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Month: June 2020

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Growth Personal Development

How Does an NFL Player Lead on the Field and in the Boardroom?

Last month, the C-Suite Network hosted a special Digital Discussion on leadership featuring former NFL safety, Bret Lockett. Here’s just a sample of our conversation.

If you’d like to listen to the complete interview, listen here.

(Questions and answers edited for clarity)

 

Jeffrey Hayzlett: What did it take for you to make the transition from football to business. And what was the process? What was that like? Which was harder?

 

Bret Lockett: It’s a lot easier to do something that you’ve been doing your entire life, right? For me, I’ve been playing sports my whole life. It was just one progression step after another. Once I finished playing, I finished with the Jets in 2013. I had to figure out the next steps. I thought I was, this football player, a top NFL athlete. I had to really dig into who I was and what my identity was and where I wanted to go. That process in itself was a game-changer. I started to intrinsically figure out what motivates me. When you think about business, one of the things that people say is fail fast. I like to say win fast. We’re always going to fail. There’s no doubt about it.

 

Jeffrey Hayzlett: We fail many times throughout business, but the key is to get to the win. In football, you have more time to dwell on a loss than a baseball player. How were you able to deal with adversity on the field? How did it help you deal with adversity in business?

 

Bret Lockett: When you look at adversity on the field, there’s no difference than being in business. When I played on the Patriots, I was on injured reserve three years in a row. I tore my groin my first year. Second year I come back, first two-a-day we had I tore my peck, out for the season.

Third year, came back, in the first preseason game, running down against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and tear my groin and lower ab at the same time.

So, you have to ask yourself, “Hey, why do I keep getting back up? Why keep doing this?”

 

I wanted to become the best NFL safety that I could possibly be. I had my mind made up that I was going to continue, regardless of what circumstances came about. The basis is, what standards do you have in your life? What standards do you have in your business?

 

Jeffrey Hayzlett: What’s the most valuable lesson that football taught you? Applying it to being an entrepreneur and being in business. What was that one lesson that was probably the biggest for you?

 

Bret Lockett: That’s a great question. In football, we all like to say that defense wins championships. That doesn’t necessarily go towards business. We can’t play defense in business because that means we’re competing with our competitors or we’re a step behind our competitors, or we’re doing an acquisition, because we’re getting blocked from maybe going into an emerging space. Playing defense in business is timid. You’re not dictating your own strategy, and you’re not really allocating your resources appropriately. We really look at strategy and business. It’s one of the main components that we have to stay ahead of. Being on offense is the best because it’s very difficult to change your strategy in business. On the football field, we can do that in a in a series. Go out on offense. (It) doesn’t work. We come back. We make adjustments. In business, it’s like an airplane we’re flying. We can turn that thing around. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort. That’s money right there in business. We have to be able to play offense, and that’s playing on our own time-tables, leading and fighting our own opportunities.

 

Jeffrey Hayzlett: You talk a lot about tough mentality, and I think right now with everything that’s going on, it’s put people in some tough situations. How do we train our minds to get tougher in order to be better business leaders?

Bret Lockett: The number one struggle that we all have when it comes to mindset is grit. (What) differentiates the elite performers from everybody else is how much we’re willing to take and how much can we take before we give up. If we want to increase our wherewithal, if we want to increase what we’re able to endure, then we have to lean in. When we lean into the unknown, it’s typically fear. Right? From a psychological perspective, we see fear when we come up against something that we don’t know we can overcome. The human brain does three things: it either runs the other way, it freezes, or we leap into the unknown. If you’re an entrepreneur, whether you have your own business or you’re running a large corporation, the more you lean in, the more your team leans in. The more you create a culture of individuals that accept that unknown, its a lot easier to start building that mindset.

 

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development Women In Business

Asking Better Questions to Prepare for the New Work World

Becoming our best self is a life-long process.  Sometimes that journey is filled with many twists and turns along the way.  The thought occurred to me as to how we can expand and grow after the pandemic.  So often during our life, we are ruled by a fear of failure, disappointment, facing rejection, etc.  JK Rowling once wrote something like, “you will never truly know yourself or your strength until tested by adversity.”  It is only when our lives become challenging that we see how strong we truly are.

 

As we prepare for this new journey, we find that by asking better questions now will give you the time to prepare honest responses to ensure better results as well as educate yourself to secure a better job offer in the future. The world will eventually evolve to a “new normal” and, when it does, you need to do all you can to be able to compete in this post-pandemic world.

 

In the New Work World, if you are serious about securing a job or making a career shift, you will have to “put the pedal to the metal” to be proactive and make a strong commitment to being able to stand out above the competition.  As with any great setback in life, the real winners are those who have resilience and perseverance.  You really do have choices as to how you respond and dedicate your energies to create new opportunities for yourself.

 

The new prospective employer will not tolerate why your resume has formatting issues, why your references won’t return a call, why your LinkedIn profile is not up-to-date and professional, why you have been too stressed out with fear of Covid19, family, kids, etc.  These issues and attitudes could very well cost you the job offer later.

 

Asking Better Questions might allow you to look more appealing than the candidate with more experience who DID NOT prepare.  Doing a proper evaluation of yourself will better prepare you when you are competing for the same job with others who may be more qualified than you. Employers will be looking for a candidate with that something extra as they determine the best applicant for the job.  You can turn this into a time of reinventing yourself through discovery. Discovery will come about because of your self-analysis in preparation for re-entering the New Work World.  History has shown that gain can come out of destruction. The Phoenix will rise from the ashes.  It’s important to remember that not only are you, the applicant, going through a new learning curve on how to approach securing a new job, so are companies and employers. The qualities they are seeking are also changing.

 

Some things to consider are as follows:

 

  1. Do a realistic self-analysis to document your skills and weaknesses related to your job and desire to secure a new career.  Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
  2. Do research to target a new job or industry which will perhaps be more profitable and secure than the one you currently have or came from.
  3. Contact previous bosses, if you are NOT currently unemployed, of course, to secure reference letters, inform them of a possible prospective employer calling, and expressing gratitude for them taking the time out of their day to answer any questions about your past work performance.
  4. When asked why you might have been laid off, terminated, or furloughed in this pandemic, how will you explain? Remember to express gratitude for the experience, reserve any hard feelings about the loss of your unemployment, and omit any negative talk about a particular industry, boss or co-worker.
  5. Analyze your monthly household living expenses to see if there are ways to cut back so that you are not working for just a paycheck. You want to find employment that is going to satisfy your passion and utilize your skills. It can be worth taking a step back for perhaps a giant step forward.  Have you examined your realistic worth in the current market place?
  6. Clean up ALL SOCIAL MEDIA content. This is more important than you might imagine.  Your LinkedIn profile and social media pages should be professional.  Make sure all your content does not contain anything inappropriate.
  7. Find a trusted mentor, friend, previous boss, or family member who you can lean on for support when the stress of your job search becomes overwhelming.
  8. Engage in mindfulness techniques such as YOGA, meditation, prayer, or visualization to help you get centered and calm down during this process of seeking new employment in the New Work World.
  9. Make time to exercise, relax, and involve yourself in hobbies that you might enjoy and have something fun in your life.

 

This transformational time can be used as a very important step by re-introducing ourselves to the world as our mask is removed, and we are much more in touch with who we are and what we have to offer the world to make it a better place. We are truly finding our place within that new work world and our own world as we emerge a much better version of who we had been. In the process, we may find that our new life is better than the one we left behind.

Categories
Personal Development Sales

3 of 7: Are you Qualifed? What do you Believe?

 

Mindful Sales Practice 3 of 7

The entire sales process consciously or unconsciously depend on what you believe.

Beliefs are strongly held thoughts that are held consciously or unconsciously to be true. 

To be successful you must integrate beliefs into the sales process.  Do you believe in yourself?  Do you believe in your product or service?  Are you willing and able to convey that belief in a convincing way to your customer?  Do you elicit an emotional reaction within yourself when you share your product or service with someone else?  If yes, is that emotion positive or negative?  If you believe in yourself and you believe in your product, you will begin to feel an emotional response when you identify the ideal customer.  This is where sales become something more than a transaction, it becomes an experience.  Our invitation is for you to transcend your beliefs into an authentic, world-class customer experience.

Qualification is, without question, the most important step in the Mindful Sales process.  This includes a series of questions you ask your customer before selling anything. There are many ways to do this.  We focus on five key areas that can be used to better understand your customer and the reason they are looking to make a purchase. 

The five key qualifying topics are:

Needs

Decision-Making Process

Competition

History

Resources

 

We use the following statement to remember them.

New Data Creates Happy Results

Use this strategy to mindfully connect to your next customer.

Eric Szymanski is a C-Suite Network Advisor and an award-winning co-author of Sell More, Stress Less: 52 Tips to Become a Mindful Sales Professional.  He is an American hospitality industry professional with extensive sales & marketing leadership experience. You can see more of his work at www.MindfulSalesTraining.com. Eric has demonstrated success in leading high-performing sales teams through planning, implementing, and monitoring actionable sales and marketing plans at hotels and resorts of all sizes, including city-center, convention district, airport and attractions areas. He has a proven track record of success at all levels through the achievement of both individual and team goals for several 1st tier, globally recognized brands such as Disney, Marriott, Hilton & Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Throughout his career, Eric has created authentic, world-class experiences while volunteering at all levels in several meetings industry associations. In 2018, Eric was recognized with the top individual sales award in the convention sales division at The Walt Disney Company. In 2002, he was recognized as Caterer of the Year by the Orlando, Florida Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. He is an avid runner, choral music performer & father of twin daughters who entered college in the fall of 2019.

 

Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

11 Commandments for Experts

1. There’s no good time. Now is the time. What are you waiting for?

2. Put out your best material. For free. Do you want to be SHARED or SCARED?

3. YOU may be your biggest obstacle. What would happen if you got out of the way?

4. Stop STARTING things and get more into DOING. What can you do today—right now?

5. A few may wish to see you fail. A lot more are rooting for your success. Where is your attention?

6. Forget the word vision. Better: What do you SEE in your future?

7. You’re aiming too low. How can you elevate your sights, your fees, and your value?

8. Stop blaming others. It’s ALL your fault. Move on—what’s next?

9. A bend in the road is never the end—unless you fail to turn. Where do you need to turn?

10. It’s not what you think it is. And it’s bigger than you think it is. Why not embrace that?

11. There are no silver bullets, secret sauces, or magic beans. Now what’s your plan?

Oh, and if you want a better plan – and to become a better entrepreneur of your expertise, read about our brand new offering, the Expert Profit Formula. You’ll love it.

Which of these Commandments for Experts would you’d like to improve on the most?

Categories
Best Practices Growth Leadership Personal Development

What Business Are You In? Lessons From Christie Hefner

Really great leaders make their businesses simple to understand.

Because when there is clarity, there is unity of purpose. And when there is unity of purpose, there is advantage.

At the High Stakes Executive Leadership Forum, Jeffrey Hayzlett, Chairman of the C-Suite Network, Primetime Television, and Podcast Host, sat down with Christie Hefner, Chairman of Hatchbeauty Brands, former Chairman, and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, and one of the most influential women in business. Their conversation was incredibly insightful and contained critical leadership focus areas and mindsets that are absolutely necessary in order to compete in this tumultuous economic climate.

Hayzlett and Hefner discussed unconscious bias that has kept women in executive leadership from an equitable representation in the boardroom (20% of women are on executive boards, yet they make up more than half the population and half the MBAs – grrrr.) and what leaders can do to cultivate stronger diversity both within their companies and externally. They further discussed the future in business and what needs to be kept at the forefront in order to stay competitive.

“Either companies are growing or dying; it’s only one or the other,” Hefner said. Too often leaders aren’t paying attention to the important shifts in business and adapting quickly enough to new models. The question that Hefner suggests all leaders ask themselves is simple, but sometimes not easy:

“What business are we in? If you answer it correctly, you’re Netflix. If you answer it wrongly, you’re Blockbuster.” This clarifying question must be answered in order for organizations and their teams to move as rapidly and effectively as possible, especially in the midst of so many unknowns.

As Jeffrey and Christie talked about the impact of Covid-19, they highlighted the impact that TIME has had on business. Hefner stated, “The pandemic is a time machine to the future”. Hayzlett reiterated his belief that the increased velocity must be mastered in order to continue to drive and thrive in this perfect storm of global challenge. Great leaders listen well, communicate with transparency, and engage their entire teams on a unified approach to success. This requires clarity of purpose and a true understanding the intrinsic value of your products, services, and company actually provide the customer.

Don’t make the mistake of competing against your competitor! That approach is no longer a business model that is sustainable because it’s just too darn slow! Instead, great businesses will accelerate their growth instead of contract because they are the ones who compete for the hearts and minds of the customers they serve. As my brilliant colleague Tyler Hayzlett, Marketing Jedi, and fellow C-Suite Network Advisor, cautions, “Stop operating in the shadow of the past.”

Are you ready to move your business out of the shadow of the past and keep pace with the hyperspeed of the Now? What actions will you take today to grow instead of decline? Most importantly, do you — and all of your team members — know what business you are REALLY in?

Up-to-the-minute, relevant business insights are just a part of what the C-Suite Network offers through their Executive Leadership Forums and Digital Discussions. If you would like to be a part of more conversations from the c-suite, become an Executive Leader today. As a thought leader in mindful performance and C-Suite Radio podcast host, I am on a constant quest to discover how top leaders in business deliver their best performances. During the High Stakes Forum, Jeffrey Hayzlett and Christie Hefner demonstrated why they are two of the best.

#ceo #peakperformance #csuite #csuitenetwork #thoughtleadership #leadership #coaching #bestpractices #engagement #business growth

Categories
Best Practices Leadership Personal Development Sales

Temporary Price Cuts Need Thoughtful Wording

WATCH OUT! Customers think any price reductions are permanent!

Especially now, CPG producers must feature a price reduction on their retail shelves. But if they want to do that, producers need to temporarily reduce their FOB prices to their distributor, then get their distributor to reduce their wholesale prices to the retailer, and finally, the retailer must reduce the retail price to their customers. If the producer sells directly to retailers, the retailer must cooperate in cutting prices for the customer.

Temporary Price Reductions

 Temporary Price Reductions, or TPRs, can draw attention to your products, help you negotiate for retail displays, and score those customers who passed on your products many times before. But debuting a new product at retail with an immediate price reduction is an awful idea. Why? Because, any change back to everyday pricing would be viewed by the customer as an “increase”. They would be discouraged to continue buying your brand. So, before you employ TPR tactics, it’s essential that everyday pricing is already established for at least a month in that location.

Of course, you need periodic TPRs to bring some more attention to your products, but it’s all about how you do it. Things become more complicated when you try to affect retail shelf price reduction. For example, if you lower you FOB pricing in order to get a lower retail price, both the distributor and the retailer won’t be happy when the price returns to normal. They’ll think it’s an increase!

Protect Your Price

 So how can you do all this without messing with your everyday pricing? The answer is simple: NEVER lower the price! On your invoices, always charge full price. Then, you can offer a one-time credit that’s only good under certain limitations. When you do send an invoice, do so for the full price and display the credit (if applicable). In other words, the credit could be based on volume, time, a performance factor, or a combination of any of these. For example, perhaps you’d offer a program to a retailer or distributor for their purchase during any given month, on the stipulation that they must reduce their margins that month in order to achieve 1 or 2 dollars less on the shelf. You might also require that they buy a certain amount of your products at a time, like a 5-case minimum for example. This encourages a floor display!

Protect Your Sales

Make sure to have seasonal promotion materials ready when you sell this program. This shows retailers how you’ll support your products’ displays. It’s crucial that they understand the credit you’ve given them is only available when they purchase products under your program. Be careful–don’t present your program too much longer before your promotional event, or else the retailer will wait and you might lose sales during the month before the event. This becomes tricky when you rely on the distributor’s rep to create the presentation. We suggest your salespeople, or better yet, you, do the presentations and get the buy-in from the retailer.

When you sell directly to the retailer, the credit will be seen as a one-time allowance under limited circumstances for a certain period of time. But when you offer this credit to the distributor, the retailer may think of it as a permanent price reduction. That is, unless you control the lines of communication and get your distributor to make the TPR and its conditions clear to the retailer. The last thing you want to hear is, “I paid less last month, and now you’re raising your price?!” Giving away money is not easy!

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

 

Categories
Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“The value of what you compare lies in the value of what you’re comparing.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation”

 

People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.

 

When people evaluate situations, they may not realize it, but they’re making comparisons. About that, you should raise your level of consciousness; because it’s a truism. In some instances, people compare a present situation to the ones that appear related to prior cases. At other times, they compare the current condition to the possibility of future outcomes. And that’s especially true during a negotiation. Regardless of the timeframe, when making comparisons, you’re evaluating the course of action to take. Thus, in your negotiation and other aspects of your life, when making comparisons, be aware of the impact that the following factors have on the outcome.

 

Listening

An intricate part of good communications in a negotiation, and other interactions, is the ability to listen well. To understand someone’s perspective, first, you must listen to what they say about the situation that’s before them. That’ll give you a mental picture of that person’s perception, and the opinion they have about it. That’ll also be the insight source that determines which comparisons to draw from later in the conversation.

If you’re astute, you’ll listen to the words they use to express themselves, the degree of excitement they share while doing so, and the pace at which they speak – word choice gives vision to someone’s thoughts. Thus, by being attentive to their word choices, you’ll gain a more profound sense of their emotional mind. And that’s the reason why you should listen for a deeper meaning than just the conveyance of their words. To do that, you must give that person the time and space they need to let their feelings be known, heard, and shared.

 

Tension/Apprehension

While you’re actively listening, note the comparisons someone makes while they’re speaking. In particular, observe the points about the tensions or apprehensions they’ve encountered. That’ll give you more clues about the pain they’ve experienced. Later, you’ll be able to employ that information as anchoring points of negativity or positivity during the negotiation.

Most people are moved to action by fear of loss, versus gaining something they don’t currently possess. Thus, if you hear someone speak about protecting what they have, catalog it for later use. At the appropriate time, make a comparison to a situation in which they lose something they have. Then, create a worse condition scenario than the first one. After that, offer your solution as the savior of their woes. By initially making comparisons to a bad situation and one that’s worse, your best-case offering will appear more pleasing, and more likely to be accepted.

 

Anchoring

Anchoring occurs when you set someone’s initial point of perspective. Thus, if someone said your price was too high, you might ask, compared to what? In their response would be the answer to what they were comparing your price. And there’d be gold in their reply. Because they will have given you their anchoring point about why they thought your price was high.

At that point, you’ll have a momentary advantage in the negotiation. That advantage will be in the form of thoughts, ideas, and positions from which to find a medium point. You might consider evoking some of the points you gathered while listening to the tensions and apprehensions that individual had in the past. Or, if warranted, you might instead employ something from the positive aspects of which they spoke.

The point is, you should seek to anchor that person’s perspective to the point that will best serve your purpose. In theory, that would be a position that was best for both of you. That would allow the perception of your point to become embraced as being more solvable to the challenge at hand. And that would mean your anchoring point would become accepted as an influencer to the proceeding that follows from there. Anchoring is a powerful tool when it comes to influencing someone’s views. Use it adroitly, and you’ll enhance your negotiation efforts.

 

Storytelling

The stories you tell are another factor that’ll serve as your ally when making comparisons in a negotiation. A well-told story injected into the conversation at the right time, can instantly alter someone’s position and the perspective they have about a situation. To tell a good story, consider the following components.

 

  1. When telling a person how he can acquire a goal that you see as obtainable, the story should have easily recognized components that the person perceives as being real, and not too difficult to achieve. Allow him to see himself bursting with new pride in the imagery of his new acquisition.

 

  1. Paint the mental picture you project with details you gleaned during the listening part of your interaction. Thus, if the person spoke about a dire time when he missed the chance to improve or maintain a situation, due to moving slowly, you might paint the image of someone being overly deliberate and missing an opportunity. Let him draw his conclusion between that situation and the position that he’s currently in.

 

  1. The timing and pace you tell a story will determine its impact. Therefore, to enhance the effect, recite your story’s depiction at a pace that’s easy to follow and consume. While doing so, observe the body language displayed by the person listening to it. In particular, note when they close their eyes, turn or drop their head, or show a momentary frown, as you mention what they may lose if they don’t act fast enough. The body language gestures mentioned will indicate a fear of loss. Cues such as those will announce the impact your story is having on that individual.

 

Reflection

First, realize that during your interactions with other people, you’re negotiating. And in a negotiation, you move someone’s perspective by the comparisons you make and the way you position those comparisons. Therefore, if you wish to win more negotiations when using comparisons, seek to evoke the level of emotions, positive or negative, in which you touch someone’s heart. Following these guidelines will allow you to do just that. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Comparisons #csuitenetwork #thoughtcouncil #Bodylanguage #readingbodylanguage #Negotiation #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #negotiationPsychology #HowToNegotiateBetter #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Control #Conversations #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

Categories
Entrepreneurship Leadership Marketing Personal Development Sales

Speaking is NOT Dead

Too many of my esteemed competitors would tell you that speaking is dead – time to move on.

Here’s what that argument sounds like:

You used to be a speaker, huh?

Gosh – I guess Covid-19 wiped you out.

No events – no meetings – no training.

Bummer – so here’s what you need to do:

  • Set up an elaborate video studio in your house. Buy a ton of gear that you have no idea how to use
  • Start doing $49 webinars instead of your $7,500 keynotes
  • Launch complicated funnels, write these huge sales pages for your $197 online course (you have one of those, right?), and crank out 15-part autoresponder emails to hammer your poor prospects until they buy or die
  • Start doing Facebook ads. The more you spend, the better. Leads, baby, leads – that’s where it’s at

<STOP>

Wrong.

Speaking is just one distribution method for your expert-based business.

We’ve always mentored our clients to diversify their distribution methods:

  • Speakers can consult, coach, and work with corporate sponsors
  • Trainers can create webinars, build online courses, and facilitate
  • Coaches can do group coaching, virtual masterminds, and councils
  • Consultants can sell video series, license their IP, and host CEO roundtables

Any expert who only has 1 profit center is at risk.

That was true before Covid-19.

And, naturally, it’s true now.

You can’t be a one-trick pony in any economy.

The secret?

Diversify while still specializing.

You have a speaking-driven business – NOT a “speaking” business.

You’re in the IDEA business.

And your clients need your ideas now more than ever – online, offline, on video, in person, on webinars, in groups, and privately.

Even if you call yourself a “speaker,” is that the business that you’re really in?

Is the speaking business dead? What do you think?

In this training I help you uncover your 3 critical success factors: Clarity (who you are, what you offer, why it’s different); Focus (who you serve, what problems you solve); Decisions (marketing tools, how to find prospects, get profitable fees) – sign up here <<<

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone – Building Resilience in the New Work World

The Third Step of the Faremouth Method is “Step Out of Your Comfort Zone.”  Whether you are going into work or working from home, or have already been part of the cutbacks at your office, the Covid-19 pandemic has probably changed your work world in some way, shape or form. You have been forced to step out of your comfort zone where fear and anxiety about your life can be overwhelming.  When I was thinking about all the employee and employer concerns I heard this last week, a famous quote came to mind that has always given me hope in my life during times of extreme stress, loss or overwhelm. It’s a quote by Henry Ford that goes like this:

 

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

 

What that quote has always said to me is that we gain great strength and perseverance when we have some extreme challenge to overcome, not when things are easy and comfortable.  When we are forced to “Step Out of Our Comfort Zone” is where the real gold is to be found.  How do we build resilience and manage job stress effectively to be able to go to that higher place, that growth-oriented space, that new more fulfilling destination?

 

The following tips are ones that I feel may help you during these fearful times.  They are tips that I have heard from a variety of sources which have helped employees and employers cope with having to step out of their comfort zone and build resilience in the New Work World.

 

1. Increase your sense of control by developing a consistent daily routine when possible,

ideally, one that is similar to your schedule before the pandemic.

  • Take breaks from work to exercise, check in with your supportive network which may include colleagues, family, and friends.
  • Spend time outdoors, either being physically active or relaxing. Even taking a long walk might be helpful during these difficult times.
  • Practice mindfulness techniques that might include meditation, Yoga, prayer, visualization, etc.,
  • Do things you enjoy during non-work hours, such as listening to music, cooking, taking an online class that you always wanted to take.
  • If you work from home, set a regular time to end your work for the day, if possible.

2. Identify those things which you do not have control over and do the best you can with the resources available to you.

  • If you have lost your job, consider updating your resume to highlight skills that may be transferable.
  • Come to a realistic understanding that you might have to take a pay-cut in these uncertain times but continue to work hard and prove yourself to be in a position to get that raise and promotion when things do turn around. It’s important to remember to be grateful for the resources that you have available to you. There is a lot to be said for feeling grateful for whatever it is we have in our lives. There is an old saying that what we put into the world will come back to us. As we help others, others will help us.
  • Do research of available opportunities to seek the help of a career coach, advisor, or online resources to know what options are available.

3. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media.  Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting and mentally exhausting.  Make sure you give yourself a break from all the news which may keep you from a positive mindset.

4. Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns. If you feel you need to seek professional help in a therapeutic setting, do it.

5. Remind yourself that everyone is in an unusual situation with limited resources.

6.Know the facts about Covid-19 and protect yourself and others by sharing accurate information to reduce stress and making a connection with others.

 

Understand that with the right mindset, support, and belief in your abilities, you will get through this.  In the last major downturn in 2009, wonderful new businesses like Air B&B, Uber, and others, were started because of new needs and alternatives brought to the surface. This can be a wonderful time of inspiration and motivation. Sometimes we can be in a career or job where we feel we are unchallenged and complacent. Then when there is a shakeup, we have that opportunity to reassess our own value and turn that into something better than what we had before the shakeup.

 

Just like the quote of Napoleon Bonaparte, “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”

 

Do what you have to do in these challenging times to develop your own inner strength.  If you do that and have that solid resolve within, you will survive these challenging times and come out of this stronger, more determined, and dedicated to be the best you can be and even help to make a contribution to help others through the process to become better in our New Work World.  We have to have that mindset of feeling grateful, helping others, and doing what we can on a collective basis to turn this entire situation around into something more positive than we’ve ever had before but it will take everyone working as a team for the common cause.

 

As another famous author, Ara,  wrote:

 

“Maybe it’s not about putting roots down anywhere but driving them so deep in yourself that no matter where you are you’re home.”

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Marketing Negotiations Sales Women In Business

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict” – Negotiation Insight

“People walking blindly into conflict should not be surprised when they’re greeter is regret.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

 

 

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict”

 

“People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.”

 

Two friends, a man and a woman were talking about an associate’s son. The man stated that the associate’s son had four kids, of which one was not his natural child. The woman said, “you shouldn’t say that’s not his natural child. Instead, you might say, it’s his adopted child.” The man retorted, “you know what I mean when I say it’s not his natural child. And since you know what I mean, you should accept my phraseology with the intent of its meaning.”

From there, their conversation disintegrated into conflict. The two friends had had thousands of discussions in the past. But this time, the two friends would be led to conflict due to the utterance of an objectionable word.

A countless number of people are dragged into conflict every day because of the phrases and words they use. And you’re one of them. If you’d like to know what some of those phrases are and how to avoid the conflicts that are caused by the words you use, implement the following strategies. Doing so will help you avoid the conflict that certain words create.

 

Mindset

You should always be aware of someone’s mindset when conversing with them. If one’s mind is irritated from a prior situation, that irritation might seep into your conversation. And with it may come disruptive emotional baggage. Thus, while you’re engaging that person in an attempt to highlight your points, that individual may be hearing sounds of the prior conversation that wreaked havoc on them.

Remember, past interactions can evoke previous emotions in current situations. If you sense that might be the condition in your case, address it at that moment. Please don’t allow it to fester into what could become an uncontrollable arbitrage. That would serve no one’s purpose.

 

Trigger Words

Words such as, always, you should/must, ridiculous, relax, chill out, etc., can serve as words that trigger someone’s emotions such that they become defensive. And from that position, your initial conversation may become derailed as the result of you discussing that something doesn’t occur all the time. After that, the discussion could further disintegrate. It could evolve into one were people defend their word choice, rather than the topic of their conversation.

Trigger words can lead to unwanted circumstances and outcomes, which is why you should be mindful of how and when you use them. If you know certain words will trigger someone to adopt a particular mindset, and you wish to avoid it, don’t trigger them. On the other hand, if you’re aware of that fact and you intend to do so, be cautious with your efforts. Once triggered, you never know to what degree your effects may have on someone. Thus, you run the risk of losing control if things get too far out of hand.

 

Baiting

Be mindful of when someone uses certain words. They may be attempting to bait you. It’s one way someone can alter your emotions and thought process.

Baiting occurs when a person uses a word that triggers a particular emotion or reaction. Someone can do it intentionally or unintentionally. When done intentionally, there may be a hidden agenda to rile you up, or done to evoke a mindset of compliance within you. In either case, you should be aware of how someone might be triggered to act based on the word choices you invoke during an interaction with them. That’ll be the source that determines the degree that the communication is amiable or fraught with disgruntlement.

Verbal Signs

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, – I got all of that.” I’m sure you’ve heard such phrases in your conversations. They’re either signals that the listener is becoming tired of your pontifications or she’d like to speak. In either case, let her have the floor. And when you do, engage in active listening.

People make utterances to let you know that it’s time for you to move on. Pay attention to those signs. They can help you avoid the road of conflicts that come from speaking too long or using the wrong words.

Control

Depending on the environment, you can control the conflict that stems from the choice of words someone uses when they’re engaging you. If you’re in person or talking on the phone, you can abstain from participating in the conversation by leaving the environment; that would entail concluding the discussion at the point when things began to become uncontrollable. If you’re communicating via email, text messages, etc., you can respond after you’ve considered what the appropriate response should be and what reply might come from that.

The point is, realize that you have some control when conversations begin to turn sour, based on your ability to control the words that lead to conflict. Thus, be aware of your rising emotions, and those of the party with whom you’re communicating before you enact such control. But by all means, make sure you exercise restraint in such situations. The future of your relationship with the other party hangs in the balance.

Empathy

Some people think displaying empathy is a form of control. That may be true based on how someone perceives it. When attempting to alter the negative course that conflict has inflicted, empathy may be the salve that quickens the closing of that wound. But, I suggest you apply its use at the appropriate time. Because if you attempt to employ it close to an altercation, the bruised feelings that came from it may be too bear to stunt the emotional pain. Thus, if you let time elapse, the wound may be more receptive to the application of empathy. And of course, the timing depends on the situation and those involved.

Reflection

People stumble into conflicts by being unaware of the words they use and the disruptive cause their statements can have on someone’s mind. If you become more astute about your word choices, you’ll avoid the cause that ignites conflicts. And everything will be right with the world.

 

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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