Tip#557:Conquer the Tyranny of the Urgent in Two Steps

We all share common challenges to maximizing our productivity level. First, there are only 24 hours in a day. Secondly, if we are actively applying Dale Carnegie's Human Relations principles, we have more professional and personal relationships than ever before, but less time to foster them.

Charles E. Hummel published a groundbreaking essay on this subject in 1967 entitled, The Tyranny of the Urgent. In essence, Hummel categorizes daily tasks according to two criteria-urgent and important. The premise of the Tyranny of the Urgent is that if we do not actively allocate or plan for our time, someone else will take it.

Hummel steers productivity seekers into the first quadrant or the area 'Urgent AND Important' where activities such as customer meetings and sales proposals are assigned high prioritization, and rightly so. On the other end of the spectrum, activities such as socializing at work are defined in Quadrant four as 'Not important AND Not Urgent.'

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Tip #537 - Employee Reviews - Five Ways to Rekindle Relationships

 

Most employees are full of enthusiasm and passion when they begin a new job, however 85% of companies report a sharp decline in employee morale that continues to deteriorate according to a study of 1.2 million employees at Fortune 1000 companies. Instead of approaching employee reviews with contempt and dread, follow these five tips to reinforce trust and rekindle relationships.

1. Open with an agenda. Setting expectations for the performance review up-front will quell any feelings of anxiety and apprehension. Briefly explain, for example, that you would like to start by discussing how you believe things have been going; then address opportunities for the future, and in closing, give the employee an opportunity to share any concerns or ask questions.
2. Put the employee’s perspective to work. In a recent study, 63% of employees felt their review wasn’t a true indicator of their performance. An open dialogue, when used correctly, reinforces trust and respect. Dale Carnegie’s Human Relations principle #17 is ‘Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.’ Asking questions, such as how the employee thinks things are going from her perspective, establishes a constructive tone and makes the employee more amenable to feedback—both good and bad.
3. Speak in specific vs. vague terms. Instead of using general terms such as, “You really knocked it out of the park last quarter!” state both achievements and disappointments in specific terms. For example, say instead, “You exceeded your sales quota by 16% last quarter! That is the highest incremental growth for sales rep’s in the history of our organization!” There are many benefits of speaking in specific terms: the employee will understand that you are aware and appreciative of their individual performance; linking their performance to the overall company underscores their value to the organization, and you can use this metric to increase future sales quotas higher than ever before.
4. Repel the recency effect which is a psychology term for when the entire year’s past performance is based on the most recent event. If the employee performed better than average all year long, but recently missed a critical product launch, focus on the overall performance. Indeed you must mention missing the launch, however use it as a way to show an opportunity to improve vs. to chastise.
5. Conjure career ambitions. According to the same study, employees who believe their reviews were inaccurate are twice as likely to seek new jobs. Your organization has already sunk costs into this employee—new-hire acquisition, training, onboarding, benefits, etc. If the employee is worthy of continued investment, ask questions like, “What do you want to do next?” This forces all employees, from the disgruntled to the hyper-passionate, to look at themselves in the mirror and truly ponder if they are in the ideal position. If the current role is not the best long-term fit, use this discussion to ascertain the employee’s other skills and professional goals so that you can use them as inputs into growth succession planning. 

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Tip #536 - Is Leadership in Your Future?

Those who aspire to lead in today’s more demanding world must develop certain attributes before they can be considered for leadership roles. Here are four core attributes required to receive the keys to the kingdom.

Lenient – No one is perfect—including leaders. Effective leaders are aware of their own, and their team members’, weaknesses and shortcomings. Dale Carnegie’s first Human Relations principle is, ‘Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.’ Instead of criticizing, condemning and complaining, effective leaders do their best to correct employees’ weaknesses. Adept leaders offer solutions such as training, flexible work schedules, job-shadowing, etc. in lieu of criticism. These solutions demonstrate empathy, compassion and humility which ultimately strengthen interpersonal connections; reinforce trust; and establish camaraderie.

Engaging- Leaders must have a high degree of self-awareness so that they understand which triggers motivate them, and in which environments they thrive. This knowledge provides well-being and security to individual leaders because it enables them to better relate to the people that they manage. Leaders are accountable for communicating the vision and strategic direction of the company which should be demonstrated through inspiring, coaching, teaching, rewarding and measuring employees. When employees believe in—and trust leadership, companies are more likely to have a higher level of employee engagement.

Authentic – In Forbes article, Be Original And Flourish As A Leader in 2015, Glen Llopis highlights the impact of originality in leadership. Llopis states, “Wise leaders are the ones whose presence, authenticity and the manner in which they communicate and engage with others are genuine and unique. They quickly earn respect – but realize it takes originality, creativity and uncommon thinking to sustain it.” Self-awareness and authenticity foster a leader’s openness to employees’ perspectives which in kind grows those employees’ level of trust and respect for their leader.

Decisive – Leaders are drowning in data, ideas, policy changes, email, etc. just like the rest of the world. They must, therefore, have a keen sense of judgment and ability to prioritize quickly in order to act efficiently at all times. These abilities enable expert leaders to cut through the clutter so that they can hone in on which challenges and/or changes are most important and urgent. Decisive leaders understand which issues are most salient and quickly pose clarifying questions so that they fully understand the consequences—in terms of people, product and processes, of each option before making a decision.

Additionally, successful leaders are willing to adapt and improve team performance by sharpening their own leadership team development skills. If you are ready to take your leadership skills to the next level or are vying for a leadership role, consider enrolling in the Dale Carnegie Leadership Training for Managers course. This program will empower you to become an engaging manager that creates confident, inspired, and enthusiastic teams!

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Tip #535 - Set Your Worries Sailing-Live in Day Tight Compartments

While on a cruise ship merely minutes after disembarking, the cruise director implores all guests to, “Leave their worries behind and have a FUN time!” This is easy to do while on vacation sailing the Caribbean seas, but challenging to do during our habitual professional and personal lives.
Dale Carnegie said, “If you want to avoid worry…live in “day-tight compartments. Just live each day until bedtime.” Let’s apply this tried and true technique on a common challenge many professionals face—a presentation to a large audience.

Taylor is the head of R&D at a technology company and has led a team that developed cutting-edge software. The program enables remote users to provide real-time feedback that is immediately aggregated, and statistics calculated, so that all virtual meeting participants can view the results. The software was completed on time, under budget and built exactly to specifications. So why is Taylor so worried about unveiling this new software to the entire company at their year-end meeting?

1. Instead of tossing and turning all night, Taylor can apply Dale Carnegie’s formula for How to face trouble:

• Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can possibly happen?” Taylor’s PowerPoint presentation is perfect—it is concise, creative and contains the most important aspects of the new software from users’ perspectives. The worst that could possibly happen is that she could stutter, trip and fall or worse of all—she could completely freeze in front of her audience.
• Prepare to accept the worst. After considering this, Taylor prepares to accept the worst. If she were to freeze in silence, she could easily turn to the introduction slide and read it verbatim to the audience. Acknowledging this means that even though Taylor may draw a blank, she has a back-up plan of literally reading her slides. 
• Try to improve on the worst. In her heart, Taylor hopes that the presentation will be powerful and accepts that there is a chance she might freeze in front of her audience. Instead of stewing about it further and stymying sleep, she ponders how she could improve on this worst-case scenario. She decides that she could say, “Pardon me; I just had an aha moment—had the software been available to everyone in the audience and our off-site participants, we could have viewed your feedback on each slide in real-time to truly demonstrate how remarkable this tool is!” With that back-up statement in mind, Taylor turned over and fell asleep.

2. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health. Worry often manifests in the form of insomnia which plagues an estimated 50-70 million US adults¹. Moreover, sleep insufficiency is linked to automobile accidents, industrial disasters, etc.

The next time you worry, apply this method for living in day-tight compartments. By focusing on the task at hand instead of stewing about the future, you will set your worries sailing.

Tip #534 - Generation.Next-Survival Skills Not Taught in School

The decline in teenagers’ self-esteem is attributed to myriad factors. It peaked in 2007 when 41% of 14- and 15-year-old girls and 55% of boys of the same age reported high self-esteem. Those rates have declined to 33% of girls and 50% of boys respectfully¹. A few reasons for the significant decline, especially among female teenagers include:

Bullying- Today’s teens face harassment that previous generations can hardly fathom. NoBullying.com reports that 83% of all girls and 79% of all boys claim some sort of harassment growing up. Today’s bullies do it behind closed doors and outside in the open. Six out of 10 teenagers witness bullying at school at least once a day. Most teens do not know how to handle the criticism. Bully victims are between two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims according to studies by Yale University.

Social ease- Today’s teenagers do not exhibit the same levels of respect, confidence and grace as past generations. Sometimes, it feels downright awkward talking to them. When asked how teenagers felt when meeting someone for the first time, 49% reported feeling a little uneasy and 19% reported quite uneasy on average. College admissions officers report that many students are unprepared for their interviews; act immature, disrespectful or rude; fail to research the college to which they are applying; and are either extremely shy or go overboard when bragging.

Body image is defined as the way that a person perceives his or her body and assumes others perceive him or her the same way. It is affected by family, friends, social pressures and the media. Studies show that the more reality television young women watch, the more likely they are to find appearance important. DoSomething.org reported that more than half of girls and a quarter of boys aged 12-14 reported wanting to lose weight. 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25, however only 10% of people suffering from an eating disorder seek professional help.

Parents can proactively shape their children and counteract many of these current trends. Teens can be their own hero by impeding this downward spiral in self-esteem, image, confidence and more.

Generation.Next Dale Carnegie Training for Teens & College Students is the only course designed to prepare young people for the real world. Students learn lifetime skills they need to reach their goals and live up to their full potential – at school, home, and work.

This three full-day course focuses on five key areas critical for future success:

• Building Self-confidence
• Enhancing Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skill Development
• Teamwork and Leadership Skills
• Effective Attitude Management

Graduates report that their new skills have made them:

• Highly focused on their goals
• Better decision makers when faced with difficult choices
• More persuasive and confident communicators
• Better prepared when applying to college or interviewing for jobs

Consider enrolling your teen or college student in the Generation.Next course to minimize the negative effects of the aforementioned challenges and maximize their long-term success.

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Tip #533 - Three Secrets to Achieving Success in Sales

Is there a secret to success? Yes, according to a recent Inc. article which explores the findings of several studies revealing how to achieve more success in life. While the principles could be applied to any aspect of a person’s life, this post focuses on how to achieve more success in sales.

1.     Keep Your Eyes on the Prize—Consistency is Critical
Delayed gratification isn’t something with which most Americans are familiar, however those who succeed pursue it vehemently. Successful sales people understand that sales isn’t a ‘one and done’ thing. It’s a process made up of equally important steps—a puzzle comprised of rapport, relationships, knowledge transfer, strategic planning and heaps of patience. Some sales cycles take years; some months or mere minutes. Acting consistently, maintaining confidence and being persistent in following a proven sales process are all seeds to growing sales.
Writer James Clear wrote “Top performers in every field—field, musicians, CEOs, artists–they are all more consistent than their peers,” he writes. “They show up and deliver day after day while everyone else gets bogged down with the urgencies of daily life and fights a constant battle between procrastination and motivation.” Everyone encounters obstacles; the successful people overcome them no matter what.

2.     Take Your Social Skills to New Levels
Most sales professionals are friendly, charismatic and pleasant to be around. Those characteristics will not suffice in creating sales success. In fact, according to research conducted by economist Catherine Weinberger, those who excel in business have both high cognitive ability and social skills, something that wasn’t true for previous generations. By linking data of adolescent skills’ assessment in 1972 and 1992 with adult outcomes, she found that having both skills did not correlate with success in 1980, however today the combination does. “The people who are both smart and socially adept earn more in today’s work force than similarly endowed workers in 1980,” she stated.
It is, therefore, more important than ever to turn networking skills up a notch. Jump out of your comfort zone and learn some new social skills. Tried and true ways of establishing trust, building rapport and creating lifetime customers are revealed in the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage course. Consider enrolling in the course if you truly wish to propel your success.

3.     Understand that Confidence and Competence Are Equally Important.
Many sales professionals know their products inside and out. They can explain the manufacturing and quality assurance processes, and the return policies. They rattle off every single fact about a service—yet they are unable to reach their sales quotas.
Often times, sales professionals lack confidence which results in inaction. As Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, authors of The Confidence Code explain, “Taking action bolsters one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed, so confidence accumulates–through hard work, through success, and even through failure.”
In the Dale Carnegie Sales Advantage course, sales representatives learn all of the tools required to take action, and do so confidently. All critical inputs to the sales equation, from building rapport to uncovering hidden buying objections are taught so graduates can succeed in sales.

Tip #532- Unleash the Power of Persuasive Presentation

Effective presentation skills are critical for knowledge transfer, lecturing, sales, teaching, training and even personal activities such as serving on the board of a homeowner’s association. The power of a presentation is the key differentiator between success and failure when persuading colleagues, inspiring a team and/or presenting an idea to stakeholders.
If you’re unsure of your presentation skill level, ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I excited and confident when speaking to large audiences?
2. When presenting, does my audience’s verbal and non-verbal communication affirm that they understand what I am communicating?
3. I am a master of my material, but have I mastered all aspects of delivering powerful presentations?
4. Do I feel comfortable with all forms of presentations—oral, multimedia, PowerPoint, etc.?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all four questions, move on to more compelling content. If not, fear not—the Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations course will transform you so that you can easily answer YES. This course has been proven to send professionals’ presentation skills soaring whether presenting to a small team or a large group.
Recipe for Success
The Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations course is an intensive two-day seminar in which professionals learn tools that are immediately applied and reinforced over a series of eight class presentations. Students’ presentations are videotaped so that a personal coach can immediately review and evaluate participants’ performance. Critical communication skills, consistent coaching and the vulnerability of fellow students are key components to success.
Proven Four-Step Process
The High Impact Presentations course is comprised of four key steps:

1. Plan- Students describe their audience and ascertain the purpose of their talks based on the outcome sought with each audience.
2. Prepare- Participants learn how to establish a positive mind-set; generate an attention-getting opening; illustrate key points with evidence and visuals; and create a compelling closing.
3. Practice- Professionals build their self-confidence and effectiveness by practicing and reviewing their visuals for optimization.
4. Present- Students apply all of the skills learned in order to deliver powerful presentations—from the first impression to the Question and Answer session

Lead vs. Lecture
Anyone can read notes on PowerPoint slides in front of large groups, however most audiences do not have the attention span to digest information provided in a boring, monotonous tone. Powerful presentations engage rather than simply educate audiences. Graduates of the Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations course project a positive image; are more relaxed and natural when delivering presentations; and inspire their audiences.
Polished to Persuasive
Many presenters know their material inside and out. Their appearance may be spot-on—professionally dressed and personally groomed. While these ingredients are important to the overall delivery of a presentation, the level of persuasion is much more critical than how polished the speaker may appear. Graduates use supporting facts and examples with clarity and force to persuade their audience with supporting facts and examples.
If you’re ready to unleash the power of your persuasive presentation skills, enroll in an upcoming Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations course today!

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Tip #531 Communication—Empower Employees in Three Steps

If life is a song, the lyrics are communication. Here are three steps to significantly improve workplace communication and ultimately empower employees.

1.     Ensure Internal Information Is Accessible and Inspirational
Despite today’s technologically utopian environment, information is often times poorly organized and/or unavailable to employees. This can be particularly frustrating for newer employees. If your organization’s onboarding process does not include how to access information, add it. If there is no onboarding process, an employee’s direct manager or colleague must review this information with the new employee.

Albert Einstein once said, “If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it.” Make information accessible via an intranet or even simply hung on a bulletin board in a common area—as long as employees know where to find the information, workflow and knowledge transfer will improve. Use communication vehicles such as a social media page or newsletter to inspire as well as to educate. Post inspiring quotes; recent success stories; customer testimonials; photos and brief bio’s of the employee of the month—anything that will inspire camaraderie and productivity, and ultimately help keep communication flowing.

2.     Retreat and Recharge
Coordinating a retreat in which there is no work-related activity is an ideal way to establish camaraderie, encourage communication and improve teamwork. It’s unnecessary for bulky budgets—any activity from an obstacle course at a beach to an indoor tug-o-war will work wonders. Instead of focusing on work, employees focus on each other. After retreats, personal relationships are usually created or strengthened, and working relationships improve commensurately.
Too much work to complete or too many new findings to learn within an industry? Consider attending a professional conference. Team-building exercises that focus on learning can be just as fruitful as those that focus on non-work related activities. This is particularly important for reaching shy personality types. Team building activities, albeit a conference, are particularly effective with introverts because they are easily engaged. Bottom line—the more employees connect outside of the workplace, the more their overall communication will improve.

3.     Obtain an Open-Door Policy
Often times, communication is blocked because employees feel uncomfortable and apprehensive about discussing tough topics with management. Every single hand that touches your organization is important—from the mailroom to the boardroom. It is important to know when and where protocol is not being followed, and better yet, which improvements can be made.
Instituting an open-door policy empowers employees to speak openly and honestly. By making management approachable, employees feel that their opinions and observations matter, so they are more apt to communicate. Open-door policies result in greater contributions to the organization because employees believe that they are valued and respected. Dale Carnegie’s Human Relations principle #2 is ‘Give honest, sincere appreciation.’ Make sure to thank the employee for their courage and open communication.

Although taking these steps may be time-consuming, the future dividends are well worth the effort. Enroll in the Dale Carnegie Course for Effective Communications and Human Relations, and watch your verbal and non-verbal communication skills soar!

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Tip #530 - Overcoming Worry of Olympic Proportions- An Olympian's Story

A recent Fortune article highlights one Olympian's ability to turn stress into strength-and ultimate success. Emily Hughes was able to overcome obstacles of stress by following principles that exemplify  Dale Carnegie's formula for overcoming worry which is:

1. Live in "day-tight compartments." 

Growing up, Emily's dad always emphasized that she was a "student-athlete" and that "student" came first. This meant that despite having to train five hours per day, she never took any breaks from studying. By living in "day-tight compartments," she was able to maintain a serious focus on training for the Olympics while pursuing academic excellence including Emily's insistence on taking an advanced honors chemistry course.

Later in life, when Emily was interviewing for a role at Google Fiber, she completed six hours of back-to-back interviews on site at Google with confidence and ease. Instead of spending time worrying about how she would perform, she focused on doing well in each interview and succeeded by being selected as the best candidate.

2. How to face trouble:

• Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can possibly happen?”  In 2001, at just 12 years old, Emily competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, but failed to make the 2006 U.S. team. She could have easily given up hope, but rose to the challenge in 2006 after Michelle Kwan’s groin injury created the opportunity for Emily to compete. Had she worried and thought, “I didn’t make the initial team; there is no way I’ll place well,” she would have lost the opportunity to compete in the 2006 Olympics. Instead, she pondered, “What is the worst that could possibly happen?” and overcame worry.
• Prepare to accept the worse.- As a professional skater, Emily not only anticipated constant correction, but mentally prepared for it. She stated, “With skating, constantly being corrected and told how to do something differently has helped me take constructive feedback better.”
• Try to improve on the worst.- Emily recognized that it was normal to make mistakes and critical to learn from them. She said, “In skating, every day, you fall and you have to get up. And falling is a pretty obvious failure. I’ve definitely learned from everything I’ve failed at.” Emily forced herself to consider the bigger picture with every setback. When she failed to qualify for the 2010 Olympics after taking a semester off from Harvard, she resumed her focus on academic achievement and found time to participate in organizations such as Harvard’s “Women in Business” club.

3. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health.

Instead of allowing worry to compromise Emily’s health and usurp her opportunities, she focused on her future. She landed a business analyst role at Google last Nov. and attributes her love of competition and ‘an extraordinary tolerance for risk-taking and failure,’ for getting the job.
The next time you’re faced with worry of Olympic proportions, follow Dale Carnegie’s formula for overcoming worry and you too shall conquer.

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Tip #529 - Four Steps to Revise and Conquer New Year's Resolutions

Lose weight; spend less money and more time with family; don't text while driving, etc.

More than 40% of Americans make New Year's resolutions, yet only 8% actually achieve them. If you set resolutions and are unsatisfied with your January results, shake it off and read on...

1. Brief is Better - Many people set overzealous goals. For example it is practically impossible to quit smoking, lose 20 pounds, spend more quality time with your family and enroll in an evening graduate school program. Instead, shorten up your list of resolutions. Ask yourself, "Which of these would have the greatest positive impact on me personally and professionally?" Then rank the resolutions and choose the three with the highest payout. By refining your list, you are narrowing your focus, reducing pressure and positioning yourself for optimal performance.
    
2. Reality Check - It is critical that the resolutions you set are actually attainable; otherwise, you are merely setting yourself up for failure. If you have set a resolution to lose 50 pounds for the last few years yet never achieve that goal, consider reducing the number of pounds. A lot of people join a gym in January and diligently work-out, improve their nutrition and make other lifestyle adjustments. Once they skip a few work-outs or indulge in their favorite dessert, they give up-for the entire year. Revising your resolutions based on what is realistic is the only way to realize them.

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Tip #528 - 7 Traits Exhibited by a Team Player

The ability to work effectively in a team is essential to your professional growth. If this is a concern for you, then it's time to examine what type of primary traits you should work on developing in yourself and your employees.

If others see you as a team player, there is a good chance that you will be invited onto more projects. Should this happen, you will get tagged as the "go-to person" and meet key decision-makers within your organization.

Team members work best together when they mesh well-that is, when they respect each other and enjoy each other's company. While not everyone on your team will be friends, respect is mandatory for successful teamwork.

Here are 7 traits effective team players tend to exhibit from your friends at Dale Carnegie Western Connecticut:

1. Take Accountability - Team players accept an appropriate amount of personal responsibility. They will follow through with whatever tasks they accept.

2. Have A Great Attitude Toward Challenges - A friendly, positive attitude is required to work well with others. Team players recognize that they must share responsibility and that they cannot control every aspect of a project.

3. Have Strong Communication & Interpersonal Skills - Teamwork requires clear, effective communication. Team players communicate well with those on and off the team. They also know how to build the right working relationships, providing the maximum number of resources for their team

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Tip #527- Sales Strategies To Win The Battle (and the War)

Any good salesperson knows that winning a sale is not a one hit wonder. There are rounds of conversations, relationship building and negotiation along the way. Sometimes, it can seem almost impossible, if not exhausting, to get the desired end result. 

Sherrie Campbell seems to understand the challenge of securing that next sale, and recently wrote a great article for Entrepreneur.com titled, "7 Psychological Strategies For Mastering Sales Negotiations." While we agree with and support all seven strategies, we want to focus on two today - Campbell's third and sixth strategies.

Campbell's third strategy is to take full advantage of listening. One of Dale Carnegie's main principles is to be a good listener; to encourage others to talk about themselves. Not only does this give your customer a feeling of being heard, it allows you to understand exactly what your customer wants and needs.

By doing this, your customer feels heard, understood and appreciated, and you are able to offer the best options based on their needs. Too many salespeople try to talk themselves into a sales win, when all it would have taken is more listening. The strongest relationships come from genuinely listening and taking an interest in the other person.  The key to listening is to be focused, engaged and sincere - anything less than genuine and authentic will guarantee a loss of the relationship - and the sale.

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Tip #526- 6 Signals of Healthy Leadership

Good leadership is good business. For clients, employees, suppliers, and even competition, solid leadership is good for the entire area as we continue to focus on local and regional economies.

Across Dale Carnegie Training, we spend a good deal of time supporting professional lives and strategizing how leadership is defined and assessing the quality of this critical skill. Here in Western Connecticut, we want both leadership and management to be successful so employees and organizations benefit.

If the leadership is not successful, then the business is challenged in a number of ways. The entire team struggles and profits are lost.

Here are six signals that leadership is healthy and effective:

• Trust and respect: As leadership goes, so does the entire organization. Trust is a key ingredient. A belief in trust is earned and it must grow every single day.

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