3As of

Communicating

“Communications”

· Talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere
(from “Larry King with Bill Gilbert”)

· You don’t have to be quotable, just candid

· Your attitude counts … the more you talk, the easier you talk. Don’t fake it.

· Remember to take turns. Better listeners make better talk. You learn nothing from what you say but from what you hear.

· Broaden your horizons. You don’t have to travel to share in different backgrounds. And this will broaden your thinking and conversational repertoire.

· Keep it light. Never stay too serious too long. And don’t miss the opportunity to share self-depreciating stories about yourself.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

To avoid a self-inflicted wound

L isten to your customer

E cho the issue

S ympathize with their emotional state

T hank the customer for bringing this to your attention

E valuate your options

R espond with a win-win solution

PLAN YOUR WORK, WORK YOUR PLAN

“Attitude”

The Rules of Success

1. Get up at the same time six days a week; exercise for ½ hour, conduct personal hygiene; eat breakfast; take ¼ hour for personal thoughts and mentally

2. Rehearse the day. Set your ideal performance state.

3. Commute to work; listen to music, a book or tape. Minimize travel stress.

4. Arrive at work 15 minutes early. Take no calls nor visitors. Perform your start-up rituals; establish priorities; file yesterday’s completions, etc.

5. After 1 2/3 – 2 hours, take an exercise and nutrition break.

6. At mid-day, complete ¼ - ½ hour exercise (walking, up/down stairs). Eat a small meal, preferably of protein/carbohydrates in combination.

7. Between 2-4 pm, your body wants to rest. Use the time for tasks that do not demand intense, focused attention. A ¼ hour power nap or music brake will lead back to 1 ½ - 2 hours of alertness and focus.

Other tips

· Spend at least 50 percent of telephone time standing and moving. If your day consists of keyboard activities arrange for a similar split (ergonomically designed).

· Recovery breaks can include walking, stretching, laughing or calling loved ones.

· Later, your exercise (pre-meal) should include ¼ - ½ hour of interval exercise followed by 5-10 minutes of stretching.

· Eat a light meal (preferably low-fat) with the family.

· Create family time … uninterrupted, focused listening, talking, communicating.

· Participate in non-work related creative hobbies

· Snack on carbohydrates only

· Begin sleep ritual …shower, read, TV, whatever and be asleep by 11:00 pm.

“Management Style”

· You can be a leader …OR… you can be liked! You pick.

· There is no end to human and organizational misery when, above all, the boss wants to be liked. Even when you are charming, thoughtful and intelligent, misery can be profound.

· Rival interests cannot be resolved by someone who wants to be liked.

· Committee-itis sets in and consensus does not follow. Then the bad decisions start.

· A leader, on the other hand, makes good decisions …even when they are tough choices. A leader may not be liked, but is respected. And, this avoids fostering relationship friction.

· How do you determine how to evaluate leaders and likables? Look for “I don’t envy what decisions she had to make”; “He was fair”; “The firm was better off in the end”; “I did not like him, but what he did was long overdue.”

· Avoid “She received some criticism, but still has a lot of friends here”; “He is a great guy, that’s all I can say”.