This past weekend I spent one day where dreams come to life, at The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This is supposed to be one of the happiest places on earth yet I noticed something strange, a lot of people were not smiling. They could not leave the stress of their everyday world outside the park.
I am sure you have noticed the change that is taking place in our society where civility and courtesy are becoming a rare commodity. When was the last time someone stopped and held open a door for you? When was the last time a store clerk smiled and did not look at you as if you were a distraction? In our fast paced world, we no longer take the time for basic politeness. We are only worried about getting what we need.
Now back to my trip to Disney World. The management of Walt Disney World has done an excellent job of training their employees, cast members, on basic public relations. Over and over I witness a simple smile and greeting from a clerk in one of the shops melt the stress from a guest’s (what they call a customer) face. By walking up and asking if they could help or just saying, “Have a great day” and smiling as the guest left an attraction changed the whole experience that day.
The more I saw this occur and the reaction it caused the more I was reminded of the important role simple courtesy plays in business and interpersonal relationships. In today’s business environment of high stress and fast paced action it is easy to lose sight of basic courtesy. We can’t afford to take the time to hold a door, give a smile, or exchange greetings. Or, can we?
A smile, a polite greeting or a simple acknowledgement that you exist can change the whole mood of a business situation. Whether you are putting together a business deal, negotiating a real estate contract, or having a simple meeting with fellow associates common courtesy will play a positive role in the outcome.
Here are a few examples.
- When you are frustrated, smile. A simple smile can change your entire outlook and help clear your thoughts.
- A smile during negotiations can make you feel and look confident especially during tense times.
- If someone is pushing you or trying to take advantage of you, smile. It can help put you back in charge and disarm them.
- If someone is being rude or obnoxious to you, smile. It can help ease the situation and soften them.
- When a sales clerk treats you like a distraction, smile and offer a greeting.
- If a co-worker is having a bad day, smile and wish them a happy day.
- When you have to counsel with an employee, smile and it will help them become more receptive to your suggestions.
I know it is hard to do and sometimes requires a lot of work but, being courteous and smiling takes a lot less effort and energy than being grumpy and argumentative. Not only that, when you smile it is easier to do things with enthusiasm and enthusiastic people are usually the ones that get ahead in life. It is true, smiling increases your face value.
I once had a mentor who always told me, “No matter what they put you doing, even shoveling s--t, smile while you are doing it. You will be noticed.” The truth is it works and people do remember you as being the person who smiles or the person who is always courteous and helpful. This is one way to win points with your boss and customers.
Being courteous and smiling brings returns in all areas of your life and business. It eases tensions and allows you to enjoy the moment. By reducing tensions you can arrive at better decisions and outcomes. It can help you maintain control of an otherwise bad situation. People like being around and doing business with courteous people.
Like the old saying goes, “Smile and the world smiles with you.”
What are some of your experiences with the power of smiling and courtesy?
Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
CYA - The Basic Rule of Leadership
While attending Florida Southern College I took a night class entitled “Industrial Psychology.” The teacher was a retired Vice President of Human Resources for a major international heavy equipment manufacturer. The very first day of class he walked into the room, went up to the blackboard and wrote in large letters “CYA”. He then told us if we did not learn anything else in his class we would learn what CYA meant.
He went on to explain that in the real world of business this is one of the most important and basic rules to success and survival. Whether you find yourself in a positive or negative position, using CYA gives you an advantage over your competition. In all areas of business you needed to CYA or Cover Your Ass.
Every class after that he would write CYA on the board and leave it up for the entire period. Then he would teach the fundamentals of industrial psychology while weaving in his own personal experiences. Throughout the class he would refer to the board and ask, "How can you apply CYA to this situation?"
When broken down CYA involves two processes.
1. Documentation
2. Follow-up
Documentation
Documentation is simply “put it in writing.” Whether it involves communication or an event, write down what was said and/or what happened. Too often not remembering exactly what happened or what was said results in a totally different outcome than what you expected.
In a conversation what was heard by one party may not be what was said by the other. Often the conversation is held in a noisy or busy area with lots of distractions. Other times the conversation is held while one or both parties are in a hurry and there is no true communication occurring.
To help avoid misunderstanding take notes during the conversation or as soon as possible after the conversation write down what was said. I have always carried a little note pad in my pocket to jot down memory notes to be used later to help retain or recap the conversation. Often when I get a few minutes I will send a note by email to the other party summarizing the conversation. This will also serve a record that we had the conversation.
At times I have kept a business journal or log of my daily activities. This is a great tool for keeping notes on the day’s events and important communications. Several months later if you have to review an event you will be glad you have this information documented.
Another good habit to get into is to save all correspondences in a file. You never know when you may need it. This is one of the great things about email. It is a written record and easy to save.
Follow-up
One of the phrases I hate to hear from one of my managers is, “I assumed ….” I was taught very early in my business career the old adage that when you assume, you make an “ass-u-me” and I get very upset when it happens to me. This can easily be avoided by simply learning to follow-up on events you are involved with.
If you make an assignment don’t assume it will be done, follow-up.
If you have assignments don’t assume you have done it correctly, follow-up.
If you are involved in communication with another person don’t assume there is an understanding of what was said, follow-up.
If you do anything, take the time to follow-up to insure it is done correctly. This extra step in your work process can eliminate a lot of wasted steps in the future.
If you write it, proofread it, another form of follow-up. Years ago I asked my assistant to type a letter to the Vice President of Operations of the company I worked for telling him of the production record that was broken the previous night by our second shift team. She typed it up and brought in for me to sign and I did.
Several days later I got a call from the VP asking if I had read the letter I had signed before I sent it. I learned a big lesson on follow-up that day. I pulled out my copy of the letter and read where she wrote, “The second shift set a new production standard for the operations.” The problem was she had left the “f” out of shift. Needless to say I now read what I sign.
It may sound like you are being paranoid by keeping all of these notes and constantly checking up on people, but it is not. It is a valuable tool to help make you a better leader and manager. It will help you evaluate your past performance and help you make plans for future improvements. By applying CYA in all areas of your work you will reap the benefits.
So, everyday “Cover Your Ass.”
He went on to explain that in the real world of business this is one of the most important and basic rules to success and survival. Whether you find yourself in a positive or negative position, using CYA gives you an advantage over your competition. In all areas of business you needed to CYA or Cover Your Ass.
Every class after that he would write CYA on the board and leave it up for the entire period. Then he would teach the fundamentals of industrial psychology while weaving in his own personal experiences. Throughout the class he would refer to the board and ask, "How can you apply CYA to this situation?"
When broken down CYA involves two processes.
1. Documentation
2. Follow-up
Documentation
Documentation is simply “put it in writing.” Whether it involves communication or an event, write down what was said and/or what happened. Too often not remembering exactly what happened or what was said results in a totally different outcome than what you expected.
In a conversation what was heard by one party may not be what was said by the other. Often the conversation is held in a noisy or busy area with lots of distractions. Other times the conversation is held while one or both parties are in a hurry and there is no true communication occurring.
To help avoid misunderstanding take notes during the conversation or as soon as possible after the conversation write down what was said. I have always carried a little note pad in my pocket to jot down memory notes to be used later to help retain or recap the conversation. Often when I get a few minutes I will send a note by email to the other party summarizing the conversation. This will also serve a record that we had the conversation.
At times I have kept a business journal or log of my daily activities. This is a great tool for keeping notes on the day’s events and important communications. Several months later if you have to review an event you will be glad you have this information documented.
Another good habit to get into is to save all correspondences in a file. You never know when you may need it. This is one of the great things about email. It is a written record and easy to save.
Follow-up
One of the phrases I hate to hear from one of my managers is, “I assumed ….” I was taught very early in my business career the old adage that when you assume, you make an “ass-u-me” and I get very upset when it happens to me. This can easily be avoided by simply learning to follow-up on events you are involved with.
If you make an assignment don’t assume it will be done, follow-up.
If you have assignments don’t assume you have done it correctly, follow-up.
If you are involved in communication with another person don’t assume there is an understanding of what was said, follow-up.
If you do anything, take the time to follow-up to insure it is done correctly. This extra step in your work process can eliminate a lot of wasted steps in the future.
If you write it, proofread it, another form of follow-up. Years ago I asked my assistant to type a letter to the Vice President of Operations of the company I worked for telling him of the production record that was broken the previous night by our second shift team. She typed it up and brought in for me to sign and I did.
Several days later I got a call from the VP asking if I had read the letter I had signed before I sent it. I learned a big lesson on follow-up that day. I pulled out my copy of the letter and read where she wrote, “The second shift set a new production standard for the operations.” The problem was she had left the “f” out of shift. Needless to say I now read what I sign.
It may sound like you are being paranoid by keeping all of these notes and constantly checking up on people, but it is not. It is a valuable tool to help make you a better leader and manager. It will help you evaluate your past performance and help you make plans for future improvements. By applying CYA in all areas of your work you will reap the benefits.
So, everyday “Cover Your Ass.”
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