The question of what you can change and what you can’t is a powerful one. This notion applies to self-management, employee or staff management and client/customer management. Knowing the difference can be tricky and slippery, but is worth the effort. The basic distinction is that characteristics are built-in and cannot be changed, and that behaviors are essentially a series of choices and can be changed. Traditional or subsistence societies operated under the assumption that little or nothing could be changed by force of will. The course of events were pre-ordained or attributed to fate. In … [Read more...] about Characteristics vs. Behaviors
Customer Service and Marketing
The Point of Affirmations
When I work with clients, no matter what the service type, I always bring up the idea of affirmations, and the related concept of goal setting. I’m sometimes met with nods of agreement and familiarity. Conversely, A significant piece of my client group is very resistant to the idea, finding it to be hopelessly naïve or, worse, foolish. I have always been puzzled by this latter response, because I believe it represents despair. I now believe that this is just another skirmish in the age-old battle between free will and fatalism. Some people are ambivalent about this schism (or never thought … [Read more...] about The Point of Affirmations
Multiple Generations in the Workplace 1
For the first time, we currently have 4 distinct generations present in the American workplace. In years past, it was common to have 2 generations in short-career workplaces (such as a police or fire station), or three in an office or some manufacturing settings. With increasing lifespans, erosions of defined benefit retirement plans, and career changing decisions in mid-life, longer spans as a working individual are common. This sets up inevitable conflicts and areas of mutual disillusionment. In his book, “Sticking Points”, Haydn Shaw crisply outlines the different value systems, … [Read more...] about Multiple Generations in the Workplace 1
Selling Part 2
The last blogpost set an expanded framework for the concept of selling, as outlined by Daniel Pink in his latest book. The next section is concerned with how to be in order to get this into better shape. It’s an outline of your internal, subjective condition as it relates to moving others. Internal conditions Just like with any complex endeavor, your own mental and emotional preparations are critical for success. If you approach the idea of moving people as a new skill set to acquire, the preparation aspect becomes immediately obvious. You will also find that your skills and abilities with … [Read more...] about Selling Part 2