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Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss is the ultimate graduation story. It encapsulates both the joy and the terror regarding graduation, from the parent’s point of view.
One of my best friends has two children who are graduating this year. What is ironic is how different the two celebrations are. Her youngest son is graduating from high school, and they are celebrating in a big way. His grandparents are coming in town for the ceremony. My friend and her husband are hosting a party and inviting all of her son’s friends and many of their own friends to come celebrate with them. They ordered special decorations and a custom cake to commemorate the occasion.
Her daughter is getting her Master’s degree. To celebrate, my friend invited a few family members for dinner. Her daughter didn’t even attend the graduation ceremony.
What is particularly ironic is that virtually all of the kids in our community graduate high school, but it is truly an exceptional accomplishment to earn a Master’s degree. And then it hit me; graduation celebrations are not about celebrating accomplishments, as much as they are about motivating children for the future. The hope is that we, as parents, can still motivate our high school graduates to do well in the future. The graduation celebration reinforces the idea that if the young man steers himself in the right direction, he will be rewarded for his efforts. A parent may (or may not) be able to influence an 18-year-old to behave according to certain standards, but by the time someone has earned a Master’s degree, it’s clear that he or she is internally motivated to succeed.
In Great By Choice, Jim Collins suggests that unsuccessful parents and bosses have one thing in common—demotivation. I recently attended a conference for senior Public Relations Counselors and David Baker reinforced this concept when he said, “Quit trying to motivate employees–it cannot be done. Motivation is an internal force. You can, however, demotivate them. If you’re doing that, stop.”
According to Collins there are three main ways for managers to demotivate employees:
- Hype – failing to acknowledge the real difficulties the organization faces.
- Futurism – being obsessed with distant goals or visions without keeping an eye on the present.
- False Democracy – inviting employees’ input when the leader has already made a decision.
One of the best articles I saw about how to demotivate your staff is by Wayne Mates. He suggests five factors:
- Set unrealistic expectations
- Waste their time
- Create constant fire drills
- Treat them as expendable resources
- Don’t share the wealth
On the other hand, celebrating our employee’s successes may not be a true motivator, but it certainly makes for a better work environment.
And in honor of my friend’s daughter, Mazel Tov! You should be proud of your accomplishments.
I know I am.
The Top Five Reasons we like Top Five Lists
Posted in Best Practices, Online Marketing, Social Media, Tips and Tricks
I can’t help it. I always find myself reading articles that incorporate a numbered list. “5o best iPhone apps!” “15 practical tips for creating a simpler, happier life.” “10 awesome beaches around the world!” I recently looked through my bookmark list to find twenty articles with numbered lists, and wondered: WHY? I know I’m not the only one magnetized by the power of lists.
The top five reasons we like top five lists:
1. Scan-ability. Let’s face it, we have the attention span of squirrels. If we open an email and see long, text-heavy paragraphs, our eyes go cross-eyed. When material is condensed, numbered, bolded or bulleted, our eyes sigh with relief.
2. Curiosity. We like to try to predict what is on the list. Curiosity is what made me click on the recent Kansas City Star article 50 things every Kansas Citian should know. We want to know how our thoughts match up with the writer’s thoughts.
3. Easy action steps. Lots of list articles include self-help tips, teaching readers how to better their lives or solve a problem. There’s something comfortable about scrolling through the familiar numbered list format, and seeing action items clearly listed like punchlines. The list style fosters quick learning and makes action items seem achievable.
4. Organization for our messy lives. As Herbert Simon put it, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” With so much information at our fingertips, it is refreshing to see content organized into simple bite-sized pieces.
5. Personal and engaging content. Lists can be targeted to a specific audience or universally appealing. Either way, the list format makes people want to chime in and add their two cents. In fact, check out this snarky NPR article “The 20 unhappiest people you meet in the comments sections of year-end lists.”
A numbered list may immediately spark our interest, but it is the content in the list that ultimately holds our attention. Consider incorporating numbered lists with compelling content into your communications. Your readers will thank you for it.
Tagged Holly Eckold, Morningstar Communications, reasons we like lists | Leave a comment April 26, 2012Extraordinary Bosses
Posted in Best Practices, Executive Insights
Photo courtesy of www.huntingtoncopper.com
Engagement and fulfillment at work are fueled by a variety of factors. For most of us, it’s a combination of the work we do and the people we do it with. My philosophy is to do good work with good people. It’s pretty simple.
So much of the office experience is colored by the relationships we have with our co-workers. We all know the things that make for a difficult workplace, no need to even touch on them. And we have a pretty good idea of what makes a positive working environment and the importance of strong leadership.
Inc. Magazine identified eight core beliefs of extraordinary bosses. My favorite is No. 5 – Management Comes from Vision, Not Fear. The mark of an extraordinary boss, according to this list, is “inspiring people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.”
It’s so simple, but not often practiced. Once you’ve had a chance to read the article, let me know what you think. How does your organization measure up? If you have an extraordinary boss, doesn’t it make all the difference? I’d love to hear some of the things your extraordinary bosses do to enrich your workplace.
Tagged extraordinary bosses, Morningstar Communications, Rachel Spear, vision | Leave a comment April 24, 2012A few tips and tricks to being more efficient in your email communications
Posted in Best Practices, Tips and Tricks
How many times have you sent the email but forgotten to attach the file you meant to? What about the time you sent it to the wrong person? Or noticed a couple of typos after sending, that you intended to fix but didn’t get around to while hurrying up to finish the task at hand? It has happened to the best of us. Following are some tips to make sure these bloopers are not only few and far between, but also to hone your skills in the art of sending perfect emails every time.
Check your grammar and spelling: There is a reason most email programs come with a spellchecker. Please use it, but don’t stop there — read over your message before you hurriedly hit send. You might have used a word that is spelled correctly but doesn’t really work in the sentence.
Mind the attachments: For those of us using Google Mail, there’s a cool feature I discovered by accident. It’s intelligent enough to pop-up a warning that you haven’t attached a file but you mention “attached” or “attachment” in the body of your email. How cool is that? For those who are not on Google Mail, check and check again before you send. One thing I still do despite super Google Mail – I make sure to attach the file first before typing the body of the message because I have noticed I forget when I I leave it to the end.
Keep it short and sweet: Some people tend to ramble on in their emails instead of being concise and to the point. The goal is to get your message across and not lost in the sea of words. If the email is going to be three paragraphs or more, perhaps picking up the phone and calling the recipient is a better option. Trust me, people do not like to read extra long emails, especially in these busy times.
Have a Subject: Make sure there is a short and appropriate line in the Subject section to avoid having your email relegated to Spam and never seeing the light of day.
Check the recipient email address: The Autofill feature on email programs are both a boon and a bane at the same time. Make sure the autofill picks up the right Mary@XYZ.com and not Mary@ABC.com before sending. I like to type out my message, proof and spellcheck first, before adding in the recipients. I have also been known to override the autofill and type up the full addresses myself, especially with important emails that I do not want going to the wrong people.
Mass email etiquette: If you are sending an email to a large number of people, try blind copying all the recipients instead of adding to the Copy or To section of the email. When they reply to your email (if it’s required), they will not be clogging everyone else’s inbox unintentionally. When you receive a mass email, be kind and only reply to the sender, do not Reply All. The sender will be thankful for it.
Hopefully these tips are helpful. Anything that makes our work more efficient and tidy is interesting to me and any gems you would like to share on how you avoid these unnecessary bloopers are welcome.
Tagged Email etiquette, Morningstar Communications, Suchitra Kamath | Leave a comment April 19, 2012Unleash Your Inner Creative
Posted in Best Practices
This week is World Creativity and Innovation Week, and it’s the perfect reminder to step out of your comfort zone, welcome new ideas and think creatively. Too often we are so consumed with our day-to-day we forget to challenge our thinking and embrace new possibilities. Here are a few ways you can channel your creativity this week, and all year round:
Get up and move. It’s probably no surprise cubicles can stifle creativity. If you are looking to be inspired, get up and take a walk around the office.
Embrace a new perspective. Try assessing the problem from a different point of view – i.e. your customer’s. Looking at the world through different lenses can help you gain clarity and consider new options.
Be ready for genius at any moment. Some of the best ideas come at unexpected times. Keep a notepad next to your bed. Use the voice-recording feature on your smartphone. Always be prepared to capture thoughts as they come to you.
Be passionate. Make time for hiking, painting, cooking, whatever it is that inspires you.
Accept some ideas will be better than others. Some concepts will be brilliant and others will fall short. The sooner you accept this, the more confident and successful you will be.
If you’re interested in additional tips on how to be more creative and innovative at work, check out Hallmark Business Connections’ blog.
Tagged Creativity, Michelle Boyd, Morningstar Communication, World Creativity and Innovation Week | Leave a comment April 17, 2012The ABCs of Successful Persuasive Presentations
Posted in Best Practices
Successful communications is all about what they need to hear, not what you want to say. What you really want is a “yes” after you’ve made your recommendation. Knowing how your audience needs to receive information is the key to organizing successful persuasive presentations.
And that’s as easy as A, B, C.
Photo courtesy of idiomstrategies.com
Every story (presentation) has three primary components:
A = History
B = Process
C = Recommendation
Your goal is to get your boss to agree with you. In order to get him or her to say yes, it’s important to know their worldview.
“Punchliner” or “Analyzer”
Simplistically, there are two kinds of executives in the world: Those that want your recommendation first, and then, if they need it, will ask for more information. Let’s call those “Punchliners.”
Then there are those executives who need the background before hearing your recommendation. Lets call those “Analyzers.”
It is the responsibility of each presenter to know which kind of person they are trying to convince. If you package your story the right way, you’ll get to “yes” much more often.
Here’s a simple example. Let’s say that you’ve been tasked with making a recommendation for how your firm will offer water to guests. There are three components of this story (just as there are for all stories).
A = History: we used to provide actual glasses with tap water, then we moved to disposable cups, then logo glassware (that needed to be washed), and finally we migrated to plastic bottles.
B = Process: we surveyed our employees and guests to determine their preferences. We assessed costs and quality, and got several bids.
C = Recommendation: we’re suggesting the convenience of recyclable water bottles going forward.
Here’s the key learning: if you’re presenting to a “Punchliner,” you need to flip your story to C, B, A, and start with, “we recommend we use …” If they need more information, they’ll say something along the lines of “how did you make that decision?” Then you take them through B – the process. If they still need more information, they’ll say something like, “well, how did we used to provide water?” And you’ll take them through A – the history.
I have found – most of the time –you never need to discuss A and B to “Punchliner” execs. (In fact, if you start with A and B, you’re much more likely to get a no!)
But now, let’s focus on the more common, “analyzer” execs. If you start with the recommendation, they’ll have mental whiplash, and respond with “well, how in the world did you get to that conclusion?” And you’ll be backpedaling.
For the analyzers, start with the history, “we used to offer water in glasses …” and then move into the process, “so, I asked lots of people and did a cost analysis …” and finally get to the recommendation, “we suggest this because …”
If you use C-B-A for punchliners, and A-B-C for analyzers, you’ll find a more receptive audience for your recommendations.
So, remember your ABCs (or CBAs) and you’ll hear that magic phrase, “sure, let’s go for it!” much more often.
Onward and upward…
Tagged ABC, analyzer, Eric Morgenstern, Morningstar Communications, presentation, punchliner | Leave a comment April 12, 2012Attributes of a Leader
Posted in Best Practices
Last week I attended a leadership training class orchestrated by one of my clients. I was impressed they gave every employee the opportunity to attend a half-day leadership session and was honored they invited me to attend.
Here are several of my favorite leadership gems gleaned from the day.
- “If we don’t believe in the messenger, we will not believe in the message,”- Kouzes and Posner, Authors of The Leadership Challenge.
- The problem is not how to get innovative thoughts into our heads; it’s getting the old stuff out.
- “Celebrate what is right in the world, instead of focusing on what is wrong,”- Dewitt Jones, National Geographic photographer.
- When I weave; I weave. (In context of focusing on the task at hand and not thinking of a million things at once).
The training session gave every employee, no matter where they sat on the org. chart, a chance to see and learn how they too could lead. It was a tangible statement of my client’s commitment to each and every person, and says a lot about them as an organization.
What leadership quotes or activities inspire you? Share your thoughts on what makes a great leader.
Tagged best practices, Leadership, Morningstar Communications, Tricia Jaworski | 1 Comment April 3, 2012Planning for a Crisis
Posted in Best PracticesNext week, my colleague Meg Schulte and I are heading to a KU PRSSA meeting to share some information about Crisis Communications. Our presentation underscores the importance of developing a crisis plan. It is great information for the less experienced and a nice reminder for those who’ve been around a while.
How your organization defines a crisis depends on the type of business you work for. Hopefully, you don’t work for an organization that calls crisis when the vending machine is out of Baked Lays. Now, being out of coffee is another story entirely.
The key to managing a crisis is planning ahead. A plan ensures you can present a consistent, united and confident picture to your internal and external audiences at a moment’s notice.
Your crisis plan is for your entire organization so be sure to create a planning team that is multi-disciplinary – get input from HR, IT, facilities, legal, security, and corporate communications and marketing.
Once your team is assembled, set goals and milestones. If you don’t, you risk daily requirements getting in the way and the plan may never be completed.
When you sit down to develop your plan, the first step is defining your crisis scope. Identify the types of crises your organization could face and determine the range of potential responses required to defuse the situation.
Every organization hopes it will never encounter a major crisis, but the truth is crises happen. So as the Boyscouts profess, “Be Prepared” – you won’t regret it.
Tagged crisis communications, crisis planning, KU PRSSA, Morningstar Communications, Rachel Spear | Leave a comment March 22, 2012Enhance your Google Calendar experience – A few tips to make it a great and effective tool at work
Posted in Best PracticesWe recently migrated to Gmail for Business and Google Calendar so we have been exploring ways to make the experience more enriching for all of us. As I spend a lot of time going over my colleague’s schedules, setting up meetings and juggling calendars, I uncovered some tips and tricks to make these tools more efficient. Here are a few tips and shortcuts I have found to be the most useful.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Once you start using them, you’d wonder why you never knew about it earlier. These were the ones I found, but would love to know if you found any others. The shortcut keys are case sensitive (at least for me).
c = Create event
/ = Search (the cursor blinks in the search box)
p = Previous date range
n = Next date range
t = Today
d = Day view
x = Customized view
w = Week
m = Month view
a = Agenda view
s = Settings
q = Quick add
Adding a different time zone: For clients that are based in different time zones, this is a great way to make sure that meeting you want to set up on Tuesday at 10 a.m. CDT is going to work for your client too. To activate this feature, hit “s” for the Settings menu. Under the “General” tab, you can see “your current time zone,” click on “show an additional time zone” and then tick the box “display all time zones.” Add a new time zone by scrolling down and selecting the one you want and hit save. You will see both timezones in your “day” and “week” calendar views.
Get your agenda in your inbox every day: If you are the kind of person who likes a quick glance at your day without having to go to your calendar, this one is for you. Google Calendar can send your agenda to you every morning in an email. To activate this feature, hit “s” for the Settings menu, go to the “Calendars” tab and click on the “notifications” link that appears next to your calendar in the middle of the page. Click on the “Daily Agenda” option to receive an email with your agenda every day at 5 AM in your current time zone.
Use “Quick Add:” This is great way to add events pronto to your calendar. The general rule of thumb for setting up events is to use the principle of “what, with who, where and when.” “Meeting with X at the Z on Friday at 12 p.m.” is the correct way to enter information in the box that opens up when you click “q.” If you wish to enter an all-day event, do not enter the time, just the date. So “3/28 – SPD” will block out the entire day. Another great advantage to this tip is to add the email address of whomever you wish to invite to the event in the box. “Meeting with x@xyz.com on 3/23 @ 10 a.m.” will automatically appear on your calendar on 3/23 with an hour blocked off, plus offer to send an invite to X.
There are a great many tips and tricks to make the most of Google Calendar. If you would like to explore more, here are some of the sources I found most valuable:
http://mashable.com/2012/01/25/google-calendar-tips/#444511-Use-Keyboard-Shortcuts
http://broncobytes.boisestate.edu/2011/10/19/tips-google-calendar/
http://gigaom.com/collaboration/rock-your-google-calendar-in-18-ways/
I am looking forward to managing my time more efficiently using these tips. What are your favorite time-saving tips?
Tagged Morningstar Communications, Suchitra Kamath | Leave a comment March 19, 2012
You don’t have to be a jerk to be successful in business
Posted in Best PracticesMany years ago we had a relaxing dinner with a client and his wife. After several glasses of wine, he leaned over, got right in my face, and said, “…Morgenstern, your biggest problem is that you’re simply too damn nice. You’d be a lot more successful if you had more a**h*** in you.”
I paused for a moment, and then burst out laughing. That’s just not who I am.
They say nice guys finish last. But for more than 30 years, including nearly 15 with Morningstar Communications, we’ve proven you don’t have to act like a jerk to be successful.
They say you need to differentiate to succeed. We say you need to focus on your excellence – not your difference – to succeed.
They say you need to sell in order to survive. Be smart, share your knowledge and people will come to you because they already know you are a valuable resource to help them achieve their goals.
They say you need to be tough. I say you need to be compassionate.
They say you need to focus on the bottom line. I say you need to focus on doing outstanding work for smart, successful clients.
They say business exists to make profits. I say business exists to help others, and profits become the byproduct.
Photo by Anthony Burrill
Stop listening to what “they” say, and start listening to your inner voice – it will always tell you the right thing to do.
My friend (and client) Lori Mallory, CEO of Kansas City Internal Medicine, recently gave me a book, “Love is the Killer App.” Originally published in 2002, it’s even more true today. In essence, this book validates much of my worldview on how to succeed in business … and in life.
The book extolls the virtues of being a “Lovecat.” This is defined as, “… the act of intelligently and sensibly sharing your intangibles with your bizpartners,” according to the author, Tim Sanders. He defines the intangibles as our knowledge, our network and our compassion.
This philosophy is hard-wired in my DNA. Always has been; always will be.
Your personal brand identity is your greatest treasure. Not only will your personal brand always travel with you; it often precedes you. “The only thing you ever own is your reputation and your relationships. Everything else is transitory.” (I quote a lot of people, but this one is actually one of my own!)
Having power in business used to mean holding your cards close to your vest; not letting anyone in. That approach won’t work today. Not anymore. Not in today’s world.
The world is run by intangibles – knowledge, networks and compassion. He or she who offers it up, makes the connections and gives without an immediate expectation of a return, will continue to thrive in the 21st century.
They say nice guys finish last. I say nice guys finish first. And, they enjoy the journey even more.
Onward and upward.
Tagged Eric Morgenstern, Love is the Killer App, lovecat, Morningstar Communications | 18 Comments March 13, 2012 ← Older posts