Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

I am terrible at remembering jokes.  The only ones I can remotely remember are "knock knock" jokes.  There is also a joke that one of my co-workers told me about a lion marching through the jungle and running into an elephant. But other than that, I'm terrible at remembering jokes. What I've tried to get better at is an ability to tell stories-- which requires remembering experiences. I can tell you that remembering experiences is a little easier for me than remembering jokes - but not much. For those of you that read my blog posts (thank you), blogging has really helped me go back in time for some memories. As a result, I think that my ability to communicate in any business setting has improved.  The reason is that I can now relate my experiences to an issue, discussion, or problem that a client may have.  Stories are how we naturally communicate and remember important things. It's no wonder that status reports, scorecards, and dissertation emails ...

A book that I listened to recently was How to Pitch Anything , by Oren Klaff. As you move up through the ranks of any business, what you'll realize is that leadership and management effectiveness becomes less about what you know and more about how you deal with people. Consider this common scenario: You have a boss that's been around for many, many, years that's grown up through the system and still operates in a world of 20 years ago. He is unopen to new ideas and invokes behaviors and an attitude that is all about maintaining the status quo. Because you bring a new and fresh perspective, you get more and more frustrated as he continues to dismiss your point of view. An epiphany that you'll have along the way of your career is that people are irrational. Data, logic, logical structuring, fact-based messaging -- that's all bullsh*t unless you can get through the croc brain of your target audience or executive.  The croc brain is that part of the...

Jim Collins has a quote in his book, Good to Great that says,  "If you have more than three priorities, then you don’t have any." Effective leaders do a great job of filtering through the noise and constant demands on their time by letting their priorities dictate what they need to address. If you are growing a business, it could be growing the top line.  If it's delivery excellence, it could be emphasizing quality of work.  If it's talent retention, then it could be reducing the attrition rate.  If you, as a leader, don't have any priorities at all, then it's up to the employees to freely interpret what they think your priorities are. It's the proverbial inmates running the asylum scenario which is never good unless you believe that holacracy  works for your company or organization. Whether you are leader or manager, write down what your three priorities are and post them wherever you can.  Then do your darnedest to communicate what ...

Remember the days of gossiping by the water cooler? (Actually this may have been before my time).  Today's work gossip and work communication can spread quickly via a number of internet and application channels.  Depending on how transparent people are, the tone of communication can vary based on the channel being used.  When communicating via email, people will tend to write with professionalism -- in general.  When communicating over instant messenger, people will tend to be a little more conversational. It's like a SMS / email hybrid of sorts. Short, quick messages that expect an instantaneous response.  When communicating in person or on a phone call in a large setting, people will tend to look down at their computers and communicate to other people through instant messenger about the other people in the room.  When communicating in person or on a phone call one-on-one -- wait, does anyone do that anymore? At work, people tend to take on 2...

There is a gap between what "is" for a senior executive and what "is" for the person in the field - the one that has the closest contact to a customer.  When you own your own business and are a company of one, that gap doesn't exist.  But as you grow, and as levels of management are inserted, the gap between what company leadership thinks is happening and what you think is happening can widen quickly.  There are few reasons why the gap exists. As communication moves up through the ranks, everyone puts their own filter on it. By the time the message gets up to the top, it's been diluted so much, that the information is basically a blasé statement.  Managers live in a state of fear. How many times have you been knocked down for telling it like it is? We call that, "not being a team player."  When senior executives go out and visit the field, what ends up happening is that managers provide enough forewarning that everyone prepares. That way...