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November 13, 2006 22:58 - Following Through
This week it's time to get simple, fundamental and very, very interested in those people you work with, be they employees, colleagues or customers.
One thing we can often easily do, is get carried away in the moment. And that can lead us to say things we may not be able to fulfill.
Not doing what we say we will, is a serious breach of trust. And breaching trust in any relationship is one of the very worst things you can do.
Not guilty? Believe it or not, most of us are guilty as charged here.
Look at it this way - what you say in a moment's throwaway comment, is heard very differently by who you say it to.
One single comment, mixed up with a whole bunch or things you say in a conversation, easily gets lost for you.
Yet for the receiver it may be the one thing of great importance to them that you commit to.
And to effectively build valuable relationships with your people, you must understand the importance they place on what you say you will do.
Doing something promised may take but a few moments of your time. Delivering at least what you say you will, immensely raises your ability to get the best return from others.
This week take the time to note how often you say you will do something - however insignificant you think it might be, and then fail to follow it through.
And then fix it fast.
November 19, 2006 23:11 - The Smile and Slime Difference
Same letters, very different meaning!
Supporting your people and creating an excellent team, is all about building a great relationship with them; developing trust; showing appreciation and then leveraging that to develop their potential and skills.
For everyone's benefit - never forget that.
If you've been paying attention in all that I've been saying over the least few months, you'll be up to speed on this.
One of the major ways to build a relationship is to appreciate what they do. Now, this can come easily, for a fortunate few, or you need to try, sometimes quite hard, to show that appreciation.
If you stay natural and simple with the appreciation you show, then it will be well received by your people and you can use it as a cornerstone for building their trust in you - which is critical!
Some people, for all sorts of reasons, find it hard to show appreciation and they try really, really hard (maybe because they read about it...I wonder where :-)). It's that trying hard that sticks in the throats of their people - because it can sound insincere, slimy even!
I know - I've tried it. And found myself getting all tongue-tied when I tried to dig myself out of the hole of trying-way-too-hard.
So now, I try to keep it simple, by keeping it short as well as using words that I normally do - and not new, fancy ones. And then reminding myself to 'shut-up'!
Giving praise is a true gift, where we often don't appreciate the feeling that others experience when they enjoy that praise - and the smile it puts on their face.
Just keep it simple, short and stop!
November 21, 2006 09:29 - Accepting Thanks With Good Grace
There is a huge value in accepting help in your business, to build your own capacity as well as growing your team too.
And often, when we are given a compliment, or someone says 'Thank you', we feel it is polite to gently decline.
We say things like 'It's nothing' or 'No, no - it was all you'.
And yet we could do things a little differently... (Read Article)
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