Posted: November 30, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

Mark Twain once said, “A sense of humor is a sense of proportion.”  If that maxim were true in the 19th century, it must be even truer today.  We live in a world full of tension.  It goes from global to family gatherings.  Whether it be health, finances, or relationships, our thoughts can take a downward turn if we are not careful.  I have found that a good, “laugh-at-life” sense of humor can often take the tension out of many human interactions that are headed south.   There are numerous examples I could use to illustrate this quality.  I will share my favorite:

In the spring of 1999, I went to a travelling baseball team tournament with my son David.  My parents came along.  My father had recently been treated for skin cancer, and it was necessary for him to wear a hat.  I must say it was the ugliest “floppy hat” I have ever seen.  Dad went to fill up his car.  Afterwards he headed for the snack shop to buy a cool drink.  As he approached the window, the lady behind the counter snapped, “We’re closed!”, and abruptly shut the window.  Rather than becoming angry at being treated so rudely, Dad calmly asked,”Was it the hat that did it?”.  The woman immediately began to laugh, opened up the window, and waited on my father.  Afterwards she said, “Thanks for brightening my day”.

As I reflect on this story I suspect the woman behind the counter was stressed about something in her life, and the last thing she wanted to do was interact with some old man wearing an ugly hat.  Dad’s humor was like medicine to her soul, and a tense situation was turned around into a memorable experience.

Posted: November 18, 2022 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Management, Self-Improvement, Team Building

There are certain things that irritate us.  They just do.  We know what those things are.  Do others?

Whenever someone is saying or doing something in a way that angers us, that is not good for teamwork and good communication.  Here is an example:

Beth is a bookkeeper at a community bank.  Her job requires that she manage projects that are time sensitive.  Sometimes her supervisor gets twitchy as the deadlines approach.  As a result he starts to nag Beth about getting it done.  That is not so bad.  There are times when most of us need a little nudge.  Here’s the problem:  Beth prides herself in knowing priorities and making every deadline  In Beth’s mind the nag from Nick interrupted her focus, and aggravated her.  She decided to address this frustration with Nick.  She detailed what he was doing and how it affected her ability to do her job.  At this point, Nick knew.  That left him with two choices:  Either keep nagging so that he could upset Beth, or stop nagging and allow her to enjoy her work with better focus.  Nick chose to back off.  That’s a “win-win”.

I’ll bet there are things people do or say that make your work more difficult.  Consider addressing the other person in a friendly way.  Explain the behavior that offends you and how it makes you feel.  Then request that they refrain from said activity.  Keep your team running smoothly.

Posted: November 8, 2022 | Categories: Customer service, Leadership, Presentation skills, Team Building

A couple weeks ago a client requested that I write a blog on “tone of voice”.  I liked the idea.  How many relationships or business deals suffer because of our tone of voice?  Our tone can convey joy, frustration, impatience, condescension, and sometimes hostility.  With all that said, how do we maintain better control over the tenor of what we say?  It may start with the quality of our thinking.  Here’s an example:

Last summer I went to start our tractor mower, and discovered the lightshad be left on and the battery was dead.  I immediately realized what happened.  My wife was the last one to mow the lawn,  and when she turned the mower off, she left the lights on.  I decided to stop and tell Joyce what had happened.  When I told her I would tell she was a little hurt.  I quickly figured out that she resented my tone.  She thought I sounded condescending.  She was right.  That’s because as I spoke I was thinking it was a pretty dumb thing to do.  That is what I was thinking, and my attitude leaked into my tone of voice.  It almost always does for all of us, and when this happens, it affects how our message comes across.

As I thought about what I had just said and how I said it, I took a step back and did some reflecting.  I realized that I had not properly instructed Joyce on how to turn off the mower.  I apologized and got myself back on track.

In his book, “The Magic of Thinking Big”, David J. Schwartz talks about “Thinking right about people”.  When we are thinkng right about others, we can improve our tone, and also our communication effectivenes.

Posted: October 21, 2022 | Categories: Customer service, Presentation skills, Sales

When I was a senior in high school, my sociology class conducted a group discussion.  The question was:  “Do clothes make the man?”  I had no idea what the teacher meant.  How ridiculous!  Clothes don’t make the man…Character does!  What that doesn’t take into account is first impressions.  How long do first impressions last?  Sometimes forever.  How quick do we form first impressions?  Answer:  About 30 seconds.

With all these points rattling in my mind, I decided to do an experiment:  It was about 30 years ago, and I was on a business trip in Springfield, Illinois.  I was calling on some key clients and I was looking my best.  I wore my favorite suit, my hair was well groomed, and I stopped at a fast food restaurant for a sandwich.  I received a smile and a warm greeting from the person who took my order.

The next day as I was preparing to leave town, I intentionally put on grubby clothes -very grubby!  I wore a threadbare flannel shirt and old torn blue jeans.  I also hadn’t bothered to come my hair.  I approached the same fast food restaurant I had the day before and ended up with the same person.  When I walked up she did not smile and asked in a monotone, “Can I help you?”  When she brought back my order she just handed me the tray and said nothing.  Didn’t she recognize me?  Apparently not.

This experience taught me the power of making a good 1st impression.  Comb your hair, shine your shoes, and look your best.  You will help establish instant credibility and make a better first impression.

Posted: October 20, 2022 | Categories: Leadership, Management

Several years ago my wife and I were facing a tough situation.  Joyce’s mother was in a nursing home in failing health.  We informed the nursing home staff that we no longer wanted Edith taken to the Emergency Room every time something went wrong.  She was ready for hospice.

About a week later we got a call from the nursing home and they informed us she had been sent to the ER due to complications from diabetes.  We were surprised and dismayed that the nursing home had disregarded our instructions.  Even the nurse at the hospital asked, “What are you doing to this woman?”

We called the doctor and asked why she had been sent to the hospital.  The doctor replied that he was following protocol.  He then said, “Look, I need some direction here.”  We replied, “We want her placed in hospice care.”  The doctor said OK, and soon all athe arrangements had been made.

Edith spent the remaining 30 days of her life under hospice care.  The hospice nurses were able to get anything they needed from the doctor with no pushback.

As I reflect back on this experience, the words, “I need some direction” linger on my mind.  If we are not clear on what is expected from us, ask questions until we are absolutely clear in our understanding.  Things will move forward, and expectations are more likely to be met.