service Builds Loyalty

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Okay, so I have a raving fan experience to share. It's a great lesson in how going the extra mile and thinking big-picture can win over customers and turn them into raving fans.Photo by Shawn Honnick via Flickr

Yesterday morning, I decided to merge the basic human needs of 'exercise' and 'play' by going on a bike ride with my friend. We took a trail with which neither of us was familiar. It was sunny, breezy, and the blue sky made it a perfect day to enjoy putting the 'out' back in 'work out'. Glorious.

Our gorgeous trail ended smack dab in front of a little Italian cafe and specialty grocer in Bethesda, Maryland, called Cornucopia. We decided to take a coffee/snack break before trekking back home. We were greeted warmly by the owner and his associate who were seated at one of the outdoor tables. They made small talk with us and made us feel very welcome.

Inside, once we placed our order, we experienced an embarrassing realization: my friend, who didn't realize we were going to Bethesda when she left her house, didn't bring any money. I only grabbed a few bills and my Amex card. The cash I had wasn't sufficient to cover the order and they don't accept Amex. What to do?!

Ibo, the owner, was very calm. He said: "Just bring me the rest of the money later." We were pretty surprised. "Are you sure?" we asked. "Yes - you are from around here, aren't you?" "Yes." "Okay, then. Just pay me later."

He doesn't know us. We are not regulars. He has no guarantee we'll return.

But he showed us that he trusted us. And his 'big-picture' thinking exceeded our expectations and will certainly pay off.

We felt so grateful. We spent part of our meal discussing how wonderful the place was, the service, and treatment we received. And we absolutely repaid our debt (the check already left in yesterday afternoon's mail).

But this small gesture and 'risky' investment will pay off repeatedly in the long-term, as well. First, I can guarantee that we'll both return and spend more money there. What's more, the investment will enjoy a multiplier effect since we'll both tell our friends and family (and the world, as in this blog post) about our experience. Ibo gained so much by taking a 'risk' that would have him lose very little if it didn't work.

Are you and your co-workers or staff thinking about the 'big-picture' to build customer loyalty? Are you exceeding your customers' (or co-workers') expectations to build trust and long-term credibility?

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What's at the Intersection of Non-Verbal Communication and Emotional Intelligence Skillfulness?

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I read an interesting blog post this evening debunking many of the common myths, clichés and platitudes surrounding the 'Do's and Don'ts' of non-verbal communication (hat tip to Kathy Reiffenstein's Twitter post about it).

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A common problem: intent doesn't always lead to a match. This gesture carries a positive meaning in some cultures while a rude or vulgar one in several other cultures...This subject is near and dear to my heart; during my undergraduate and graduate studies I focused on Communication and took some courses solely devoted to non-verbal communication. I have continued to research and study communication over the ensuing years. There is a lot of substance and solid research behind the recommendations often provided for effective non-verbal communication. But most business publications and training courses continue to focus on providing overly-simplistic 'steps' and 'rules' to follow that don't equip communicators with an understanding of the underlying phenomena that create both communication successes and blunders. 

All communication is highly contextual: the message sender's meaning can be interpreted by the message receiver in many ways. Achieving agreement between the meaning INTENDED and the meaning ACHIEVED is dependent on the words chosen along with the communication environment and circumstances.

In fact, research in Intercultural Communication tells us that meaning is totally contextual and culture-specific. Giving straight-forward, step-by-step instructions for how to be more or less [defensive, assertive, influential, etc.] is a very tricky minefield. Why? Because how to do it best depends on the context - there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Using such simple 'guidelines' can lead to many potential misunderstandings and mistakes. 

Yet, Nick Morgan reaches this conclusion in his blog post about this subject:

In controlling your own behavior, to appear more confident, or open, or in charge, again, it is a fool’s game to try to manage a specific bit of body language. Instead, work on your intent. Then your body language will take care of itself.

Well - that's true, but it only goes as far as your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills will take you. If you've honed these EQ skills of self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management, you'll have a much better chance of matching your INTENT to your IMPACT. And, unfortunately, many people lack or have not fully developed their EQ skills, which probably feeds the continued thirst for 'steps to better non-verbal communication'.

So it seems to me that the 'formula' for successful communication is more likely something like this:

During a communication interaction, a close match between the intended meaning and the achieved impact is when there is a high level of Emotional Intelligence on the part of both sender and receiver.

What do you think? What has your experience told you about non-verbal communication and emotional intelligence skills?

[edited on 7/9/09 2:00 pm by halelly]

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Excellence in Employee Development Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

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Last Friday (June 5, 2009), I was honored as one of the judges in the 3rd annual Apollo Awards ceremony celebrating excellence in employee development programs in companies from the smallest to largest in the Washington, DC, area. The event was the brainchild of Kathy Albarado, CEO of Helios HR. This year, my association chapter (Metro DC ASTD) was invited to be one of the sponsoring organizations and I was invited to be one of six judges. (Below: photo from the Washington Business Journal)

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Benefits of Employee Development - for Employees AND the Organization

The Apollo Awards celebrate these businesses' recognition of the importance of employee development programs not just in terms of creating a competitive advantage but also in growing employee retention. Employee development programs create strong managers. They provide meaningful projects for employees that further their marketable skills and work satisfaction. And a focus on employee development is a succession planning tool through the promotional opportunities it builds.

Nominating Organizations Employee Development Trends

Here are some employee development trends noted within the nominated organizations:

  • 53% have a formal succession plan
  • 95% have a documented career path
  • 66% document specific competencies for each position within the career path
  • 81% use employee survey results as a formal feedback mechanism, along with peer evaluations and 360(o) reviews
  • 9 out of 10 prepare supervisors through coaching and OJT training
  • 89% align employee goals to company's strategic goals
  • Over 90% offer instructor-led, peer-to-peer, and web-based training to employees 

Winners' Tools and Tricks

Winners spanned in organizational size across four size categories: 'Emerging' (very small), 'Small', 'Mid-Size', and Large. Here are just some highlights of the winning companies' employee development ideas:

  • Emerging company winner, Arc Aspicio LLC, built a core development program called Homeland Security Mission Training which combines self-study, interviews, research, formal training, Capitol Hill hearings, and thought leadership which form the basis for employees' annual professional development plans.
  • Small company winner, Métier, Ltd., offers a comprehensive new hire process including a two-week 'Boot Camp' that helps new employees understand the industry, company culture, and elements for success at the firm. They've also created a Knowledge Management Department that manages training and other knowledge identification and distribution processes throughout the organization.
  • Mid-Size winner, Beers + Cutler, offers a competency-based curriculum delivered primarily by internal subject matter experts as well as programs such as Career Pathways, coaching, mentoring and stretch assignments. Their performance management program includes semi-annual reviews, project reviews, upward feedback to leaders from staff, individual development plans (IDPs) and monthly meetings between an employee and his or her supervisor to discuss goals.
  • Large winner, Edelman (Washington, DC office), offer Edelman University, comprehensive in-house learning and development programs including weekly industry trends classes, an annual Leadership Academy program for top employees (facilitated by the firm's executives), and separate Bootcamp programs for employees and for managers. Edelman also offers a 24-7 learning opportunity online via an interactive intranet site.
  • Two special awards -- Phoebus and Hercules -- were also given to deserving companies for specialized approaches and programs.

Congratulations to all the finalists and the winners for championing employee learning and development! I look forward to our chapter's involvement in next year's Apollo Awards.

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We Don't Need Your "Nudge": Behavioral Economics' False Premise

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I am following marketing guru Guy Kawasaki on Twitter (yes, I've made the leap into Twitterland!). Boy, does he 'tweet' a lot of links to articles and websites! It's kind of hard to keep up with him, but this morning, one of his tweet read: "Great piece on behavioral economics and social psychology. Must read!". So, I was intrigued, and followed the link to read this article on NPR's website.

The article describes a school of thought called Behavioral Economics, which blends ideas from Social Psychology with those from Economics to explain why humans do what they do. It was pioneered by two fellow Israeli-Americans, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky.

To quote this article, Behavioral Economics has as its basic premise the idea that "the human animal is hard-wired to make errors when it comes to decision-making, and therefore people need a little "nudge" to make decisions that are in their own best interests." The piece goes on to describe how President Obama is shaping his economic policies with this 'human flaw' in mind - he's going to help us help ourselves, since we can't make decisions that are in our own best interests.

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Now, I'm not going to get into politics here. But I do take issue with this philosophical premise that humans are basically no better than animals in that we cannot control our actions with rational thoughts.

Do we make irrational choices sometimes? Yes. Is that proof that we're flawed and need a leader's 'help' to decide for us because we are unable to make good decisions? No! It's only proof that if we don't use all the tools at our disposal, or use these faculties in a faulty way, we'll make mistakes and experience their natural consequences from which we'll learn lessons for the next time.

That's the beauty of the human race: we are capable of learning, of growing, of using our reason to make decisions that are shaped by our observations of reality and guided by our values and principles. That is how we have evolved. That is how we have achieved remarkable progress. Humans act rationally using their logic and decision making faculties in their own self-interest to survive and thrive. It's what separates us from animals.

Here's the problem: The more we are told we are unable to (or prevented from acting freely to) make good decisions about our own lives, the more we become conditioned to ignore or renounce our rational decision making capacity. The less we use this capacity, the rustier it will get and we will relinquish the opportunities to hone this skill and learn from our mistakes. And then, we fulfill the prophecy: we move toward becoming a useless, flawed race in need of a big 'nanny' to take care of us and 'nudge' us to make the right decisions.

Unfortunately, these psychologists and behavioral economists are using circuitous reasoning to 'prove' their point: they cite the detrimental effects of thousands of years of societal suppression of reason and rational decision making on human capacity to use these skills as evidence that humans do not possess these skills. Not so! Not only is this attrition of rational thinking as a result of oppression and so-called 'nudges' by leaders (society, government, religion, etc. - take your pick) not proof of our inability to do it right, moreover, 'fixing' it by adding MORE of the same will only make things worse, not better.

In addition, another big hole in this faulty premise of Behavioral Economics is that somehow the leader IS capable of making the 'right' decision and then 'nudge' the followers into the correct behavior. If humans are so flawed and irrational, then isn't it silly to put any one 'flawed' human in charge of any other 'flawed' human? That's akin to the blind leading the blind, no?!

It's when leaders choose our values for us and coerce us to act against our own best judgment and values that we become confused and disoriented and are more likely to make mistakes. And it's when leaders don't give us the opportunity to choose the right action and to learn from our mistakes that they remove the 'human element' from us and are left with a mere lever-pulling obedient 'animal', devoid of creativity, devoid of critical thinking, devoid of achieving greatness.

What we need to do, then, is seek out and remove contradictions that can get in the way of rational behavior. The role of the leader is to clarify values and vision, set clear goals and expectations that are aligned to those values, and guide followers to make good choices toward achieving those goals.

No, we don't need your 'nudges'. We need your leadership and support.

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Avoid "Death by PowerPoint"

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Just a week ago, one of my Facebook friends updated his status to "Jeff Rosenthal is suffering a slow death by PowerPoint slides and charts." It made me snicker and cringe at the same time. So many of us have been there: you sit in a presentation or a training class and are subjected to mega-decks of slide after boring slide. If you're really lucky, the presenter even reads them at you as if you can't read. It's a form of painful torture to many. It's the subject matter of many corporate jokes.

Yet, when it's time for you to give a presentation or prepare the visual aids for a training workshop or a meeting, what do you do? Do you succumb to the peer-pressure and commit the sin of subjecting others to a slow and painful death by PowerPoint? Many of my clients and colleagues feel it is a necessary evil.

I beg to differ.

Your Audience Came to Hear YOU. They Didn't Come to Read...

In the last few presentations and training classes that I've led, I've actually used NO PowerPoint. A conference attendee last month came up to me and my co-presenter in shock and awe to express her surprise and utter delight when she realized, "Hey, wait a minute, there IS no PowerPoint!!" She actually kept waiting for it to start, expecting the inevitable, so it took her a while to accept that it wasn't coming, she confided.

That presentation went very well. The audience was totally engaged. They were focused on US - the speakers, not the wall behind us. They had a handout with some key learning points and places to take notes. And they could focus.

Three Slide Maximum?

Just this weekend an interesting article came out in the New York Times featuring an interview with Zurich CEO James J. Schiro about his pearls of wisdom for leaders (a great read, actually). One of his main points is to seek simplicity of message, and he shared a rule that he's imposed in his office: If you come to present for him, you can have no more than three (you read it right, 3!) slides on your PowerPoint deck. Three slides, three points. Schiro said, "You really can’t manage more than three or four things at the most, but I like to see it in three slides. I hate PowerPoint presentations." Smart man.

Pecha Kucha

Another 'hot' way to minimize death by PowerPoint is a presentation format hailing from the world of architecture and design. Created in 2003 in Tokyo, Pecha Kucha (pronounced Pe-chak-cha) is a way to consolidate your message into a graphic form of 20 images shown on 20 slides for 20 seconds each. The entire presentation is then under seven minutes long. Talk about forcing presenters to focus their message into a concise, engaging package! Dan Pink, the author who gave us great books like A Whole New Mind, Free Agent Nation, and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, has created an interesting video to showcase this phenomenon. You can watch it below. [Note: Dan pronounces Pecha Kucha incorrectly...]

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The Generation Gap: A Real Issue or a Gimmick?

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As I've written before here, the issues surrounding the four generations in the workplace have become a very hot topic in the last couple of years. Clients ask me to speak and give workshops on the effects of the various generations' approach to work on their interaction on teams and ramifications for workplace communication and conflict. Some colleagues of mine have even specialized their professional speaking and writing businesses around the multi-generational workplace. An entire 'cottage industry' has sprung up around disseminating advice and information on ways to remedy the generation gap.

Yet, like many other 'buzz' topics, this one has enjoyed its fair share of controversy. There have always been the naysayers who claim that there isn't much substance behind the distinctions and that the focus on differences is unnecessarily divisive and counter-productive for business. Many are saying that it is merely a trendy 'flavor-of-the-month' workplace drama that will lose its appeal in due time to be replaced by a new gimmicky trend. Itis becoming increasingly difficult to decipher where the truth lies.

Just in Saturday's mail I received my latest issue of ASTD's T&D Magazine. Thumbing through its pages, my eye landed on this article quoting the latest research from AchieveGlobal claiming that "[t]alking about generations might be a clever way to sell a book or a theory, but in today's workplace, age is just a number, not a distinguishing trait."

This study's results apparently suggest that employees do not associate themselves with the demographic character distinctions that have been ascribed to their generation in the 'generation gap' literature. In comparing employees based on the identified generational age groups and how they rated various job attributes, these researchers found a minimal margin of difference between age groups on most attributes. "The hype appears to be more perception than reality," according to the report.

I am on the fence on this issue. I agree that this issue is receiving more credence and hype than it merits. There is an inherent flaw in following a trend blindly and inflating its utility value. And, there is a real danger in haphazardly boxing people into categories in the workplace - this habit can lead to unfair stereotyping without sufficient regard for reality and contextual circumstances.

However, the research I've read from brilliant minds like Strauss and Howe shows remarkable and unmistakable distinctions that stem not from the age of any particular group but from the era in which their identity was shaped. I think there is tremendous value in recognizing how these enduring patterns hailing from historical context shape generations (described beautifully in Strauss and Howe's seminal Harvard Business Review article in the summer of 2007).

Maybe the real lesson is this: don't blindly paint broad strokes around people that can harm them. Don't blindly gush after 'false idols' and so-called gurus that are dangerously exploiting trends to make a quick buck without exercising sufficient care and moderation. Encourage careful and healthy skeptic observation of facts and reality whenever speaking about employees as groups.

We need to use the rich data being collected on both sides of this issue to form objective, informed decisions and use our own logic and rational thinking to make smart decisions on the best course of action in any given situation.

What do you think about this issue? Where do you stand in the controversy - is the generational gap in the workplace a serious business issue or a trendy gimmick?

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Consultant-driven Training Better Than University Programs, Firms Say

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An article in today's Wall Street Journal caught my eye. It describes a shift in the source and scope of training many firms provide for their leaders. With the tightening economic conditions, many companies are looking to increase efficiencies and reduce the costs of training. These firms are moving away from sending executives and leaders to expensive external programs, especially those executive education programs provided universities provide, in favor of bringing the experts in-house to provide customized training specific to their needs. Read the article here.

I am encouraged by this shift. It's much smarter than the other option: cut all education. Smart companies will realize that although we all need to look for ways to tighten the budget and remove excesses, the knee-jerk reaction of throwing the baby out with the bath-water will backfire big time. Pulling the plug on leadership education will leave leaders unsupported and unprepared to deal effectively with the many changes that are occurring in the workplace. This, in turn, will bring all kinds of trouble - from unproductive behaviors, worsening team cohesion, and reduced ability to deliver on their goals, all the way to lower morale and even possibly to an exodus of key players who will become too frustrated to stay.

Consultants provide the expertise and have the experience and time that internal employees often lack, to provide specific, customized training and organization development solutions companies need in a flexible, timely manner. They can be more effective than off-the-shelf, generic programs offered by B-Schools and Big Training House programs that can be found in every city because they can focus on the particular culture and challenges of the company's leaders. Yet they can provide the objective, honest observer perspective that internal employees often are unable or uncomfortable to provide.

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Remember Susan Boyle...

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I got to watch a great YouTube clip last night, courtesy of my friend David Rehm who posted it on Facebook. Before I say any more and rig the experience, I want you to watch it for yourself - click here. (Note: YouTube has disabled the embedding function for this particular video.)

Wow, right?

I think we'll all benefit from remembering Susan Boyle. I see so many learning opportunities in this short little clip. Here are just a few of my 'A-ha's:

Do we judge too hastily?

I think we have a natural inclination to jump to judgment about people and situations. Sometimes it's our intuition giving us wisdom, but sometimes we base our early judgments on the wrong information, such as physical appearance or age. But we need to remember Susan Boyle and temper back that judging inner voice until we have collected sufficient actual evidence on which to base our conclusion, lest we miss out on some great talent!

Do we give up too soon on our goals and dreams?

Susan Boyle is almost 48. Simon Cowell, the judge everyone loves to hate, asks her, "What's the dream?", to which Susan replies, "I'm trying to be a professional singer". Cockily perhaps, Simon then asks, "And why hasn't it worked out so far, Susan?". Susan: "I’ve never been given the chance before, but here’s hoping it will change."

It's never too late to go after your goals and dreams. Remember Susan Boyle...

We must envision our goals vividly, picture ourselves accomplishing them with great success, and dream big before we can make them a reality.

In the interview segment prior to her performance, Susan Boyle has a moment when she remarks, "I'm going to ROCK that audience!". What a powerful vision statement! Susan sees the results before they happen, even though they could seem audacious or ambitious. And, rock them she does! So, when you dream big, remember Susan Boyle and dream bigger, have a vision, see yourself achieve your goals in your mind's eye, and then set forth to conquer them boldly!

What else can we learn from this clip? How have you been like (or unlike) Susan Boyle? I'd like to hear your thoughts!

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The Value Proposition of Volunteer Leadership to Employers

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In the previous blog post, I discussed the value to individuals (both internal and external) that can be gained from networking and taking on leadership roles in volunteer organizations. However, there is also a great value that employers can gain from their employees' volunteer leadership activities. The organizations that understand this value are the ones who harness and leverage it to its full potential. Here are some of the benefits an organization can gain if its employees lead in a volunteer capacity:

Skill Building/Practice

Employees who take on volunteer leadership roles are able to build new skills and practice existing skills in a different setting from their day-to-day job. They can try something that is different from their usual work and bring back those skills, thereby adding value to their employer by improving their current job performance. They may even enhance the succession management efforts of their employer because they become ready to move into positions of greater responsibility faster and more effectively than had they not taken on the volunteer role. The best part about this employee development strategy: it doesn't cost the organization anything compared to sending the employee to costly training workshops or hiring a coach.

New Ideas, Problem Solving, and Benchmarking

Just as bees help flowers by bringing pollen from one flower and dropping it on another, employees who volunteer can help their employer organization by bring back ideas and solutions that they picked up while volunteering. Sometimes a fresh perspective is exactly what we need, and looking in the same places and thinking in the same way about problems is not the best way to get that kind of new thinking. We all need to go outside our 'box' to gain new perspective. When employees engage with other organizations and other industry professionals in their volunteer role, they can sometimes see their job from a different perspective and gain insight into solutions to those illusive problems or ideas for new methods, products, services, or improvements to the current work flow or processes.

Good Will/Brand Enhancement

When an employee serves on a Board or a Committee with a non-profit, both the employee and its employers gain from associating themselves with an act of generosity and community service. Not only is the employee's contribution appreciated, but indirectly, the employer is seen as benevolently complying and supporting the employee's efforts to give to the community or the cause. This enhances the brand recognition and good will of the employer.

So the value of volunteer leadership is unmistakable - both for the volunteer and his or her employer. What have been your experiences with volunteer leadership? I would like to hear about them. Feel free to leave a comment below.

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The Value Proposition of Volunteer Leadership

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How would you like to get a part-time job that pays nothing?

Oh, come on! You can work hard, have deadlines, you'll need to collaborate with diverse team-mates and deal with multiple bosses and priorities.

Not sold?

Well, what if I told you that you would open up your opportunities beyond your wildest expectations?

...that you will learn new skills and information, you will be able to practice skills that you don't really get to practice during your day job (like leadership, or creating webinars, or event planning)?

...that you will get to know hundreds of new colleagues and contacts? You'll meet people who are your peers, and others who are several organizational levels ahead of you, and those just entering your industry from college or transitioning from a new career?

...that you'll get to meet industry leaders and experts who will want to meet you, vying for your time and attention? 

...that you'll become somewhat of a 'celebrity' in your community of practice - suddenly people will recognize your name and/or your face at professional events and will go out of their way to greet you and thank you for your contribution to their career?

...and that you'll get job offers and/or new prospects and clients who are ready to hire you because of your role in this unpaid part-time job?

Well, that is just part of the value proposition of volunteering in a leadership or committee role in a professional association. It's a golden goose I discovered only about 3.5 years ago, and I've enjoyed its benefits ever since. I was interviewed about my leadership and involvement in my professional association - ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) - by my colleague and fellow entrepreneur, Sheila Savar, back in April for her cable television show all about the Power of Networking.

I've posted my video (in two short parts via YouTube) for your viewing pleasure - let me know what you think and how you have leveraged a volunteer role to grow professionally.

Part 1

Part 2

Value for Organizations

The personal value is unmistakeable. But what about the value to organizations if their employees take on volunteer leadership roles?

The next blog post will deal with just this issue.... stay tuned!

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The Power of Social Networking

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This topic is all the buzz lately. Everyone is interested in it. It is part of the reality of our new world order, and, like it or not, you cannot avoid or evade it.

In fact, my ASTD chapter's January 2009 meeting was all about Learning 2.0 - using the new web 2.0 tools for learning, and it was a smash success - we doubled our usual attendance!!

My colleague Jeremy Epstein, a prolific blogger and an expert in 'community driven marketing', had an excellent case study in his blog recently about an application value of using social media for business. Read his post here.

His client, Dan Pink, the famed writer and author of best sellers and great reads Free Agent Nation, A Whole New Mind and the recent The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, tapped into the distributed community driven marketing idea when he created a contest for the 7th principle for his Johnny Bunko manga comic book about career development. While the contest had limited success, things really took off when they announced the finalists and asked for readers to vote their favorite.

Here, the distributed part happened: the finalists became marketers, using all means available to garner the most votes - Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. The page hits tripled and sales of the book went up, up, up! The blog post even tells the story of how one contestant - ultimately the winner - contacted Seth Godin and got a blog mention and an endorsement which sealed the deal.

I've encouraged my Board of Directors (Metro DC ASTD) to think about this idea and how we can use this to drive member engagement up. In my business, I am making a concerted effort to strategically leverage my social networks to drive traffic and generate business leads. I'm sure I'll be blogging more about this here.

How are you harnessing the power of social networking to work for you? I'd love to read about your experience - please feel free to comment below with your thoughts.

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New Year Resolutions

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Have you made a New Year's Resolution? I've been listening to people lately talk about this as if it's just an exercise in futility... Why? The old adage goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!". Just because lots of people drop their resolutions in the February or March timeframe doesn't mean they should not set goals for self-improvement or that resolutions on the whole are useless. What it means is that *some* people don't do well at keeping to their goals or plans, and that *most* of us could use a little help in this arena. I just read a great op-ed about this very subject by Alex Epstein of the Ayn Rand Center.

Start with the End in Mind - Find Your End Game

One of the ways to start is to think of the underlying reason for your goals - why do you want to achieve these improvements, such as losing weight or getting out of debt? A technique I use with clients is the "Why, Why, Why" technique: for each goal statement you write, ask yourself "Why?" -- why do I want to achieve this? Then, look at your answer, and ask "Why?" of it, again. And again. Like an onion, if you peel back enough layers with each recurring "why" question, you will arrive at an answer to which you can no longer ask "why" again -- the only answer is "Just because". That becomes your "End Game" -- your ultimate outcome that you would achieve in pursuing that goal.

Why should you do this? Because people a do much better job at sticking to a goal when they can connect it to an end outcome they care about. They have a highly meaningful motive for working through the inevitable obstacles that come their way as they pursue their goal.

Make a Plan and Plan to Stick to it

One of the most common reasons people fail in reaching their goals is because even if they have clarity of purpose they don't have a strong plan of action. Their goal becomes a mere 'wish' unless it is followed by exacting plans that detail the "What", "How", "Who", and "How much/many". A plan needs to include specific actions and supports that are required to achieve a goal. Look at your goal statement and ask yourself: "What do I need to do to achieve this - to make this a reality?". You should come up with 3-5 main activities that you need to engage in (or stop engaging in) to accomplish your goal.

For each of those activities, ask: "What do I need to do to make this activity a reality?" and again, list those 'tasks' under each activity.

Also ask yourself, "How will I get these activities/tasks done?" and figure out scheduling, funding, or other supports and resources that you will need to accomplish your tasks, activities, and ultimately achieve your goals. Do you have everything you need? If not, what do you need to do to get it? Is there research you need to do or books to read first? Are there people you need to talk to or whose support and/or help you need to secure to make these things happen? Is there money or equipment that will be required to achieve your plan? What are some potential obstacles that you may anticipate will come up and try to divert you from achieving these tasks, activities, and/or goals? Are there ways in which you can set up alternative plans for various 'if, then' scenarios? Planning for obstacles is one of the best ways of taking back control and moving from passive to active and in control of your plan and your life.

So: what are your important goals this year? And what's your plan for not becoming part of the 'cynical' masses who deride New Year's Resolutions and one of those triumphant few who live their dreams?

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Brave New World: Gen Y is in the House!

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I've been getting a lot of requests for learning materials and events that shine a light on the various generations in the workplace and the ways in which their differences influence the work experience. This is a fascinating topic, to say the least.

One of the most notable characteristics that seem to play a great influence in the work style of the youngest members of the workforce, the so-called Generation Y or the 'Millennials', is their affinity for and comfort with technology and the latest tech tools and gadgets. Another is their proclivity for multi-tasking. A third characteristic of these new workers is their impatience with the 'things have always been done that way' mentality and their desire to be active co-creators of their reality.

This week, these three characteristics showed up in an interesting crescendo. Reportedly, the tech-savvy audience (comprised of many a Gen-Y'er no doubt) “hijacked” a keynote interview between a Business Week journalist and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg using new social media: Twitter; and older social media: heckling as a mob. As you can see in the report , they displayed their technical facility, their ease with multi-tasking in texting their concerns on Twitter while listening to the presentation unfold, and their unwillingness to 'take it passively' by shouting out their own questions to Zuckerberg when they got fed up with the direction the interview was taking and clear that it wasn't going to meet their expectations otherwise. (Thanks to Jamie Notter for pointing me to this news.)

This, of course, has serious implications for the world of work as a result of these characteristics and expectations being expressed in a mixed-generation environment. They present challenges and also opportunities for those willing to examine 'what is' and 'what could be' without getting bogged down in 'what has been' and 'what should have been'.

It's a Brave New World, and it's here to stay; are you ready to make the most of what it presents?

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Visionary or Realist?

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Last week, I returned from a much-needed vacation in California. My husband and I are both completely mesmerized by that place. We've felt this during our previous visits to that state. This enchantment was fertile ground for many wonderful 'Visioning' discussions. The theme: why don't we live there if we feel so alive and at-home in Cali? Is it feasible? Is it practical? Is it realistic? Is it a good idea? What are the implications for our family, our businesses, our lifestyle? While the discussions are not yet final, we are weighing implementing a plan for a future relo...

All of us experience this kind of passionate pull toward something (or some place, or someone) and the anxiety that uncertainty and fear of failure can produce around it.  All too often, I find colleagues, clients, and friends who had this kind of 'calling' and decided it was unrealistic, unpractical, or impossible, so they gave it up. Sometimes, their friends and family convinced them to drop it. It was brushed aside, and they returned to 'life-as-usual'.

On the flip side, there are those who take wild 'leaps of faith' to pursue such dreams. However, if they don't give adequate thought and time to planning and goal setting, it can be a recipe for failure -the reality that they didn't stop to incorporate into their vision shatters their dreams.

The painful end result is unfortunately similar: people who brush aside their dreams and those who leap to pursue them without planning first find themselves disillusioned, frustrated, depressed, and a feeling a deep sense of loss.

So what should we do about these dreams we feel pulled towards? I think the following simple (though not necessarily easy) steps are a must:

1. Visioning: create a clear description of your vision, one that identifies what end outcome you seek to achieve and how following your dream will get you there. This step must come first.

2. Goal-Setting: set actionable, measurable, and time-specific goals around strategies that help you realize your vision. In the process of doing this work, you will probably need to do some analysis of unknown variables that may impact your decision about whether and how to pursue these goals. This is important and should not be skipped. This is a 'reality-check' that is not meant to dampen your enthusiasm, but rather help you plan around potential obstacles to ensure success and limit/avoid set-backs.

3. Implementation and evaluation: Now, when you have clearly defined both your end outcomes vision and your steps for achieving it, you'll of course need to TAKE ACTION to implement your plan and follow your dreams, measuring your progress along the way and making any necessary interim corrections and revisions.

4. Reward progress and successful achievement: Finally, celebrate your accomplishments (intermediate and final, big and small) and rejoice in knowing you will not be among the disillusioned and defeated who fail to act on their calling or plan for their success!

[UPDATE: WE DID IT!! Read all about it here: Halelly goes to Hollywood]

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The 20-Hour Workweek? The 4-Hour Workweek?

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U.S. workers are notorious for taking the least vacation and working the longest hours, with considerable consequences.  There's a lot of talk lately about a backlash from the over-worked American professional. A report from consulting firm Gartner, Inc., announces the coming of the 20-hour workweek, via what Gartner calls 'digital free agency'.  “Retiring baby boomers, working-age mothers and Generation X workers are seeking better work/life balance to juggle personal, family and community responsibilities,” according to Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner. By switching from 40 hours to a shorter schedule, this new reseach report proclaims, organizations will be better able to attract and retain qualified people.

Another counter-culture voice that has been gaining media attention is that of best-selling author Timothy Ferriss in his controversial new book, The 4-Hour Workweek. I've been reading this book with interest. Ferriss recommends outsourcing your personal and work life as much as possible, ruthlessly weeding out time-wasters such as unnecessary email checking and writing, incorporating mini-retirements throughout your working life instead of hoarding all that freedom to the end of your career, and valuing productivity and results over mere presence at your desk and clocking in those hours at the office. I think that the reason he is getting as much buzz as he has been is because he has tapped a raw nerve in us: we know that we are on the big rat-wheel and that something is terribly wrong, but many of us are not sure how to get off or what will await us if we do.

Recently, I read an interesting case study about how Best Buy actually has begun implementing a shift from defining employee productivity by time to defining it by results. According to a report in Workforce Management, "Best Buy's Results-Only Work Environment, or ROWE, [is] a radical experiment whose aim is to reshape the corporate workplace, achieve an unparalleled degree of work/life balance and redefine the very nature of work itself. In ROWE ...employees are allowed to decide how, when and where they get the job done. Whether they choose to work in the office or somewhere else, such as a spare bedroom, salaried employees are required to put in only as much time as it actually takes to do their work. "

Does it work? Gladly, it seems the answer is "Yes!".  ROWE has already had a significant impact. According to surveys of employees in divisions that have converted to ROWE, they have better relationships with family and friends, feel greater loyalty to the company, and report feeling more focused and energized about their work. We now know that employee engagement leads to higher retention and greater performance, which leads to bottom-line improvements in productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction. According to the report, "[t]he per-employee cost of turnover is $102,000, and ROWE teams have 3.2 percent less voluntary turnover than non-ROWE teams. So once Best Buy's 4,000-person headquarters is completely converted to ROWE, the company stands to save about $13 million a year in replacement costs. Also, when workers switch to ROWE, their productivity jumps by 35 percent." Not bad!

So, even if you can't immediately cut your workweek in half, what changes will you be making to shrink your workweek and increase productivity and satisfaction?  Here are some tips to get you started:

  • Evaluate how you spend your time: try tracking how you spend your time over the period of 3-5 work days. How much time did you spend on checking email? Responding to email? In planned meetings? Ad-hoc meetings? Dealing with various interruptions and unplanned conversations? Surfing the Internet or going for snacks/beverages/etc.? Planning and strategizing? When you track your time (I suggest creating a matrix), you can better see some patterns emerging.

  • Clarify your goals and how your will measure success. If you are not clear about your direction and endpoint, you will not get there quickly and may never make it at all.

  • Prioritize and plan: Decide what activities are mission-critical for you, for your organization, for your team. Look at everything you do with an eye to the end-in-mind: Will this support my goals? Will my engaging in this activity right now bring me closer to achieving these goals? If not, don't do it! Find ways to make time for activities that are more strategic and pensive in nature, which usually don't present themselves as 'burning fires' for you to extinguish, and which, when neglected, can cause great loss of time and bring frustration and lack of efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Evaluate and correct: Take time to periodically (and regularly) evaluate your efficiency and effectiveness and apply course-corrections. Don't wait until the end of a project or year-end appraisals to look back at your performance -- by then it's too late. And, deduce lessons-learned from your current progress so you can apply these learning pearls to future planning as wise improvements.

Sign up to my free weekly newsletter and get more actionable tips and ideas for making yourself a better leader and a more effective communicator! It’s very short and relevant with quick tips, links, and news about leadership, communication, and self-development. Sign up now!

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