March 2009 – Page 3

Criticism

A group of editors and agents
took time out of their busy, overbooked schedules
and put together a twitter event
called QueryFail.
They took examples of real queries
and discussed why the queries failed.

It was very successful
and highly educational
but some writers took offense.

That’s to be expected.
If you do ANYTHING of note,
you’re going to get criticism.
Even Mother Teresa was criticized.

And if you do absolutely nothing,
you’ll hear about it also.

So stop worrying about what other people think.
Go out there and change YOUR world!

Handling Trouble

I’ve been given an opportunity.
This opportunity was not and will not be
given to any of my other ‘coworkers.’

So I’m keeping my mouth shut about it
until I’ve taken full advantage of this favor.

Yes, I realize that news will spread
and there will be some push back on the favor granter
and some envy.
That is going to happen
whether I manage this opp openly or quietly.

But quietly allows me to work the opportunity
without any other distractions
and that precious extra time is greatly needed.

If trouble is coming
and it won’t grow in size with waiting
then delay it as long as possible.

Fighting Forever

I pitched a project to a company.
I had to fight for it
but it ended up a solid success.

I pitched the next project to the same company.
Again, I received the same fierce push back,
no credit given for the previous success.
The second project was an even bigger success.

I pitched the third project to the same company.
No credit was given for the first two successes.
Despite even more strenuous push back.
I managed to sell it in.
It is shaping up to be another success.

Now, I’m looking at the fourth project.
I’m NOT selling it to the same company.
Why would I?
If I’m going to be treated like a complete newbie,
I might as well be a newbie
in a new company.

Push back is great,
we expect some,
but don’t make your superstars
fight for every single concession.
They eventually won’t bother.

The Digital Picture Frame Sign

I see more and more companies
using digital picture frames
to provide information
at tradeshows
and in store windows
and in waiting rooms
or reception areas.

It is inexpensive and easy
to load a powerpoint presentation
on a card
and have that presentation repeat
throughout the day.

Or show photos of happy customers
enjoying the product.

Or show different models.

Or…

The possibilities are endless.
Could you use a digital picture frame
instead of a static sign?

The Danger Of Inflexible Management

One of my coworkers
asked to come in late on Monday.
Her work isn’t time sensitive
and she had no meetings.
Her new manager said no.
The start time is 9am
and she expects her to be there at 9am.

The thing is…
this salaried employee normally comes in at 8am.
She leaves at 6pm.
Now, she arrives at 9am and leaves at 5pm.
The manager lost 2 unpaid hours of work a day from her.

And because the 9am rule response
was shared in public
(the request was made in private),
the entire department has adjusted their hours too.

If you are inflexible with your employees,
they will be inflexible with you.

How To Get Help

A loved one has taken action
on his life long dream to make a movie.
When he simply talked about it,
he got a lot of head nodding
but no offers of help.

As he moves towards his goal,
he receives help from more and more people.

Why?

Because doers like to hang with doers
and that group of people is surprisingly small.
When we see a project coming to life,
we all pitch in.

The best way to get help
realizing YOUR dream
is to take action.

Selling Out

The Bachelor’s Jason Mesnick
brutally dumped his choice
in front of the world,
enraging women everywhere.
He looked like a world class a$$hole.
Then on top of that,
he says he had no choice,
passing the buck for his bad behavior.
That lost him points with any perspective employer.

He got paid for that stunt, obviously.
But I hope he got paid well
because no one with self respect
would touch him
for personal
or
for business.

Few of us will face
such a public ethical dilemma
but many of us,
especially managers,
are right now facing smaller ones.

It is important to weigh
the pro’s of caving in ethically
with the often long term con’s.
An ethical decision is not one to make lightly.
You will be judged forever on it.

The File

I know I’ve blogged about this before
but it is time for a reminder…
You absolutely need a dirt file.
You need a top secret file
documenting every shady thing
that your manager
or manager’s manager
or manager’s manager’s manager
has ever done.

Why?

Because, in these economic times,
employers are thinking up new ways
NOT to pay severance.
The ‘temporary’ layoff
is gaining popularity
where the company lays employees off
and
doesn’t pay severance up front
(they don’t have to pay severance
unless you haven’t worked for X amount of days
– depending on where you live,
X could be six months or more).
They hope you’ll find another job
before they have to pay up.
This is perfectly legal.

The only solution to this
is the threat of other, more costly legal action.
That’s when the dirt file comes in handy.

You never ever want to use the dirt file
but if something like this happens,
you’ll be glad you have it.

The Something Strange

Tom Peters has a must-read list
of 48 things that matter
in business strategy.

My favorite?

“Expose all would-be hires
to something unexpected-weird.
Observe their reaction.”

I’ve done a thousand interviews
(especially now that I’m consulting).
Anyone my level has.
The questions are standard,
the strategy is standard.

Not only will shaking an interview up
let you see
how your candidate responds to stress
but, if she’s a pro like I am,
it’ll wake up her brain
and
she’ll thank you for it.

Have an ’emergency.’
See if she offers to pitch in.
Have to leave a ‘client.’
See if she steps up to the plate
and makes small talk while you’re gone.

Fun stuff like that.

The Charity Thank You

Once they’ve found a charity they like,
contributors usually donate
year after year.

Unless they feel their contribution
is not appreciated.

How to show appreciation?

One of the most effective techniques
with non-anonymous contributors
is a personal letter
(using the contributor’s name)
from a recipient of the donation.

DonorsChoose does this very well.
Students benefiting from the donation
send hand written thank you letters.

Thank you’s work.