Do You Look Like A Professional?

The following is from Tina Del Buono’s PPM Blog:

Far too often people in leadership roles do not take the time to examine how they appear to people who they come in contact with. What do I mean by this? If you are a manager, do you take a look at yourself in in the mirror each day before leaving for work? Do you ask yourself “Do I look like the professional that I am?” Do you look like the professional that my staff expects me to look like?

My Aunt Dollie recently sent me an article from the May 2014 Allure magazine titled “Lessons from a Media Trainer.” This short article talked about people who are in positions that present or report to others and how they need to think about how they look and how they present to those they come in contact with each day.

People in a leadership position need to stage a dress rehearsal, to make sure they present the position they hold. Managers need to make sure when they are holding a staff meeting they prepare and know the material they are presenting, just as if they were doing a presentation for 500 people.

Staff members look up to their superiors and so they need to make sure they are delivering (both in appearance and in their actions) what is necessary to keep the team moving forward and growing with the company.

If your office dress code states that you should be neat, clean, and professional looking, do you actually know what that means to your superiors or whoever wrote the policy? If it is not spelled out clearly, i.e., pressed clothing, hair combed and in place, no tattoos showing, teeth brushed, a white shirt with tie and black slacks. Do you know what is expected of you?

If you oversee other employees, you need know how your appearance and personal actions will affect them and your position being a superior they answer to. Take the time to think about how what your appearance is like and how you behave and the affects it may have on those you work with.

What do you see in the mirror today?

Is it someone who other will look up to and respect?

Become a Better Listener

Reblogged from Tina Del Buono’s PPM Blog:

by Tina Del Buono, PMAC

Working on your listening skills is an ongoing process to becoming a good listener.  Taking the time to listen to someone is not always an easy, especially when you are at work.  We have a thousand things we are thinking about that need to get done and someone is demanding our attention by talking to us.

We have a hard time stopping and changing our focus.   It takes shifting our thoughts, to try to understand what the person is actually saying.  That alone is not an easy task.

Listening skill are essential in the customer service field.  People come to us for help and are expecting us to be able to listen to their problems or desires in order to help them.

There is a difference between hearing someone and actually listening to what they are saying.

Hearing: Is simply the physical effort of taking in the speaker’s message, but does not necessarily mean that the message was received, processed, or responded to.

Listening: Is the process of receiving a message from the speakers, processing it to make sense out of it and then responding to it in a way that shows understanding of what the speaker spoke.

Most people use only 25-30% of their listening potential.  I found this to be pretty amazing.

There is a difference in speaking and listening rates.  Speakers speak at a rate of 125-150 words per minute, but we can listen and receive about 400-500 words per minute.

It is easy to see how we lose interest in what someone is saying and not really listen to him or her because we get distracted between the speed that they can speak and the accelerated rate that we can listen.

Our mind begins to wander, that is why so many times when someone is speaking we really do not hear what they are saying because our mind it light-years a head of their actual words.

There are a few essential key points to good listening skills to remember; face the person who is speaking to you, focus on the words they are saying.  It is okay to ask them to repeat what they said; at least they will know you are trying to understand them.

Keep quite until they have finished what they have to say, do not jump to conclusions before they are done.  Take a quick moment before you answer them to process what was said and what your response should be, and make sure you are wearing a smile.

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” –Bernard Baruch

Simple ways to foster employee happiness at work

The following is an excerpt from New Hope 360. Please read the full article for more information,

Bill Crawford

Feb 05, 2014

Creating a work environment where your employees feel appreciated and inspired isn’t all about the paycheck. Here are other ways to help your employees truly enjoy their jobs.

It’s no secret that a major element that will set your store apart is your staff. As your store grows, your employees become more and more important as they, rather than you, are the ones on the front lines interacting with customers and representing your store’s values.

In order for you to attract and retain quality employees its important that they feel valued, fulfilled and inspired at work. And lucky for smaller retailers with limited budgets, fostering a positive work environment for employees it isn’t all about the paycheck [read more]

Lunch with Employees as a Mini-Retreat

Want to stay in touch with your employees, give this some thought. This posting is from Tina Del Buono’s PPM Blog.

By Greg Blencoe

http://www.freemanagementbook.com/

In office environments, the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month routine can at times get monotonous and boring. Everybody can start going through the motions if the routine isn’t mixed up a little bit.

I think a great way to do this is for managers to take employees out to lunch from time to time. Every 2-3 months sounds about right. Managers could take the whole group to lunch or go individually with employees if that is better.

I’ve found that going to lunch together can be a wonderful way for everybody to recharge their batteries. I think it’s best when you have nothing scheduled right after lunch, so you can talk as much as you want without being rushed to get back to the office. People typically talk about some things involving work and some things outside of work. It’s fun to just start talking and see where the conversation goes.

I believe that going to lunch with employees from time to time can strengthen the bond of the group and between managers and individual employees. Employees might feel closer to each other when they get to know each other better. Also, information and ideas are often shared during this time.

Some companies have offsite corporate retreats once a year for maybe anywhere from a half a day to a couple of days. Managers taking employees to lunch every couple of months can serve as valuable mini-retreats.

The Supermanager

Seeking A Mentor’s Help

From Tina Del Buono and the PPM Blog:

by Tina Del Buono, PMAC

We have all experienced times when “we cannot see the forest through the trees.” There are situations at work that will totally absorbed all of my time, effort and energy to try to come up with a solution to correct them. At times I will lose sight of what of what I was trying to accomplish and will have to step back and re-group.

It is almost like digging a tunnel to get somewhere and at the same time throwing dirt on top of yourself. The dirt gets in your eyes and you can no longer see clearly.

When situations like this happen it good to have a mentor or to help you out. A mentor really can help you out when you have sort of lost your way. They direct you back on the path and help with clarity of your goal or vision.

I have found tremendous help with my mentors. They have been helpful in more ways than I can count. Being a manager or supervisor can be very frustrating and the answers for some problems are not quite as clear as we would like.

Seeking help and advice from respected mentors or coach helps us to grow in our positions. We gain knowledge from those who have more wisdom, who have walked where we are now walking.

We cannot always have the answers and looking to someone else may give the information or confirmation that is needed.

Below are some interesting facts about buzzards, bats and bees that could give good reasons for seeking out a good mentor or coach for advice when you need it.

The Buzzard, The Bat, and the Bumblebee

If you put a buzzard in a pen six or eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of his ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten or twelve feet. Without space to run, as is his habit, he will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A Bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them. ~ author unknown

Delivering Negative Feedback

Everyone has to deliver negative information at some point- to employees, customers, family…

This article from PPM Blog may give you some ideas to handle these situations.

by Tina Del Buono, PMAC

Delivering negative feedback to employees is one of the most difficult tasks a manager has to do. It is not that they do not want to let the employee know what they have either done wrong or need to improve on. It is being able to deliver the information in a way that it will be received without causing further problems with the employee.

Delivering the information showing that you are concerned about the issue and not angry will help to set a more positive stage.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help when it is necessary to deliver negative feedback:

• Do listen actively, make sure there are no misunderstandings with the issue at hand.
• Do not be overly negative or harsh when discussing an employees performance.
• Do not get angry or irritated during the conversation.
• Do put a positive spin on the negative, if possible, to make it easier to accept.
• Do be respectful how you approach the message.
• Do allow the employee to explain and offer a solution to the issue.
• Do give examples of what should have been done.

It is important to come up with a plan to work together ensuring that the problem gets resolved and corrective training ensues in a positive way. If you take the time to handle these situations correctly you will not only fix the problems, you will gain the respect of your employees.

What way have your handled negative feedback that has turned out to be a positive action? The article below gives more information on handling this issue.

How To Give Negative Feedback

Personal Brand Planning for life

A new book by Professor Robert M. Donnelly

We all know that we should plan better for our businesses and our lives. This is even more important now as technology is rapidly changing the nature of work, and in so doing eliminating traditional career paths. Current job statistics indicate that more and more college graduates are working at jobs that do not utilize their education, and the rate at which Apps are evolving for every imaginable task this trend will continue.

Professor Donnelly has developed an invaluable and easy to use new book designed to help anyone determine their internal skill set and persona so that they can market themselves more effectively if looking for a job, or start their own businesses, doing what they are best at and enjoy. It’s a fact that those who are doing what they have a natural ability to do well are more successful and happier in their careers than those who are not.

This book may just be the best investment of $8.00 for the E book that anyone can make in their careers. The E book and soft cover version are available on Amazon, and Professor Donnelly can be reached for advice on his website: www.robertmdonnelly.me

Robert Donnelly has been teaching In graduate business programs for over 20 years. He has developed and delivered executive briefings and seminars both domestically and internationally for BUSINESS WEEK magazine and others and was featured in USA TODAY for
his work with the Inc. magazine 500.

What Would Dad Do? 7 Simple Lessons for Better Business

Happy Father’s Day!!

In honor of Father’s Day, I share this post from Carol Roth’s Business Unplugged:

What Would Dad Do? 7 Simple Lessons for Better BusinessPosted: 14 Jun 2013 04:00 AM PDT With Father’s Day upon us, what better time to reflect back upon the lessons our dads taught us?  For many of us, our father was our first teacher and mentor, sharing wisdom and advice that becomes even more poignant once they’re gone. My father passed away recently, as did Carol’s, but the lessons learned from […]

These lessons from Dad include:

1. Treat People Right – As I listened to the tributes at my dad’s recent memorial service, I was struck by how many people said they were treated so kindly by him.  He made everyone feel special and important.  Wouldn’t the world be a little better if everyone did the same?
2. Keep Your Commitments – Dad had a tireless dedication to both his family and his work.  He believed in keeping his word and delivering on his commitments.  Sometimes promises are made and broken too quickly.  Do what you say you’re going to do.
3. Live Your Own Life – If you try to please everyone, you please no one.  If you spend your life trying to please or impress someone else, you lose yourself.  Stick to your convictions and make your life your example.
4. Pursue Your Passions – Dad often kidded that on his tombstone he wanted the words, “Wow, that was quick!”  It’s funny, but true.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t waste a moment doing something you’re not passionate about.
5. Always Go the Extra Mile – If you’re going to do something, do it right.  Then do more.  Don’t just deliver… over deliver.
6. Don’t Take Any Shit – It’s great to be a kind, giving person, but that doesn’t mean you should let anyone take advantage of your good nature.  ‘Nuff said.
7. Reputation Matters – If you heed the advice above, this one should take care of itself.  At the end of the day, all you have is your reputation, so build and guard it carefully.

Recovering From Setbacks

From PPM Blog:

Recovering From Setbacks by Tina DelBuono

“How you rebound from a setback speaks volumes about who you are.” ~ Unknown

Setbacks are just part of life.  They come in all sizes and varying levels of impact. It is important when we encounter small setbacks to get ourselves on the road to recovering from them quickly.

There are three key steps to get the process of recovery headed in the right direction;

1. Express how you feel:  You need to be able to express, at least to yourself, how you feel about the setback.  You can do this verbally or by writing it down.  I like self-talk.  This allows you to speak your mind as much as you want about how you feel.  Usually, the more you talk to yourself about the setback the better you get at expressing what you really feel and to the core of the hurt or disappointment.

2. What positive steps can I take:  Where do you go from here?  Each day find a positive step that you can take to move yourself ahead.  Do not look back, just move forward.

3.What can you learn:  Did the setback enlighten you in some way?  What was the lesson learned from the experience?  This will also develop more the further out from the setback that you get.  Reflection is always good after a setback.

Setbacks are bound to happen.  If you are not experiencing one now, don’t worry you will be some day and probably soon.

Just remember when a setback happens, don’t just sit on the bench, get back out into the game as soon as possible.

Move forward, don’t look back.  What is it that you want to accomplish?  Get it in your mind and then do it!

How to keep the momentum going

by Nancy Loderick

I’m still glowing from my successful consulting project. I feel energized, happy and confident. My next challenge is to keep this momentum going. How will I do that? I’ve heard that every time you take action, it’s easier to keep going. It’s something to do with the laws of the universe and molecules in motion. […]

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