Word-Of-the-Week #690: Promotion

October 26, 2017 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #690: Promotion 

Promotion – being raised to a higher position.

Are you working for a company that you want to stay with? Is your ambition to move up to a higher position? What are you doing to achieve that?

This week is Part 1 of the Baltimore Sun article by Jeff Haden Inc. Magazine “Path to Promotion: What one co-founder looks for when promoting employees.”

One of the most common questions that ambitious employees ask their boss — along with “Can I get a raise?” — is “What can I do to get promoted?”

For some bosses, the answer to getting promoted is obvious:

Complete important tasks, gain a certain amount of experience or simply be the next in line. Other people, like HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah, take a different approach. When it comes to getting promoted, Shah focuses on the employee’s attitude.

His reasoning is simple. Attitude informs action. Attitude informs behavior. Attitude is the driving force behind every achievement, accomplishment and success.

Shah’s criteria have validity outside his company. Here’s what he wants to see employees do:

  1. Be a servant of others, not yourself.

People never accomplish anything worthwhile by themselves. That’s why great teammates make everyone around them better.

Great leaders provide the tools, training and culture to help their employees do their jobs better and achieve their own goals.

Great companies serve their customers first; they know that by serving their customers they ultimately serve the interests of their business.

The employee who’s only in it for himself will someday be by himself. The employee in it for others may not get all the limelight, but the right people definitely notice.

  1. Be humble, not arrogant.

Arrogant people think they know everything; humble people are always learning. Humble people ask questions. Humble people ask for help.

Humble people automatically share credit because they instinctively know that every effort, no matter how seemingly individual, is a team effort.

Humble people are willing to take on any job, no matter how menial, because no job is beneath them, and in the process they prove that no job is above them.

  1. Be optimistic, not pessimistic.

Optimists add energy; pessimists drain away energy. Optimists try more things and take more (intelligent) risks simply because they’re focused on what can go right. Pessimists never get started because they’re too busy thinking about what might go wrong.

Best of all, optimism is infectious.

This week’s focus is on promotion. Are you a good team player? Are you willing to take on any job? How would your teammates rate your energy and optimism level?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

Filed under: Word Of the Week
Tagged:

Word-Of-the-Week #689: Truth

October 19, 2017 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #689: Truth 

Truth – sincerity; genuineness; honesty.

How important is it for you to have a solid reputation? Have you ever lied to conceal a mistake? How willing are you to accept the consequences of your actions?

Last week’s WOW spurred finding “Honesty: The Plain and Simple Truth” by Frank Sonnenberg. And I am sharing excerpts from his blog.

“What would happen if lying were the norm? Spouses wouldn’t be able to trust one another; leaders wouldn’t be credible; and the news would be meaningless. Everything, and I mean everything, depends on honesty. That’s why it’s so critical to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The truth is . . . we can’t build relationships if we mistrust what friends say; we won’t follow leaders if we mistrust what they do; and we can’t make good decisions if we doubt the accuracy of the information that we receive. Absent truth, instead of taking action, we’d spend our time looking over other people’s shoulders, second-guessing their intent, and unraveling the facts from the falsehoods. The result is that trust is shattered, reputations are damaged, and suspicion rules the day.

So, why do people lie? The reasons are countless. People lie to make themselves look better, steal the credit, cover up poor performance, conceal mistakes, deflect the blame, protect their reputations, and deceive and manipulate people. Regardless of the motive, the ultimate results are the same. As someone once said, “The worst thing about being lied to is knowing you’re not worth the truth.”

Any way you cut it, when people distort the truth, they put their credibility at risk, while lowering their personal standards of honesty. Remember, BIG or small  . . . a lie is a lie. Furthermore, a lie repeated many times doesn’t change the truth. Additionally, one or many believers don’t determine the truth or untruth. There’s no excuse for dishonesty. None. As someone once said, “The truth doesn’t cost anything, but a lie could cost you everything.”

The truth shouldn’t be told only when it’s convenient. Honesty must be a way of life. Honesty means that you care deeply about trust, cherish your relationships, and value the importance of a solid reputation. Honesty means that you try to do your best and are willing to accept the consequences of your actions. Honesty means that you respect others enough to tell them the truth and that you value your opinion of yourself enough to never live a lie. As the saying goes, “It’s simple. Never lie to someone who trusts you, and never trust someone who lies to you.” That’s why it’s critical to always tell the truth — or the truth will tell on you. Honest.”

And boy did that last quote hit home! I don’t trust anyone that I have caught lying. And that lasts forever because you never forget.

This week is all about truth. How easy is it for you to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth? How important is it that people trust you? Have you ever caught anyone telling a lie? And how did that make you feel?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

Filed under: Word Of the Week
Tagged:

FUN-photos: Seabourn St. Lawrence Seaway Cruise – 10 days

October 14, 2017 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Seabourn St. Lawrence Seaway Cruise – 10 days 

We boarded our ship in Boston for the 10 day cruise to the St. Lawrence Seaway just as the remnants of Hurricane Jose hit the east coast.

  • 1st stop – Beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine & Commanding Cadillac Mountain in the Acadia National Park with its awesome views.
  • 2nd stop – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada & picturesque Peggy’s Cove with its brightly painted wooden buildings & famous red & white lighthouse.
  • 3rd stop – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island & the central coastal loop with its rolling farm fields, white sand beaches & grassy dunes on the north, & the south that leads to red clay cliffs.
  • 4th stop – Baie-Comeau with its balmy 54 degrees & strong wind gusts made for a very short stroll.
  • 5th stop – Saguenay Fjord ranked among the 16 must-see world attractions by National Geographic & stops at 2 of the “most beautiful villages” in Québec.
  • 6th stop – Quaint Québec with its walled city & narrow cobblestone streets to magnificent Montmorency Falls with its cliff top footpath to the suspended bridge.

Last stop – Amazing Montréal where we spent 2 days exploring the Old City & enjoying the eye-popping art work that adorned the downtown.

Filed under: FUN-photos
Tagged: , ,

FUN-photos: Niagara Falls & New England Fall Foliage – 10 days

October 13, 2017 by · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Niagara Falls & New England Fall Foliage – 10 days 

1st stop Niagara Falls – making it official that we have now been to the top 3 water falls in the world Niagara, Iguazu & Victoria together. Then it was on to lovely Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada via the picturesque Niagara River Parkway where stately country homes & vineyards vie for your attention.

  • Our 2nd stop was 3 delightful days with Don & Steve, cruise mates from our 2013 South America trip, in Boston & the Berkshires.

Then we headed north to Woodstock, Vermont & on to North Conway, New Hampshire, via the Kancamagus Highway in search of fall color & covered bridges.

  • Our last stop was Rockport, MA before we returned to Boston for our cruise.

Filed under: FUN-photos
Tagged: , ,

Word-Of-the-Week #688: Sorry

October 12, 2017 by · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #688: Sorry 

Sorry – feeling or expressing regret, especially for a misdeed or mistake.

Have you ever felt guilt or remorse because you didn’t do the right thing? How good are you at owning up to a mistake? How quick are you to apologize for a misdeed?

Once again Neil Senturia has written a great article, “How do so many CEOs get apologies wrong?” “I believe in second chances. It is one of the reasons that I spend time teaching entrepreneurship in the prison system.

My experience with the inmates is that the vast majority exhibit a deep sense of remorse; they both understand and can say that they are sorry. If they had it to do over again, they would not make that stupid, destructive, even deadly decision. They have looked at their own world and the world of their victim and they have said, “I am sorry.” And now they ask for forgiveness.

But what about our world? How do we apologize? How do we say I am sorry? For some insight, I turned to Arthur Collins Jr., former chairman and CEO of Medtronic.

Collins says, “Surprisingly, it is more of a rare occurrence when leaders own up and say, ‘listen, I’m sorry.’ ” He cites examples where the honest apology enhances the reputation of the individual, but it is not the norm. Mostly, leaders view the apology as a sign of weakness. For further examples on this topic, please study the current administration in Washington, D.C.

An example of an unhelpful apology (the diesel emissions-gate scandal) was issued by Michael Horn, head of Volkswagen Group of America, who said, “Our company was dishonest … we totally screwed up. We have to make things right … we are committed to do what must be done.” But before finally taking the fall, Horn first blamed the software engineers, saying they acted on their own. Six months later, he was fired.

Rather than go with the honest apology early, he chose to try the slip and slide. And he got caught. The reason people try to dodge the bullet is they think they can get away with it. Gary Becker, Nobel prize-winning economist, says that “criminal behavior is rational”; it is like parking illegally and not getting a ticket — the potential benefits outweigh the potential costs.

Collins advises that if you are going to apologize, do it quickly and sincerely. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Now I need to pause here. What fascinates me is that everyone knows this rule — everyone from the age of 3 knows that fessing up is the best policy — so my question is: Why do so many people in high places get it wrong?

Look at the Tylenol contamination incident of 1982. James Burke, CEO, took personal responsibility, launched a nationwide recall immediately, (he did not wait to be challenged or found prevaricating, he just did it), returned to the market with tamper-proof lids and reclaimed 30 percent of the worldwide market (which had gone to 7 percent after the recall). Then Collins makes the comparison to Travis Kalanick, Uber co-founder, who was unable to apologize until the day the board removed him.

It seems the initial response is usually to try to cover it up or make up a bogus story. But today, in the age of social media, the ability to “tough it out” is essentially zero. There are cameras and recording devices everywhere. A lie lasts about a minute before it is challenged somewhere, somehow by someone.

Exxon CEO Lawrence Rawl (the Valdez spill) and BP CEO Anthony Hayward (Deepwater Horizon spill) got fired for delay, obfuscation and lack of compassion. This characteristic, namely the ability to quickly acknowledge your error, is a key component for a CEO. Avoid selective and partial disclosure. Transparency should prevail. In the case of the honest mistake, I want to be quick with the apology and beg for forgiveness.

But clearly, I am not giving a pass to fraud, deceit and dishonesty. In those instances, saying you are sorry may be nice, even therapeutic, but the bottom line is indelible — you lied.

In a final analysis I turn from commerce to religion and the Talmud, which states that God created repentance before he created the universe. The personal apology comes from a desire to relieve ourselves from a guilty conscience (you violated a moral norm) as well as a desire to restore some self-respect. An apology turns the shame of the offense and redirects it to yourself. Therein you give the offended the power to forgive, which is a gift most of us cannot refuse. I am continually astounded when the victim’s family forgives the person who committed the crime. I would hope I could do the same.”

Rule No. 526:  “Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Gandhi

This week focus on the times you felt sorry for something you did. Did you try to cover it up or blame someone else? Does making an apology seem like a sign of weakness? How quick are you to forgive someone when they make a mistake?

I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.

Filed under: Word Of the Week
Tagged:

Next Page »