National Post (National Edition)
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6 practical ideas on leadership, language, life
At this self-improvement time of year, I like to take a look back in the old inbox to review some of the best ideas gleaned from the newsletters I received over the past twelve months.
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Success is a decision: North Carolina-based author and consultant Dan Waldschmidt reminds us that greatness and success aren’t resolutions — they’re practical decisions you make day by day. “Take the first 15 minutes of your morning and ask yourself what you can do to improve,” he advised last month. “Make it one small thing.” It might be to eat better and drink more water, to compliment somebody, or read a book on that topic you’ve been wanting to research. “That’s the beauty of resolving to be great,” says Waldschmidt. “It’s not about endlessly big dreams and lofty goals that you’ll never end up achieving. It’s about the tough, tiny decisions you can make right away.”
Grow your People: Now is the time to make sure your team is fully aligned for 2017. Toronto speaker and consultant Donald Cooper urges business owners to sit down with each direct-report “and ask them where they’d like to be and what they’d like to be doing in business and life in two or three years,” and how you can help them achieve their goals. “One of the best ways to get team members to help us get what we want is to help them get what they want.”
Don’t forget to include yourself in this annual inventory. “If you have the guts,” says Cooper, “sit down with your team and ask them in what ways you need to improve to provide them with the clarity, direction, communication, empowerment and encouragement that they need to do their jobs better.”
Practice “recency”: Last winter, Ottawa networking guru Michael Hughes told of receiving a small gift — a glass jar with the ingredients for making hot chocolate — from a colleague who owns a web-design company. Soon after, Hughes got a request from a contact looking for a reliable IT professional. Who do you think he recommended? “All things being equal, we tend to recall that which we have most recently been exposed to,” Hughes concluded. “Are you creating ongoing opportunities to showcase your value?”
Work urgently: In his “Smart Calling” Tip of the Week, Arizona sales consultant Art Sobczak reviewed the stats on calling customers back. We all fight so hard for clients, but according to Inside-Sales. com, the average salesperson takes 39 hours to call customers back. Ideally, he says, you should get back to callers within five minutes. If you wait 30 minutes, you are 10 times less likely to reach that person.
A few other call-back stats: The best time to call prospects was between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The worst time: between 11 a.m. and noon. Tuesdays are the worst day to prospect, Sobczak reported; research shows a 50 per cent better hit rate on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Finally, sales people who make at least six attempts to reach a prospect enjoyed a 90 per cent success rate. Says Sobczak: “Persistence counts.”
Talk Like a Leader: Leadership is more about deeds than words — but your language always matters. At Inc.com, New York City leadership coach and consultant Lolly Daskal identified 10 phrases that make leaders sound weak or under-confident. (Some of them sound eerily Canadian.) Here are five words to avoid:
❚ Won’t. Saying “we won’t do this,” sounds like you’re predicting defeat before it happens. Focus on the positive, says Daskal. Instead of saying, “It won’t work,” say “Let’s work through these concerns.”
❚ Maybe. This ambivalent word suggests lack of commitment, intention or direction. Be more confident in your responses, says Daskal, “even if you can’t fully say yes or no. Try ‘I’d like to see more details first.’ ”
❚ Sorry. In an apology, saying sorry is fine. But not when you’re looking for help, or asking someone to do something. “Ask for what you want without apologizing,” says Daskal.
❚ Just. We all use this diminutive word, in sentences such as “I just wanted to check …” or “I’m just concerned.” But according to Daskal, “It’s a qualifier that makes you sound unsure of yourself and tentative, almost apologetic.”
❚ Usually. If you’re tempted to say, “We don’t usually do things that way,” you may appear lacking in energy or resistant to change. Try phrases involving the word “let’s”, as in “Let’s give it a try.” “Make sure your language is intentional and confident,” says Daskal, “and you’ll be perceived as powerful and capable.”
According to Vancouver-area brain researcher Terry Small, having a strong purpose for your life can protect your brain and prevent mental decline. He cites a study from Rush University Medical Center that followed 246 people over 10 years, asking them about their sense of social purpose. When these people passed away, their brains were examined. Those with a strong purpose for living had a 2.4 times greater likelihood of being free from Alzheimer’s. “You have a brilliant mind. Fill it with purpose,” says Small. “It seems that having a purpose in your life is a very important determinant of your health.”