Saturday, February 09, 2008
Handling tough meetings...
How to make a tough meeting a win
Marshall Goldsmith: Well, the first thing is: Shut up and listen. Don't prove the other person is wrong. If you disagree, it's OK. You just say, "You believe X, I believe Y. We disagree." Don't get angry. Don't get emotional, don't personalize the dialogue. And focus on what you can change, not what you cannot change.Is the person your peer, your boss, whatever. If the person is your boss, just say, "Boss, you did X." The boss says, "I want you to do Y." Say, "OK, here's why I did X." You present your case, you try to sell. Your boss says, "I still want you to do Y. Let's talk about how to make Y work."
If it's your peer, then you have to figure out, well, is this the battle I want to fight with my peer? Is it important, is it meaningful or not? If it's a big deal, you know what? Then fight the battle. If it's not a big deal, take a deep breath and let it go.
Whatever happens, though, you go to that meeting...peace. And you try to walk out of that meeting just to achieve results. You don't turn the meeting into a contest about who's smarter or better than the other person.
Winning in business
Succeed more by winning less
You didn't get this far at work without picking up a few bad habits. Lose them, says top executive coach Marshall Goldsmith.
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| Executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith |
(Money Magazine) -- You can think of executive coach Marshall Goldsmith's job as a kind of workplace public service: He teaches bosses how to stop being jerks. It's a growth business.
The introduction to his book "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" (a No. 1 business bestseller last year) is crowded with quotes from corporate brass - including the CEOs of Ford, Herman Miller and GlaxoSmithKline - testifying to the transformations he wrought on colleagues whose prickly, overbearing or blustery personal styles threatened to stunt their careers and drive away talented underlings.
The Goldsmith cure starts with something like a ritual act of atonement in which the errant manager seeks feedback from his staff about his shortcomings, apologizes and then asks for their help in getting better. Learning what coworkers really think tends to shock the exec into reforming. If it doesn't, Goldsmith's own relentlessly cheerful and studiously nonjudgmental chiding generally finishes the job.
In a recent interview with Money Magazine managing editor Eric Schurenberg, Goldsmith discussed how high achievers can make life more pleasant for all around them - and in the process, improve their own career prospects.
Question: You're usually dealing with top executives. If they're already that successful, why do they need your help?
A. All my clients are intelligent, successful people, just like your readers. But that makes them that much more likely to fall for what I call the success delusion. It goes like this: "I am successful. I behave this way. Therefore, I am successful because I behave this way."
Wrong. You succeed because you do many things right and in spite of a few things you do that are stupid. I've never met anyone so wonderful he had nothing on the "in spite of" list. The problem with the success delusion is that it's superstitious. Any person - any animal, for that matter - will keep doing whatever receives positive reinforcement. If you think you're being rewarded for the stupid things too, you'll keep doing them, even though they hurt your career and make your co-workers miserable.
Question: What stupid things do smart people do?
A. The No. 1 bad habit is, they win too much. It is very hard for them not to win. If it's important, they want to win. If it's trivial, they still want to win. Even if it's not worth it, they want to win anyway.
Question: What's a workplace example?
A. Let's say I'm your enthusiastic subordinate and I report to you with a great idea. Rather than saying "Great idea," you say "Nice idea, why don't you add this?" What happens? The quality of my idea may go up 5 percent, but my commitment to it may now go down 50 percent. It's no longer my idea! You won - you got to show off how smart you are - but it wasn't worth it.
Question: So what should you say when someone pitches an idea?
A. Say "Thank you!" That's all. Let's assume I'm that enthusiastic subordinate again and I give you three ideas. To the first you say "Great idea!" Second: "That's interesting." Third: nothing.
What message did you give me? A, C, F. Are you listening to my ideas or grading them? And what have I learned? From now on I'm going to give you only the ideas I think you want to hear, which may be the last ones you need to hear.
Question: Okay, so how can subordinates manage up better?
A. There's one basic concept that people don't get. If they did, it would save a lot of misery. It's this: Every decision is made by the person who has the power to make it. Not the smartest person, not the prettiest or the best, but the one who has the power.
You can influence that person, but you have to think like a salesperson. Sell what you can sell. If there's no chance to sell an idea, don't bring it up. Focus on the bigger picture, not your own needs. Prepare for objections. If you sell it, great. If you don't, make peace with the decision. And if that decision doesn't require you to do something illegal, immoral or unethical, just salute the flag and go make it work.
Question: If you had to choose one piece of advice that would help people achieve more happiness on the job, what would it be?
A. Imagine that you're 95 years old, on your deathbed. But before you take that last breath, you get a wonderful gift: the ability to go back in time and talk to the younger you who's reading this story right now and help that younger you have a better career and, more important, a better life.
What would that wise 95-year-old tell you to do? Now listen closely because this is the best bit of career coaching you're ever going to get: Whatever you think that 95-year-old would urge you to do, do it. Starting now. When the time comes, you want that 95-year-old to be proud of you. If he says you were a success, you were.
Trust me, of all the performance appraisals you'll ever have, that's the only one that really matters.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Travel Troubles?.....
How to complain when things go wrong
Say something—but the right way. Experts and readers weigh in
By Laura MacNeil
By Laura MacNeil
There's nothing new here if you're a seasoned traveler, but all of the advice is practical; it seems effective and worth keeping in mind.
Stage one: When it happens
Act quickly
Say you're at a hotel and the air-conditioning is feeble or a lightbulb is out. Contact the front desk immediately. If the representative can't or won't remedy the situation, place a call to the company's toll-free customer-service number or, better yet, the frequent-guest rewards program (you did join, right?). When a Holiday Inn in Salem, Va., told Michaelene McWhinney, a BT reader from Greensburg, Pa., that it was out of hangers, McWhinney got in touch with Priority Club customer service. "We had hangers delivered to us within an hour," she says.
Control your emotions
"I can tell you that, hands down, being polite and reasonable when you complain will get you the farthest," says an airline reservation agent who prefers to remain anonymous. "My coworkers and I often talk about how we dig our heels in when someone talks down to us, screams, swears, or threatens us." Bear in mind that you want action, not simply a chance to vent. "If customer-service employees think there's nothing they can do to make you happy, they won't bother," says David Rowell, publisher of The Travel Insider Web site.
The goal is to be firm and clear, without coming off as insulting or aggressive. Maintain your cool throughout all correspondence: Reps will be noting in your record how you behave, so there's little use in turning on the charm after a history of tirades.
Build a case
Keep track of the names of anyone you speak with and the chronology of events. Hold onto receipts, estimates, confirmation numbers, and brochures. You never know when the info will come in handy. Simply noting what the rep was wearing can help. If the behavior of a Continental Airlines staffer is in question, for instance, the airline will want to know if he or she was wearing a red jacket, which distinguishes customer-service representatives from other personnel.
Companies say that having photos to accompany your complaint is unnecessary, and probably won't affect their final decision. If it comes down to your word versus an employee's, however, the right photo just might tilt the outcome in your favor. Certainly, no company wants a photograph painting it in a bad light circulated on a Web site or anywhere else.
Stage two: When there's no quick fix
Take a smart approach
If you used a travel agency, it should work as your advocate before, during, and after the trip. But the responsibility of badgering a company often falls to the customer. While corresponding with a company by letter or e-mail is time-consuming, calling can be frustrating in a different way—you may have to repeat the same story as you're passed along from one employee to another. Often, the issue isn't resolved with a single call.
Include relevant facts
Don't give the company an excuse for dragging its feet in making a decision. Always include your name, address, and phone number, as well as the reservation number, how the reservation was made, and the dates and places involved. You don't have to write a cohesive essay; bullet points will do the job fine.
Try flattery
It never hurts to note the great experiences you've previously had with the company. If you're a member of that company's rewards program, say so. "Mention the overall business you've given them," says BT reader Marie Wilson, of San Carlos, Calif. "If you've logged 50,000 miles with an airline or stayed a lot of nights at that hotel chain, the company will want to know."
Be open-minded about compensation
"I let the agent come up with a solution, rather than demand something specific," says Lesley Woodward, a reader from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. "His or her offer is sometimes better than I could imagine. If it isn't acceptable, I ask for alternatives." Most companies are extremely reluctant to hand out cash. "If your flight is overbooked, you can ask for a ticket on the next flight out and an upgrade," says Chicago reader Concetta Phillipps. Discounts and vouchers for future bookings with the company are also fairly easy to come by.
Stage three: Following up
Be persistent
Whenever you're not satisfied, press your case with someone else. Call back and try your luck with a different representative, or ask to speak to a supervisor. "If there's nothing else that the manager can offer, ask for the name and number of the district manager," says BT reader Ruthann Galarza of Milwaukee.
Go public
Newspaper travel sections and Budget Travel and other travel magazines want to hear about consumer experiences—especially instances of fraud. They can sometimes shame a company into giving you what you want.
File a complaint with consumer-affairs departments or, in the case of airlines, the Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The agencies are rarely able to intercede, but at least there will be an official record of your dissatisfaction. If you want to warn other travelers, post a note at a user-review site like Epinions or TripAdvisor. The companies we spoke to say such entries don't make a difference in how they resolve complaints. Many companies won't even admit to looking at these sites—which is silly, because potential customers certainly are.
Act quickly
Say you're at a hotel and the air-conditioning is feeble or a lightbulb is out. Contact the front desk immediately. If the representative can't or won't remedy the situation, place a call to the company's toll-free customer-service number or, better yet, the frequent-guest rewards program (you did join, right?). When a Holiday Inn in Salem, Va., told Michaelene McWhinney, a BT reader from Greensburg, Pa., that it was out of hangers, McWhinney got in touch with Priority Club customer service. "We had hangers delivered to us within an hour," she says.
Control your emotions
"I can tell you that, hands down, being polite and reasonable when you complain will get you the farthest," says an airline reservation agent who prefers to remain anonymous. "My coworkers and I often talk about how we dig our heels in when someone talks down to us, screams, swears, or threatens us." Bear in mind that you want action, not simply a chance to vent. "If customer-service employees think there's nothing they can do to make you happy, they won't bother," says David Rowell, publisher of The Travel Insider Web site.
The goal is to be firm and clear, without coming off as insulting or aggressive. Maintain your cool throughout all correspondence: Reps will be noting in your record how you behave, so there's little use in turning on the charm after a history of tirades.
Build a case
Keep track of the names of anyone you speak with and the chronology of events. Hold onto receipts, estimates, confirmation numbers, and brochures. You never know when the info will come in handy. Simply noting what the rep was wearing can help. If the behavior of a Continental Airlines staffer is in question, for instance, the airline will want to know if he or she was wearing a red jacket, which distinguishes customer-service representatives from other personnel.
Companies say that having photos to accompany your complaint is unnecessary, and probably won't affect their final decision. If it comes down to your word versus an employee's, however, the right photo just might tilt the outcome in your favor. Certainly, no company wants a photograph painting it in a bad light circulated on a Web site or anywhere else.
Stage two: When there's no quick fix
Take a smart approach
If you used a travel agency, it should work as your advocate before, during, and after the trip. But the responsibility of badgering a company often falls to the customer. While corresponding with a company by letter or e-mail is time-consuming, calling can be frustrating in a different way—you may have to repeat the same story as you're passed along from one employee to another. Often, the issue isn't resolved with a single call.
Include relevant facts
Don't give the company an excuse for dragging its feet in making a decision. Always include your name, address, and phone number, as well as the reservation number, how the reservation was made, and the dates and places involved. You don't have to write a cohesive essay; bullet points will do the job fine.
Try flattery
It never hurts to note the great experiences you've previously had with the company. If you're a member of that company's rewards program, say so. "Mention the overall business you've given them," says BT reader Marie Wilson, of San Carlos, Calif. "If you've logged 50,000 miles with an airline or stayed a lot of nights at that hotel chain, the company will want to know."
Be open-minded about compensation
"I let the agent come up with a solution, rather than demand something specific," says Lesley Woodward, a reader from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. "His or her offer is sometimes better than I could imagine. If it isn't acceptable, I ask for alternatives." Most companies are extremely reluctant to hand out cash. "If your flight is overbooked, you can ask for a ticket on the next flight out and an upgrade," says Chicago reader Concetta Phillipps. Discounts and vouchers for future bookings with the company are also fairly easy to come by.
Stage three: Following up
Be persistent
Whenever you're not satisfied, press your case with someone else. Call back and try your luck with a different representative, or ask to speak to a supervisor. "If there's nothing else that the manager can offer, ask for the name and number of the district manager," says BT reader Ruthann Galarza of Milwaukee.
Go public
Newspaper travel sections and Budget Travel and other travel magazines want to hear about consumer experiences—especially instances of fraud. They can sometimes shame a company into giving you what you want.
File a complaint with consumer-affairs departments or, in the case of airlines, the Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The agencies are rarely able to intercede, but at least there will be an official record of your dissatisfaction. If you want to warn other travelers, post a note at a user-review site like Epinions or TripAdvisor. The companies we spoke to say such entries don't make a difference in how they resolve complaints. Many companies won't even admit to looking at these sites—which is silly, because potential customers certainly are.
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