Personal Note From Anne:

When Others Shrink You Go Big

I attended the ASTD Conference (American Society for Training & Development) this year for the first time. I wanted to see what it was like and how people interacted, what sessions they attend and what booths they visit. What I saw so far in many ways surprised me.

Two things surprised me:

1. Out of over 300 exhibitors only 4 are doing interactive talk sessions with chairs for their audience.
2. In almost 80% of the booths the giveaways are pens, paper, highlighters, mints or candy.

Now I am sure they are all reacting to the economy so they may be going to stripped down versions for their booths thinking, "well at least I am still one of the people in the game, getting a booth."

Here are the errors in that thinking:
It is not enough to just show up today. Now is the time to differentiate and dominate in business. People who invested to attend this convention need a WOW in their life so give them one

Unique gifts that get people talking about you and create excitement are critical right now. Things like waterproof cell phone holders that clip on your belt are worthwhile. Be the one that everyone says, "get to their booth right away because they may run out."

Lesson to you: Make what your company gives away equal to the value of your product or service. So in other words, if you are a high end product company have a high end give away.

Be interactive. Now is not the time to stand behind a booth and wait for people to come to you. Now is the time to excite, energize, and explore with people on how to make their life better. So it is not enough to just "show up." Now is the time to smash your market open.

Lesson to you: when all others pull back you push ahead.

A study was done that found that companies that INCREASED their advertising during our last recession achieved a 256% growth over the last 10 years. They also found that all companies that cut their advertising budgets during lean times came struggled through the recession and most lost tremendous market share or disappeared altogether.

So now is your time to be aggressive. Reinvest in being the best and dominating your market. Because as I saw at this convention, most companies are pulling back to "just enough" when your clients want the "WOW."

-Anne

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Quotable Quotes

“Personal development is the belief that you are worth the effort, time and energy needed to develop yourself. It gives you permission to invest in yourself so you can develop your own potential.”

- Denis Waitley

Outcome Focus^® Solution

How can I deal with arrogant "my way or the highway" type of people?

Situation:

Anne, I recently had to meet with a client that would not consider any new ideas regarding cost effectiveness other than their own. To me it seemed like they were just being stubborn and not taking me seriously.

Outcome Desired:

There is nothing so frustrating as sitting across from a person who makes you feel insignificant. So let me give you some ways to deal with people who make you feel it is "their way or the highway."

Other Person's Perspective:

First of all, you need to realize that there are two types of individuals that fall into this category. The first type is the individual who feels insecure and therefore clings to their position of dominance over you. The second type is the Producer. Producers like to have facts and information delivered in a concise manner, to look at two or three options, and then make an informed decision.

Therefore, a Producer, if they've done the research prior to meeting with you, will have very little patience in listening to multiple choices. Instead, they will want you to give a direct answer that fits with the solution they already have in their mind.

How to Handle:

Each type needs to be handled differently.

Let's take the person who feels insecure. In this situation, you want to do whatever you can to promote a more cooperative environment. There is a way to do this. The "my way or the highway" is not meant to make you feel inferior, but is really designed to make them feel good about themselves. So if you're able to make them feel good about themselves in another way, this will allow them to let go of having to be righteous or have their own way.

If you are talking about a sales situation, you need to realize that their insecurity is what's causing them to come off as arrogant. Therefore, your goal should be to help them feel more informed and knowledgeable during their interaction with you. If you go into immediate attack mode with this person, they will shut down and keep you out.

If you are in a sales situation with a Producer, it is best to ask direct questions that allows them to share the information they've gathered. For example, "Jessica, it sounds like you've done a lot of research in this area and have a fairly good idea of what you want. Since you have done so much work, let me ask you a few questions so we can focus on your direct needs." Whatever you do, make sure you keep your presentation and interaction brief and to the point. With this individual, it's also best to ask assumptive close questions. Assumptive close questions are ones that infer what the other individual is thinking..

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Lighting your way with new perspectives!

Conflicts in the Workplace: Top 10 Workplace Dysfunctions - And How to TERMINATE Them

by Roxanne Emmerich

The dysfunctional workplace is a killer. Untreated it will kill off your customer base, your profits, and your joy for living as surely as anything.

As managers, leaders and top executives within your organization you've got to kill the conflicts in your workplace first before dysfunction takes hold.

The Top Ten Workplace Conflicts That Disrupt Organizations - and the Cure for Each

No. 1: No teamwork

The best managers lead a team – not just a group of individual employees. If you have employees at odds and you show no desire to fix it then you are leading your organization to a disaster.

So, make sure that the most direct supervisor meets with those involved in a workplace conflict to learn what it will take to resolve it and to secure a firm commitment to do so. Don't forget to spell out immediate consequences in the event of failure.

No. 2: Saying one thing and meaning another.

If you have an employee with a pattern of saying, "But what I meant was...", call them on it. Requiring the offender to have all communications checked for clarity for a period of time usually nips this in the bud fast.

No. 3: Giving lip service to new ideas then undercutting them in private.

You'll want to enlist everyone's help in keeping this workplace conflict out. Make it clear that dissenting opinions are welcomed during decision making, but that once a decision is made, undercutting will not be tolerated.

No. 4: Defensiveness at reasonable suggestions.

As a manager, it is your responsibility to let your team know that you consider a willingness to improve to be one of the hallmarks of a person with a bright future in your company. Defensiveness should be viewed as what it is - an unwillingness to improve one's self.

No. 5: Attraction to chaos.

Pot stirring is a violation of principles and a threat to productivity. Counterbalance the pleasure they get from drama with a greater measure of negative consequences.

No. 6: Not following through on commitments.

Let your team know that they are expected to acknowledge errors and make a commitment to clean up every last bit of the resulting mess.

No. 7: Deflecting blame.

Deflecting blame equals deflecting responsibility. Make it clear that the only acceptable behavior is acceptance of responsibility and (as above) quick work to clean up the mess.

No. 8: People pretending like they "never got the memo."

If there was no breakdown in the actual system, make it clear that the employee is responsible for consistently accessing internal communications like memos and emails so that he is never again "out of the loop."

No. 9: Refusing to deal with conflict directly.

Conflict resolution is an essential part of a manager's job. Performance reviews can and should count disruptive interpersonal conflicts against managers on whose watch they occur.

No. 10: Gossiping and backstabbing.

Once you establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person's back, give your people permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. And make it clear that giving or receiving gossip is not acceptable.

You may have noticed a refrain coming back again and again in this advice: Make it clear. Once you've made the determination to purge your workplace of dysfunctional behavior, your greatest ally and most powerful tool will be clarity. Follow the advice in this article and in my new book "Thank God It's Monday" and you will terminate all workplace conflicts and improve your organization's productivity.

Roxanne Emmerich is the author of Thank God It’s Monday: How to Build a Motivating Workplace and is listed by Sales and Marketing Management magazine as being one of the top 10 most requested speakers in the country. She helps organizations revitalize their passion to be extraordinary. Roxanne can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 800-236-5885.