Performance Booster Series - Communication Skills

Do people say you're talkative or do they say you're quiet?  Do you frequently feel misunderstood or ignored?  Are you routinely trying to get over your feelings being hurt? Do you get triggered when people give you feedback and end up acting defensive?

Take a long hard look at your style of communication and become acutely aware of what you could improve upon.  Is it your speaking ability, your reputation as a listener?  What about soliciting and providing feedback?  Do a double take on your tone of voice and your body language. 

Do you need to be more sensitive to others and reduce your bluntness or frankness?  Do you need to be less sensitive and not take everything so personal?  Self-evaluation is the place to start when it comes to elevating your ability to communicate. For all of us it’s very easy to take communicating for granted since we do it all the time.  

Remember whether you are sending a text, talking, emailing, nodding, frowning or rolling your eyes a message has been sent.  Be sure it’s the one you wanted to send. 

Are you aware that research makes these claims?

75% of all communication is non-verbal.

Writing only represents nine percent of the time we spend communicating.

The average worker spends 55% of his or her time communicating.

Check this out - a whopping 85% of business success is dependent on effective communication and interpersonal skills.

It is most common to focus entirely on what you want to relay to the point you are a slacker when it comes to listening.  Have you acquired that invaluable habit of confirming that others understood your message? Become a communication standout and hone in on confirmation you were understood by the listener or the reader.  Beef up your clear understanding of what others tell you by restating what they told you.  

There are times the tone you intended to convey whether in writing or even speaking was neutral while the receiver may interpret it entirely differently.   Solicit two-way confirmation and be on the lookout for how you can improve as a skillful communicator. Evaluate your gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and body language to be certain you are in sync with your message.  Learn to give others to whom you are listening your full attention, if you aren't sure what they meant or said ask for more information.  If you don’t have time to listen, ask if you could suggest a different time for the conversation.  Pay attention to how long you talk and give the other party floor time.

Powerful communication skills are a must for people that want to excel in relationships and climb the ladder of success. 

Still learning, 

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Garner Support at Every Level

Garner means to build and store; to succeed at being an exceptional supervisor you will need to build and store support at every level professionally.

Team

Successful supervisors create an atmosphere where team members can fully use their skills, knowledge and creativity to work toward the goals of the department and the company. You will want to encourage the team as well as organize the ongoing work, provide direction and articulate the goals.

Your responsibility will be to use the strengths of each team member and challenge them to build a plan and execute it.  Help them to see the value of what they do and how that value relates to the success of the team.

Peers

Work at building lines of communication and support with fellow managers will be keys to your success.  Give what you want to get.  An exceptional supervisor learns to listen to others and also considers opposing points of view.  Manage your confidence and sense of respect with your peers.  It’s no secret you won’t like everyone you work with but practice caution spewing your opinions and showing your distain for others, especially your peers. Watch out for sharing your negative thoughts and feelings about others at work with anyone you work with.  It’s a practice that will bite you back. 

Management

Make your manager look good; feel pride that you are on his or her team.  Always look and act professional.  Self evaluate where you are with accomplishing the look and actions of a pro.  Use a mirror to check the outside and an internal exam of your thinking and behaving.  Don’t be known for making excuses and being a chronic complainer.  Keep your manager well-informed.

Act the way you want others to treat you, give support to others and you can count on the boomerang theory coming true for you.  You get what you give.


Still learning,


Honey

Performance Booster Series - Become a Role Model

A role model is a person who others look up to, admire and want to emulate.  A role model provides inspiration and sparks motivation to seek out accomplishments. Role models send messages about their beliefs by what they do and say.  They refrain from boasting and are quick to say “I messed up.”

Role Models Are Trustworthy

Trustworthiness is another quality of a good role model. A role model is honest and works at not exaggerating.   Treasure your integrity and do the right thing even if no one is looking; even if you don’t credit for it.

Self-Esteem

A role model works to be self-assured and happy with themselves. As you display self-esteem others will look up to you positively. Hang on to your independence show you don’t need to follow current trends you don’t subscribe to. Be proud of who you are, but not cocky.

Handle Stress Positively

Being human means having to constantly deal with stress and overcome obstacles. A role model sets a good example on how to handle pressure.  Become a pro at handling stress and managing yourself when the pressure is on.  When you mess up, be quick to forgive and make note of what you would do differently next time.

Do What You Say You Will

A good role model also does what they say and perseveres. A good role model delivers on promises and can always be counted on even when overwhelmed and wants to quit. Perseverance is a key trait. Role models demonstrate key success factors like working hard for something worthwhile pays off.  You can be that someone that inspires dreams and goals in others.

Respect for Others

How you treat others speaks volumes about who you are.  He treats others how he would want to be treated and is considerate of others. When making mistakes, a role model does not place the blame on others; he owns up to his own shortcomings.

Enthusiasm

It works like magic.  As a role model you can spread enthusiasm faster than the common cold.  It creates energy. It makes hard work easier and more enjoyable. Enthusiasm is an antidote for discouragement. There is no better tonic for whatever happens to be wrong than enthusiasm.  Conversely, when there is a lack of enthusiasm, negative emotions rise to fill the vacuum: cynicism, depression, despair.  

Here is the important point: enthusiasm is more than a feeling or a character trait; it is a decision and a choice. We can all choose to be enthusiastic.

Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, "Nothing was ever achieved without enthusiasm." He was right.

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Boosters Series - Communicate Expectations

In the workplace expectations have a powerful impact on our performance. Expectations have a direct link to behavior and outcomes. One of the most common reasons for low employee morale and performance is poor communication of work expectations. Expectations are the basis for developing a written, negotiated employee performance plan. Expectations are consistently a part of training and coaching.
Expectations need to be conveyed in writing. When the leader fails to provide a written list of expectations because the assumption is the employee knows what is expected, we cannot be surprised when those expectations are not met.

It is best if everyone in the company is clear about the overall strategic plan and company goals. Employees need to see how their responsibilities and expectations contribute to the company’s goals. The leader’s job is to communicate expectations clearly and not allow assumptions room to grow.

Still learning,

Honey 

The Power of Planning - Last in a Series of Five

Boundaries

As you gain muscle with planning you will find that the need to establish and respect healthy, flexible boundaries will be important to your overall success. 

It may be challenging to set boundaries with yourself and others.  Take responsibility for learning all you can about boundaries.  Research what they are and evaluate if they are missing in your life.  The less you know about them the less equipped you are to have them and to honor others' boundaries.  Learn what to do about establishing them, how to go about honoring them in yourself and others.  It will aid your professional maturity and protect your plans, relationships, self-esteem and goals from sabotage. 

There are fixed boundaries and there are times they are valid and imperative.  There are loose boundaries and sometimes they are the right fit.  The best personal boundaries are flexible.

Examples:

Fixed boundary - you never misuse your PC as spelled out by IT.

Loose boundary - within reason you can choose what is on your work station – photos of family, etc.

Flexible boundary - you choose who you eat lunch (you can say no) with but you cooperate and eat with a team when asked or required.

Three Tips for Setting Boundaries at Work

1.      Focus on how to fix what is broken versus how it got broken and who is to blame.  

2.   Swallow your pride, ask for help or delegate when managing overload.   As soon as you know you have over-committed go tell the truth, express regret and work on a realistic agreement.

3.      Handle your emotions with professional maturity - becoming known as a drama queens or hot tempered will harm your reputation.

Put planning to work for you and you will find it works! 

 

Still learning,

Honey

The Power of Planning Series - Fourth of Five

YOUR TO DO LIST

Make your initial draft of your to do list before you leave work each day so you can work on scheduling and juggling what you need to do.  The next morning you will finalize the list, look forward in your calendar and add what needs to be squeezed in.

Mastering this discipline will help you become a master of spending your time where it counts most.

Try this for 30 days.

List everything you have to do today.  In the beginning I want you to list everything, including your morning and evening routines, that includes meals, showering, praying/quiet time, getting dressed, driving to the day care, driving to work, going to the store or the cleaners plus work-related tasks…in other words if it takes time it belongs on the list.

Next examine everything on your list to see what you left out, and then look at your calendar for appointments or meetings for the next two weeks that you need to include or prepare for and add those.

Now, you determine when each item needs to be done.   Each item on your list will have an A, B, C, or D to the right of it 

A          before noon

B          afternoon

C          evening

D          delegate

Place a time estimate to the side of the alpha character you gave the task.  Now, calculate how realistic your plan (to do list) is for the day.  This discipline helps to eliminate over committing and underestimating your available time.

Now that you have the real picture on what you need/want to do and have set deadlines for each and calculated how much time it all will take you are ready to prioritize.  Your next step is to number in sequence what you will do first, second and so on.  And next, drumroll please, check off the item as you complete them.

Get real, stay real, reduce stress and accomplish what matters most.  Let me know how this works for you.  

Still learning,

Honey

The Power of Planning Series Third of Five

Spend time where it counts the most!   Priorities are what help you determine what to do first, second, etc.  Remember a calendar is for appointments, even if they are with you.  A “to do” list is an accounting of what you need and want to do.  You will need to use both every day. 

Find the best option for you to stay on top of both your calendar and your “to do” list.  Maybe your work/lifestyle is the perfect fit for all your contacts, to do list and appointments to be on your Smartphone.  Maybe the program on your computer that houses a calendar, to do list and contacts is your solution.  Find the right solution for you. 

Definitely these two power tools – calendar and to-do list - must be mobile.  You don’t have to shower with them or sleep with them, but any other time a best practice is that they are within an arms-reach.  I still use my paper Franklin Covey binder/planner.  I wouldn’t trade it.  I have tried to move away from it and my efficiency and organization has suffered for it so it is here to stay with me.   I pencil in appointments on the monthly tabbed page as well as the day sheet of the appointment.  Looking at what I am committed to by the month is imperative for me to stay on top of planning.


You might want to check out the planner options at www.franklincovey.com.  I prefer the 8 ½ x 11 Original-Monarch style and use the ring binder so I can hole punch timely, related documents like an airline reservation or a meeting agenda and have immediate needs all in one place.  Adding ruled paper for notes and a few of the forms Franklin Covey sells are favorites of mine.

I do have my Outlook calendar with business-related appointments so it is available to my work team, for scheduling meetings and it syncs to my Droid.   A key planning habit for me is to review my Binder calendar with the Outlook calendar every day. Building valuable habits like planning takes discipline and fierce determination.  Build it, it's worth it.

Plan for this to be your best year.  The year to have the time of your life!  


Still learning,


Honey

The Power of Planning Series Second of Five

Where Does All That Time Go?
You choose how much time to make available every day.  I would encourage you to commit to the number of minutes you are going to use each day.  Commit to an average you can realistically live with.  Consider starting with a minimum average of 950 minutes a day.  If your work commitment is 8 to 5 and you allow an hour drive time each way your work time deduction is 660 minutes.  So you would have 290 minutes to spend in other areas of your life.  Your lunch hour is sometimes an ideal way to spend time on tasks or chores related to non-work concerns.

                                               Out of bed                               Go to sleep                     Daily

Monday – Friday                     6 AM                                       11 PM                          1020 minutes

Saturday - Sunday                   8 AM                                       11 PM                            900 minutes

Customers come in to banks everyday dismayed they are overdrawn.  Frequently they say “I just made a deposit yesterday, how could I be overdrawn?”  Deposits are important to the balance but logging the withdrawals keep it “real” and help you know your position at ALL times.   The tools utilized by the brave souls that embrace taking charge of their time are the same ones an accountant uses – a ledger, accurate entries, respect for deadlines and a calculator.

Want more time this year?  Email me for your free copy of  the Real Time Ledger.  You will use it for a week just like a check register to stay in the real world about how you spend your time.  It is the perfect tool for making the most of your time.  


Still learning,


Honey
honey@interaction-training.com
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The Power of Planning Series - First of Five

There are several key pieces to becoming accomplished at planning.  Managing your time is the place to start.  Taking charge of your time is easier said than done.  Progress in this arena is what you’re after, not perfection.  It is vital for you to become well-acquainted with yourself and the real world you operate in so you can be realistic and objective when it comes to taking charge of your time. 

Some people, like an employer, pay for your time.   With others you may have responsibilities and commitments whether that is family or volunteerism.   Collectively these are called obligations. 

Where are you now?  Never having enough time?   Are you carrying guilt for what you’re not getting done?    Your conscience will trouble you if you have obligations, commitments or responsibilities that you can’t meet.  So clear up your conscience and take a hard look at your time and how you want to commit to spending it!

The best place to start is to treat time like a checking account.  Each day the hours you make available are deposited into your account and every minute is a withdrawal.  Unlike money you can’t get overdrawn but you can get over obligated.  Time like money can be invested, neglected or wasted.  

How would your life be better if you could improve your skills as a planner and manager of time?

Where are you now?  Never having enough time?   Are you carrying guilt for what you’re not getting done?   

Still learning,

Honey