I talk about Workplace Communication and Reinvention Intervention with Beth Troutman from The Balancing Act, on April 13th. Watch Below!
Watch Below!!
Resisting What’s True for You
By · CommentsNothing makes me crazier than knowing the truth about something and choosing to dismiss it.
Decades ago, I worked as a part of a merchandising/design team for a women’s sportswear company. As we developed designs for each new season we were required to present them to the president and sales manager for critique and “adoption.” In fact, the meetings were called adoption meetings! In essence, it meant your “job” was on the line each week. No matter how well we defended our choices of fabric, pattern and style, decisions were often made for what seemed like ridiculous reasons.
But this one time, the president uttered a statement that made my jaw drop. He said, “We know it’s the right thing to do–but we can’t do it.” Honestly, I no longer recall what he was referring to–but it doesn’t really matter.
Of course, what he meant was…”We know it’s the right thing to do, but we are ‘CONSCIOUSLY AND DELIBERATELY CHOOSING NOT TO DO IT!”
The thing was that there wasn’t anything stopping him from doing the right thing, he simply choose not to. This meant that everything done in relation to this decision was FALSE. A LIE. A SHAM. And that just pissed me off to no end.
And that is how I feel when someone is given a piece of truth about their life purpose and then chooses to ignore it and proceed rapidly in the opposition direction. As a coach, I’ve seen this happen time and again.
If you want to be living in your purpose, first find out what it is if you don’t know, and then proceed Consciously and Deliberately along your path and honor your truth. It will make your life so much easier and happier.
If you don’t know what your purpose is I invite to get your hands analyzed now…here’s how: Hand Analysis Now!
Reinventing Yourself? Know Thy Talents
By · CommentsIf you are due for a change–a personal Spring cleaning, of sorts–you’ll want to take note of your talents and passions. What comes naturally and easy for you? Talents, which are innate, are different than abilities, which are learned.
The next time you feel a lack of confidence, remind yourself of the talents you naturally possess. Talents don’t come and go; they are with you all the time. Speaking of time, the things you are truly passionate about are the ones that make you lose track of time. Passions may be things that come so easily for you, you can’t imagine why anyone would pay you to do it.
If you are reinventing yourself but don’t quite know what you want to be this time around, well, those passions and talents of yours are the things you want to put at the top of your list!
You have every reason to remain confident knowing that you always have talents that can be accessed and used when you need them. Don’t pooh-pooh anything. Remember, Oprah loves to teach, Martha Stewart loves homemaking, The Cake Boss loves to bake, Denise Austin loves to exercise and Andrew Zimmern loves to eat weird food! Hardly the things we think would make a lucrative career.
Dismiss nothing. Consider everything. You just never know what you can turn into a living and have fun doing it.
Let me know what you’re passionate about.
Still not sure what you want to be when you grow up? Then call me for a FREE Strategy Session and let’s get you on the right path.
Best Communication – Be True to Yourself
By · CommentsWork-Life Balance? Are you Kidding Me?
By · CommentsEvery time I hear this term it makes my teeth hurt. What the heck does work-life balance mean anyway?
My work life and and life-life is all the same, BUT it doesn’t mean I allow others to intrude in my life willy-nilly. If that’s the issue you’re dealing with then you don’t need “work-life balance” you need a back-bone!
Seriously, if you choose to work for a person or organization where you know you’re giving your life away, frankly, I have no sympathy for you. But, if your understanding of privacy parameters at work doesn’t include “contact me during my nephew’s bris” then speak up. Have the conversation to confirm your understanding of when you are available and when you aren’t.
Now, if you work for yourself then you are in control even when you think you aren’t. But..but…but…yeah, yeah, I can hear it now. If I don’t take my customer’s call then I’ll miss their business. Really? Really? If that’s what you believe then that’s what you’ll get…customer’s that take you for granted and don’t see your value. You control this to the extent that you value yourself.
Think about it. If you set the example for the type of life you want to live then that’s the client you’ll attract. I bet if you think back to the last customer that canceled on you…it was the one that wanted to be “the exception to the rule.” You know, the one that always asked for an extra discount even after you’ve given them a special accommodation. It’s the client that seems to always have an excuse, or runs late, or calls you at all hours.
Grow a backbone. It will change your life. I know I’m going to hear comments on this one.
If you still aren’t sure what your life or life purpose is, well that’s a whole other story, but if that’s the case join me for Reinvention Intervention: 5 Really Simple and Smart Steps to Relaunch Your Life teleseminar course. Starts March 15.
Lifetime TV – The Balancing Act
By · CommentsI taped my segment for Lifetime Television’s–The Balancing Act, yesterday. Great fun!
My host, Beth Troutman, is smart and vivacious–an excellent communicator who clearly loves what she does for a living. (And, yes–she’s quite beautiful in person.) She made my interview seem like an intimate conversation between girlfriends and I’m hoping that’s what it looks like in the final production.
We talked about my book, Misunderstood! The Fast Guide to Communicating at Work, and why misunderstandings and the lack of honest communication (especially inner or self conversation) may be the source of so many unhappy, frustrated workers. A recent Parade poll showed that 61% of the people who responded would not make the same career choice if they had the opportunity to do it all over again. Sad statistic.
It’s why I know there is a need for Reinvention Interventions–we need to be living and doing our purpose in the world–just like Beth.
It’s not too late to join me for Reinvention Intervention: 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life. This 5 week teleseminar course starts Tuesday, March 15 and you can still attend at an amazingly low price. The bonuses alone make this worth attending. Read more here: Reinvention Intervention Teleseminar.
My experience with everyone I met at The Balancing Act, from the make-up artist, to the camera crew to the producer (and everyone in between) was friendly and professional, making the entire experience a memorable one. Thank you all.
The segment will air sometime in April so stay tuned for updates.
Manager’s Top Job – Clear Communication
By · CommentsUnclear communication and workplace misunderstandings can lead to a loss of productivity, money, clients or worse. Clear communication is the benchmark of a good office and tops the lists of best business practices with a capital “C”.
The clear communication implementation process begins when a new hire joins your team. As a manager, it is your job to make the person feels at ease and that he or she becomes a productive member of the company and your team.
Start by making sure that your new hire is aware of all of the functions your team provides. Clearly communicate what is expected of him or her. A small list of to-dos and reminders, managers can use with each new hire, are listed below. You, as a manager, should have this in your left pocket at all times.
Step 1. Introduction. Introduce your new hire to the tasks verbally. Let the worker know what is expected of him and how he can be a potential star in the company by doing the X-Y-Z list of things. Let him hear you – loud and clear- but don’t forget to connect your head to your heart during your communication and open up a place in the conversation for questions.
Step 2. Create a master list of the job function. Take time and create a written charter of duties. Make a list of to-dos which would be required of the new team member. A generic framework of what is desired and where he/she fits in the office. This is a good time to review job descriptions with your whole team–you’ll be surprised at the misunderstandings.
Step3. Make a detailed description of your wants as a manager. The new team member needs to know how your team functions and what is expected of him or her as a member. As a manager, you need to educate the newest member on the processes and procedures of the company. Make sure they are aligned with the ways of the company by means of a detailed description of the tasks, the expected time-lines and reporting channels. Be clear and describe the expectations in detail – yours and the company’s.
Step 4. Describe the role outside the team. Let the person know his or her role outside the team as well. Describe what is expected of him as a company employee who represents the company on whole with every encounter. Be clear and be concise. Cite facts.
Step 5. Ask for a feedback. Remember communication is a two way process…. You need to ask for feedback and remove noise from the system. Clarify all the issues you feel are still in the gray and make sure that they are fed back into the communication loop. Observe and correct by reverting back to steps 1 to 4, if needed.
Step 6. Make the person create a summary of the tasks at hand. This is perhaps a yearly process, but its advised to initiate this practice after the new team member is apparently comfortable in the job. An analysis of this will illustrate the difference between your explanation and the resource’s understanding. Clear the communication deficit now for greater productivity and profits later.
Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? Share the knowledge but you MUST include the following: Allie Casey , Reinvention Specialist & Chief Communicator at Casey Communications can help you and your team how to ramp up your communication for more productivity and fewer headaches. To get your F.R.E.E. audio course, more communication articles and information visit www.alliecasey.com.
Inner Communication is the Key to Reinvention
By · CommentsI believe that the most important conversation you can have is the one you have with yourself.
Have Some Fun!
In my new teleseminar series, “Reinvention Intervention – 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps for Relaunching Your Life”, I talk about the #1 thing that keeps you from living the life you want to live, keeps you from making timely decisions, and keeps you in a place of frustration.
So, what is it–you ask. It’s the failure to make a choice. A decision. Yup, it’s that simple. We live in limbo land and rationalize the end result of possibilities and create endless lists of pros and cons until we are blue in the face–but we never quite commit to a, well…a commitment.
I use that word purposely, because commitment tends to feel like a heavy yoke on our shoulders, weighing us down with responsibilities when in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Not making a decision is what weighs us down. Making a decision is freeing and liberating. Making a decision lifts the fog. Making a decision propels you forward.
If you’re serious about reinventing yourself, you are, my friend, going to have to make a decision. Probably a bunch of them…but, let’s start with one.
Making a decision is a declaration to move in a direction based on your bigger why. The “why” is the compelling reason to change that supersedes all others. It’s the single compelling force that allows you to forge ahead even when the cons seem to outweigh the pros.
And yet, this inner conversation is often the one we fail to initiate with ourselves because it means acknowledging that undefinable thing. That thing we call “gut” feeling or hunch or, if you are more enlightened…your intuition. It means listening very closely for the the truth and, that is indeed, scary.
Here’s the remedy for failure to decide: Put down the pen and paper and go talk a walk. Get out of your office or away from the kitchen table and engage your right brain. Play a game, play with your kids, play hoops, hula hoop, or potsy, frankly, I don’t care. Do anything but think logically.
And then, get quiet and listen to what you are feeling. Get beneath the chatter and you’ll find your feelings. Pay attention. Now, you’ll know what to do.
But, you know this is only the start to your reinvention – don’t you? If you’re living with a sick feeling in the pit of stomach because your life is passing quickly and you’re scared you’re never going to live a life that has meaning for you then join me for The Reinvention Intervention-5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life Teleseminar Series. You’ll discover how to stop feeling afraid to step into your passions, gain the confidence to make decisions and create a map for the next phase of your life!
Conflict Management in the Workplace-Tips for Bosses
By · CommentsAs a manager you must have faced resistance to new ideas, initiatives and change to procedures at some point in time. Good managers learn to deal with these minor push-backs and move ahead. Better ones, however, turn that into an opportunity and gain in strength from it – they create a persona for themselves and turn it to their advantage. Some simple managerial and conversational recommendations that make managers turn into leaders, in spite of resistance from a group of people, are discussed below. They would assist a good manager turn into a better leader.
State your Aim Clearly. For a task to be done well, it needs to be clearly stated. Be direct but be positive and use plain tones. State facts as facts and mention requirements in an unambiguous manner. Clear instructions, without an iota of threat works wonders in any situation. Above all, keep a neutral tone and add no negative emotion to the conversation. Half your job is done.
Let People Gripe – Its their Birthright. You have to appear as a very patient listener. You need to listen to the protests people have, but limit it to a logical time span. It need not be unending and you need to make them understand that though occasional bouts of complaints might work – noncompliance does not. Limit the gripe time.
Understand the Real Concern. Often the real cause of the resistance to a new idea is not what is overtly stated. Some undercurrents – not so obvious ones, do not emerge while you speak to people. Good managers learn to keep a tap on these undercurrents and actual reasons to resistance. Prod a little more and get to the bottom of every opposition.
Aim to Resolve in One Sitting. Try and resolve the concerns in one round of interaction. Try not to lead conversations which deal with opposition to your ideas to a round two. Round two are normally bad news and is likely to hound you later.
Accept Logical Suggestions. Be open in your approach to new suggestions. There might be something that you really have missed regardless of all planning and experience. Be candid if you feel that the other side has valid concerns and be open about the ways you intend to address these. There is nothing like making the other person feel happy that the point he or she gave has been accepted.
Fail Safe Solution. If all else fails, don’t be afraid to read the riot act – once in a while. Make the people who resent change aware of the consequences of disobedience to the company, loss of profitability and issues of management moving ahead.
The aim of a manager is to run a team with least resistance. Cooperation and team work in a team are results of clear understanding of the aim and some good management practices. A good leader accepts suggestions that are new and path breaking, but knows when to put a stop to these and move ahead. To be a good manager learn to effectively deal with resistance. The secret lies in good communication.
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