Are you nonverbally illiterate?

  

Don’t laugh, you read the question correctly. Are your words in sync with your body language? Were you aware that a person’s true strengths and weaknesses can be revealed by their body language? Carol Kinsey Goman, executive coach and management consultant, shares extensive research in her book, The Silent Language of Leaders – How Body Language Can Help – or Hurt – How You Lead and proves conclusively that nonverbal signals can make or break a leader’s success.

As a leader, you are always “on stage.” Employees watch as you walk around the office, they watch you in the lunch room, they watch the speed of your gait as you enter offices and close doors, and they watch you standing casually near open doors chit-chatting and issuing orders. Are you aware that people scrutinize your every movement? Perhaps, in an effort to become more aware of your behaviors and interactions, you should pretend that you are a Hollywood celebrity and your employees are members of the paparazzi. This may force you to think twice before shouting at an employee in front of others, before you cross your arms as you look at a group of employees, or before you look all over and avoid eye contact with people.

According to Goman, there are five mistakes people make when reading body language:

[1] People don’t consider the context – depending on the context (time of day, location, relationships, past experiences, etc.), the same nonverbal signals can have totally different meanings.

[2] People find meaning in a single gesture – if one person leans against a podium when giving a presentation, he may be tired, whereas, another person may simply be bored.

[3] People don’t know your baseline – one person may avoid eye contact but still be paying attention.

[4] People evaluate through their filter of personal biases – if you meet someone who resembles a favorite relative, that person may immediately like you, or not.

[5] People evaluate through their filter of cultural biases – behaviors may not be right or wrong – just different than what we are accustomed to (for instance, women are not invited to shake hands in some cultures – and in the United States, that would not be acceptable).

According to Goman, there are six body language guidelines for negotiators:

[1] Since people form an opinion of you within the first 7 seconds, be aware of this fact and use it to your advantage (i.e., smile, have a great attitude, and show interest).

[2] Initiate a great handshake (maintain eye contact and smile – useful tip for strong men: don’t, under any circumstance, use super-human strength to attempt to break the other person’s hand – most women find this painful, unnecessary, and immediately lose respect for men who do this).

[3] Continue to build rapport (maintain positive eye contact, lean forward, use head nods of encouragement, smile when appropriate, and mirror the other person’s body postures in a subtle manner).

[4] Display confidence and be positive.

[5] Defuse a strong argument with alignment – sitting or standing shoulder to shoulder facing the same direction.

[6] Make a positive final impression – stand tall and shake hands warmly.

With the increased dependence on technology, people use email, texting, webinars, and social media as opposed to in-person meetings. But with video conferencing and podcasting, people can still feel as if they are in the same room together. However, the conference call has not changed much over the years – it is still a tool that creates some confusion because people cannot see you. 

Here are six tips for conference calls:

[1] Modulate your voice – avoid a monotone and enunciate clearly.

[2] Stay focused – don’t shuffle papers, send emails, or let your gaze wander aimlessly.

[3] Stand – if possible, it will give your voice more energy and conviction.

[4] Smile while you talk.

[5] Keep it short – keep statements short and ask for feedback.

[6] Follow an agenda.

The concept of MBWA was introduced, which translates to "management by walking around." Leaders: how often do you take time to walk around your office and talk to employees? Employees: how often do you encounter your president or other members of senior management walking around the office talking to people they pass in the hall? MBWA creates accessibility, which can be, and is, priceless to employees.

According to Goman, “When properly used, body language can be your key to greater success. It can help you develop positive business relationships, influence and motivate the people who report to you, improve productivity, bond with members of your team, present your ideas with more impact, work effectively in a multicultural world, and project your personal brand of charisma. It’s a ‘secret weapon’ that many great leaders have learned to use to their advantage. Now you can too!”

To learn more, visit Carol’s site: http://www.ckg.com

Follow Carol on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CGoman

Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Kinsey-Goman-PhD/105398069543578?sk=wall

A Tale of Sandwiches and Customer Service

   

While channel surfing one weekend evening a few weeks ago, I stopped on an episode of Undercover Boss. I had not watched the show before, so I thought, during summer reruns, I might as well give the show a chance. In this particular episode, a member of the leadership team of Subway (the 14 billion dollar sandwich empire with 33,000 restaurants in 93 countries) was going “undercover” at several locations around the country.

Don Fertman, the Chief Development Officer, worked hard to become a “sandwich artist” at a restaurant in Auburn (Alabama), the Science Center in Orlando (Florida), and a church in Buffalo (New York). While his attempts were often amusing, he was dedicated to learning "the Subway way" to bake cookies, make sandwiches, and welcome customers.

After the undercover assignments had been completed, Fertman shared his experiences with his leadership team back at the corporate headquarters. New ideas were proposed, and new programs were created. He then brought the people he had met while undercover to HQ. He gave some money for scholarships for some family members as well as some additional funding so that a restaurant could be started in a second church.

When Fertman was asked, “What is your biggest challenge,” he responded, “Making Subway a household word in every country where we’re located.” While that’s a laudable goal, there’s a problem.

After the show, I thought I would visit a Subway in Los Angeles to see if the same dedication was evident. I visited a restaurant at approximately 1pm in the afternoon on a weekday. From the moment I entered, I knew Don Fertman had never visited this location! Two employees behind the sandwich bar were talking to each other – totally ignoring customers. I had to request the specific items for my sandwich three times before the “sandwich artist” bothered to look at me, make eye contact, and pay attention. When I asked for cheese, he said there was no cheese, but I pointed to the three types of cheese - and finally, he was forced to agree that yes, Subway did, indeed, have cheese. When I got to the register, a third employee couldn’t understand why I didn’t want any drink or cookies. She asked me more than once to choose a drink and a cookie. After I paid for just my sandwich, I asked for a receipt. She did not have one, so she had to re-ring everything and print a duplicate - and lucky me, I was "fortunate" to experience her disgust and poor attitude for having to deal with my request. What if I had been traveling for business and needed a receipt? As the customer, I should not have to ask for a receipt.

Once I got home (after this experience, I was no longer in the mood for the sandwich), I visited the Subway website and completed the online feedback form. About two weeks later, I received a phone call from a man who identified himself as “the owner” of the Subway restaurant that I visited. He said that the corporate office had forwarded my feedback comments to him – and he wanted me to know that he had  “spoken” to his employees.

Wait a minute! What happened with the corporate mantra about customer service? Where was the dedication to creating a positive customer experience that Don Fertman placed such a high value on? Sadly, it seems as if we are talking about two entirely different companies. The franchise concept is useless if franchises don’t abide by the guidelines and policies established by the corporate headquarters – but the corporate headquarters must also monitor the franchises very closely. I guess that the restaurant I visited should have been called Metro, not Subway. But on a more serious note, does Don Fertman care if Subway lost a customer after this TV show made Subway appear in such a positive light? It seems to me that Don Fertman needs to go back out on the road.

The Subway episode of Undercover Boss can be viewed here:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/video/?pid=qZCSCQxljkhIvxmWIaSzn5sS3ZXAKVWr

Tips to Engage Your Workforce

With more than 30 years of experience as a human resources executive, manager, and management consultant in a variety of organizational settings ranging from entrepreneurial to Fortune 100, Mark Herbert regularly shares his expertise on his blog, Twitter, and Focus. Currently, he is a Principal for New Paradigms, LLC, a management consultancy that helps companies effectively and successfully embrace change to engage their workforces. But Mark’s best business advice can be found in his book, Managing Whole People, One Man’s Journey.

If you want to transform your employees from being simply involved to being totally committed, Mark’s workforce stimulus plan, “Managing Whole People – the Process” is the roadmap to engage your workforce:

[1] Become a great listener

[2] Make time for your key employees

[3] Communicate workplace changes efficiently

[4] Walk the talk – make your actions consistent with your values

[5] Provide regular feedback

[6] Don’t hide behind email or the telephone

[7] Get feedback on you, and act on it

A memorable example emphasized job dedication. When Mark asked a supervisor who was taking a six-month sabbatical if she were interested in the job on a long-term basis, she answered yes. So Mark suggested that she “embrace the job as if she owned it” rather than going through the motions as just the job’s caretaker. How many times have we, as employees, gone through the motions of a job – only to wonder at the time of the annual review: why didn’t we receive a raise or a bonus? Now ask yourself, do you act as if you own your job each and every day? The answer might surprise you – but you shouldn’t be surprised when your next review takes place because you can make changes now.

Another example emphasized corporate culture. A man went to a hospital in Texas because he wanted to meet a famous heart surgeon. As the man left the hospital one evening during his visit, he met an elderly man who was mopping the floor. The man asked, “What do you do here at the hospital?” The elderly man replied, “Dr. DeBakey and I save lives together.” The elderly man explained that Dr. DeBakey had told all staff members that hospital infections kill more patients than disease, so the elderly man was doing his part to keep the hospital clean. Have all the employees in your company jumped on the bandwagon to support each other and work toward the same goal?

What does workforce engagement mean to you and your company? More importantly, what steps do your leadership team, management team, and human resources team all take to make sure that the culture allows for respect, responsibility, rewards, information sharing and open communication, and loyalty? If you cannot answer these questions, then you need Mark Herbert’s roadmap.

To learn more: http://www.newparadigmsllc.com

Mark’s Blog: http://newparadigmsllc.com/wordpress

Follow Mark on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/NewParadigmer

Follow Mark on Focus: http://www.focus.com/profiles/mark-herbert/public

Mark on Best Thinking: http://www.bestthinking.com & http://bit.ly/m3mXfQ

Are you undermanaged? If the answer is yes, what can you do about it?

Internationally-recognized management trainer and seminar speaker Bruce Tulgan brings the term “undermanaged” to life in his best-selling book, It’s Okay to Manage Your Boss, The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work. He defines undermanagement as “a shocking and profound epidemic that has permeated the workplace. As the opposite of micromanagement, it occurs when the vast majority of supervisory relationships between employees and their bosses lack the day-to-day engagement necessary to consistently maintain the basics of management,” which can be described as stating clear expectations, providing necessary resources, developing a routine of performance tracking, and rewarding employees when results are achieved and exceeded.

You may wonder, what creates a workplace environment where undermanagement can grow and fester? Unfortunately, there are too many people in the workplace with the title of “manager” who lack the training, knowledge, or expertise to be effective managers. As a result, these individuals fail to spell out expectations to their employees – which leads to incomplete projects followed by increased frustration levels in employees who eventually mentally check out of their jobs or quit.

Tulgan believes that the “pendulum of management thinking” is wrong and can be blamed for creating today’s undermanaged workplace. Employers are getting more and more demanding while providing less and less guidance. While employers want employees to work on their own and make their own decisions, the truth is, someone has to be held accountable. But it just doesn’t make good business sense for employees to work in their own vacuums or silos. Instead, employees need to be held accountable, and this is where “the boss – at every level – is the most important person in the workplace today.”

Here are Tulgan’s seven steps to manage your boss:

[1] The first person you have to manage every day is yourself
[2] Get in the habit of managing your boss every day
[3] Take it one boss at a time, one day at a time
[4] Make sure you understand what is expected of you
[5] Assess and plan for the resources you need
[6] Track your performance in writing every step of the way
[7] To earn greater credit and rewards, go the extra mile

While you may not be able to completely wipe out undermanagement, you may be able to improve your situation by managing your boss, which will allow you to have a long and satisfying career in your current workplace!

To learn more, visit: http://www.rainmakerthinking.com

What are others saying about the book?

http://www.rainmakerthinking.com/book_manageyourboss_praise.php

Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/brucetulgan

Become a fan on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/l41p1g

Connect on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rainmakerthinking

Need some helpful management advice that you can apply immediately to your employees and your workplace? Check out these free management tips from Bruce:

http://www.rainmakerthinking.com/bonus_management_tips.php

What have we learned from Aflac?

After thousands of people auditioned for the voice of the Aflac duck, Dan McKeague from Hugo, Minnesota, was chosen. Congratulations, Dan, and happy quacking. We have already heard his voice and seen one commercial, but what have we learned from Aflac’s marketing campaign?

First, social media and its incredible reach were at the core. Perhaps, no social media policy existed for Aflac employees, or the previous voice-over celebrity thought he didn’t have to abide by the policy. Also, who was Aflac’s social media watchdog, translation, who was tasked with the responsibility of monitoring comments shared on social media sites on behalf of Aflac or Aflac representatives? It is crucial to remember that, even if social media activities are outsourced, there must be a watchdog within a company to oversee all social media commentary.

Second, how did social media integrate with all other elements of Aflac’s marketing? Existing and prospective customers see ducks on the company’s collateral, as plush representative give-aways of the brand, and as part of television and print ads. But does the person behind the voice actually connect with these other elements? Perhaps, the new voice can be better integrated so that the quintessential quack becomes an embodiment of all marketing outreach.

And third, exposure is the name of the game, but only as long as it is handled well. This situation could easily have become the PR nightmare of the decade, but instead, it evolved into an activity featuring thousands of participants and enthusiastically watched by the insurance industry as well as the mainstream media – which generated a ton of publicity for Aflac. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the duck’s character is entertaining and charming.

So, what did you learn from this social media event, the ensuing campaign, and how Aflac handled the situation that you can apply to your business?

Click this link to watch the clever introduction of Aflac's new voice:

http://youtu.be/wYmhXns3lIs

How does your company think outside the box?

Does your company think outside the box? While I agree that the term “outside the box” is one of the most over-used expressions in the marketing world, there is much to gain by considering new ways to do business. How many of us would still depend on landlines if the technology world, and especially Steve Jobs, hadn’t thought outside the box to create the iPhone? There is no doubt that the smartphone industry would not be as evolved or competitive as it is today.

Consider how Kimberly-Clark thought outside the box (no pun intended). The Kleenex brand of tissues has become such a common household product that we have replaced it with the name of the brand. How many of us sneeze and just ask for a Kleenex?

Over the last couple of years, the Kleenex brand has made significant changes from the standard packaging that we associate with tissues and introduced seasonal products to their product line. During the spring, triangle-shaped boxes appeared in stores featuring oranges, limes, and watermelons – with the hope that these boxes would appear on picnic tables alongside real fruit. While the boxes were a different shape, they immediately appealed to female shoppers who appreciated the new approach to a typical everyday item.

Then, to celebrate the holiday season and family celebrations, four new boxes appeared in the same triangle shape and featured red velvet cake, chocolate cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, and cherry pie. As a result of the long hours that the designer spent baking, these boxes could have been placed on any dining room table alongside the most delicious of desserts.

While considered a novelty item with a slightly higher price and smaller quantity than most other tissue boxes, these unique boxes made a statement – and don’t all brands make statements? Why do people wear shirts with the Nike swoosh? Why do people drink Coca-Cola from that unique bottle? Why do people choose to fly a specific airline or drive a specific car?

So, how does your company think outside the box to improve your product or service and re-engage your customers?

To read more about these unique designs:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/business/media/09adco.html

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2010/12/6/divine-desserts.html

The Importance of Customer Service

Think about some famous brands. If a company is well-known, it is most likely known for a product or service AND excellent customer service. Some examples are Southwest Airlines and Zappos. If you think these companies sell air travel and shoes, you would be incorrect. These two companies provide customer service first and foremost – and just happen to be in the air travel and shoe industries.

From Southwest’s earliest days, it prided itself on providing a fun and festive atmosphere for customers – getting them from point A to point B at a low cost without any frills. And ever since Zappos began, its employees have thrived in a culture where they are determined to find a product for a customer – even if Zappos doesn't sell it – with the goal of creating a long-term relationship with a customer who will return to Zappos again and again. Think about your company, does it provide service that makes customers want to be repeat customers?

Customer crusader and “customer experience expert” Jeanne Bliss began her career as a customer service pioneer at the direct mail innovator Lands’ End. She then served as chief customer executive for Coldwell Banker, Allstate, Microsoft, and Mazda. As a result of her experiences, she realized that satisfied customers can promote a company even better than the company can – all you, as a company, must do is create customers who love you. In her book, I Love You More Than My Dog – Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad, Bliss provides examples that showcase how very successful companies either teach their employees to provide service and/or provide their employees with the resources or authority to create happy, satisfied, and repeat customers. The result is admirable: these companies have customers who love them and tell everyone. In today’s social media era, every company should want this type of customer.

In Bliss’ book, she shared an incredible story about how Gary Comer, the founder of Lands’ End, thanked his employees. In 1989, he built a state-of-the-art gym for his employees and unveiled the building to the employees. Once all employees had assembled near the pool, he asked them to look at the tiled wall near the pool: the names of all employees had been added to the wall.

How many companies show their gratitude for their employees in such a visible manner? Moreover, how many companies truly realize that, in order to create satisfied customers, they must create satisfied employees first? In Jeanne’s words, “If you ask 10 people in your company what your purpose is, how many answers would you receive? [And] are you [hiring] employees who are capable of delivering on your purpose?”

Beloved companies share a set of five characteristics that determine how they operate:

• They decide to believe.
• They decide with clarity of purpose.
• They decide to be there.
• They decide to be real.
• They decide to say sorry.

So, is your company beloved? Take Jeanne Bliss’ quiz. Your answers will determine the changes you need to make in order to “become a beloved and prosperous company.”

[1] Do your customers talk about your belief in them?

[2] Do your customers give you referrals?

[3] Do your customers want you in their lives?

[4] Do your customers grow your business for you?

[5] Do your customers say they love you?

[6] Do your employees feel treated like partners?

[7] Do your employees know you believe in them?

[8] Do your employees have a seat at the table?

[9] Do your employees become part of the story of your business?

[10] Do your employees have permission to impact customers’ lives?

If you create an environment where the people truly participate, you don’t need control. They know what needs to be done and they do it. And the more that people will devote themselves to your cause on a voluntary basis, a willing basis, the fewer hierarchies and control mechanisms you need. ~ Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines

For more about Jeanne Bliss, visit: http://www.customerbliss.com

Follow Jeanne on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeannebliss

Follow Jeanne on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/customerbliss

Read Jeanne’s Blog: http://blog.customerbliss.com