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Category: Management

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Growth Management Personal Development Technology

Communication – The 5th Pillar of Your EPICC Cybersecurity Team

Here we are, the last and final article in the series on creating an EPICC High Performance Cybersecurity team. If you have been with me from the start of this series you know the first four pillars are Engagement, Productivity, Integrity, and Collaboration. The fifth and final pilar we are going to talk about is Communication.

You’ve heard it before “you were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason: to listen twice as much as you speak,” but how often do we follow that rule? Too often, and I’m guilty of this too, we are thinking about what we are going to say next in response to what we are being told, rather than listening to understand. Which means, if we are not listening we are not communicating completely or effectively.

Communication is an open and safe exchange of information, ideas, and opinions; the good, the bad, and the ugly. When something is not going right, communication is critical. You may think this sounds a lot like collaboration that we talked about in the last article, and they do go hand in hand, but you cannot get to collaboration without communication.

Communication has to do with how we say what needs to be said, when we say it, and whether we are truly listening. This is incredibly important for your cybersecurity team. If they are not truly communicating and listening, think of what could get missed in your mission to protect your organization.

Respectful communication is key and you must lead by example. Clearly discuss what respectful communication looks and sounds like and what will and won’t be tolerated and then do what you are telling others to do. Some examples of respectful communication includes being fully present and not typing emails or texts while someone is talking. You are not listening if you are thinking about what you are typing. Other examples include making eye contact, repeating back what you heard to show you were listening, and asking clarifying questions. These are the questions that helps ensure you truly heard and understood what the other person just said.

If you are not sure what makes up a complete list of respectful communication thinks about the things that drive you nuts when you are talking with someone. A good exercise would be to get your team together and without asking them to name names ask each person to provide examples of what they think respectful communication looks like and what they think is rude. Use this time to discuss what you want for the team, create a list together of what is acceptable and not acceptable and now as a group you have collaborated on the rules of respectful communication. Everyone now knows what will and won’t be tolerated.

Giving and receiving feedback in real time, which I discussed in motivation and feedback is another  crucial part of communication, especially as a leader. If you have ever been given critical feedback long after the incident occurred, you know how frustrating that can be: how can I fix something that happened three months ago?

Feedback means communicating with your team, individually or as a group when needed to share what you are observing that is working well and not working. The conversation on what is not working well is a crucial conversation that is often difficult to have. It’s tough to deliver bad news or share with people areas that need improvement. But the ability to do this not only makes you a stronger leader, it will garner respect when done well, and help your team be a more high performing team.

If you need help starting a conversation or figuring out how to broach a topic with someone on your team there are specialists who can help. For example, A subject matter expert on this whose articles are extremely useful is Dr. Laura Sicola, who is someone from whom you can learn a lot about communication. Similarly, if you are looking for more on how to create a high performance team, you can reach out to me at sharon@c-suiteresults.com to learn more about conducting a High Performance Team Workshop.

It’s perfectly normal to need help and perfectly acceptable to ask. What is unacceptable is thinking that things can change on their own or deciding that the status quo is good enough and change isn’t necessary for you or your team. But in the end, whether or not you are going to get assistance in building your EPICC team or do it yourself, it’s time to get started and get to work.

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Growth Human Resources Management Personal Development Women In Business

A Lesson in Self Awareness

I had a brief interview with the Registrar, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto.

He asked me 3 questions:

1.) Do I generally get along with others?

2.) What do I do if I don’t get along with someone?

3.) When can I start?

I started the following Monday.

The Registrar was my first mentor. He gave me his complete trust. He was supportive when I initiated changes, he recommended me to collaborate on exciting projects and encouraged me to be engaged at all levels at the university.

During my second year at U of T, the Registrar announced his upcoming retirement. I was disappointed that he would be leaving soon, but also happy for him to begin a new chapter. I decided to invite him for lunch, as a small token of gratitude for all that he had done for me.

On the day of our lunch date, I met him at his office. He was an unpretentious man, with an unpretentious wardrobe, but that day he wore a trendy new shirt and tie. I commented on his new look and he smiled and said, “My wife picked this out.” I told him that she has great taste.

I asked him if he likes Indian cuisine and he told me he was up for anything. So, we headed out to a quaint restaurant nearby, that had a great lunch menu. On our way there I noticed that he walked a little taller and had a little spring in his step. He was in a great mood!

After we placed our order we started to discuss work but I wanted to learn more about him – about who he is as a person. He quickly opened up and shared some really surprising stories with me. The Registrar told me that he was once a volunteer teacher in Africa, which is where he met his wife, who was also a volunteer. And I discovered that he has a great sense of humour. He told me a hilarious elephant story, which had me in tears at one point!

We enjoyed delicious meals and great conversation. When the server presented the bill, the Registrar reached across the table to pay. I insisted that it is my treat. I paid the bill and then we left the restaurant.

As we were walking back to work, I expressed to the Registrar how much I really appreciate all of the time and support that he gave me. I told him that I will never forget his kindness. Then I said, “Thank you”. He smiled at me as we walked across the campus.

Then he stopped for a moment and asked me, “Can I share something with you?” I answered, “Of course.” He said, “I have been working here for 25 years and this is the first time a colleague has invited me to lunch.” Then he said, “Thank you, Michelle.” I smiled at him.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. When we arrived at our building he held the door open for me, and then he followed behind me. We walked up the stairs together to the second floor, where his office was located and then I continued up to the Ph.D. Oral Exams Office on the third floor.

When I reached my office, I sat down and turned my chair around to face the window. I gazed outside and thought about our conversation. I was so grateful that we had the opportunity to gain self-awareness. We learned how our actions impact others and how others perceive us.

That was the best lunch I ever had.

Michelle Nasser, Executive Coach     michellenasser.leaders@gmail.com  www.michellenasser.com

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Skills Women In Business

5 Recommendations to Effectively Interact with Visual Aids

Click here to watch 5 Recommendations to Effectively Interact with Visual Aids. 

How many times have you found yourself struggling to pay attention while the speaker spends most of the time talking to their visuals aids?  They give you permission to do anything but listen to them.

Your visual aids are not your notes. Instead, they should add impact and emphasis to your message, increasing what your listeners remember and how long they retain it.

Grab these 5 surefire ways to make sure your listeners stay connected with you while increasing their understanding through your visual aids.

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Health and Wellness Management Women In Business

Achieve Peak Performance – Pay Attention to Your Well-Being

Some of the smartest and most successful people I know understand in order to have the ability to work at peak performance levels requires incredible energy and stamina. To have that consistently, one has to schedule recovery time. It’s as important to your bottom line as landing that big client or making the next sale. Let this sink in:  According to SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management, 85% of talent managers agree employees who use most (or all) of their vacation time are more productive and focused.

See, part of taking care of yourself is being a champion for your own physical and mental well-being. That’s why you’ll see extraordinary leaders plan and take vacation down time. That means disconnection from responsibility, technology, and even emails! (That last one scared you a little, didn’t it? Studies show that over 50% of employees check work-related emails after hours, on vacation and during holidays. STOP.) While it’s not always possible to completely “unplug”, it should be a goal to use your down time as true time away. To replenish the mind and spirit. To shake out the cobwebs. Find new perspective. Renew energy levels. And make quality time to pay ATTENTION to loved ones the top priority.

I read an article not long ago in Fortune Magazine that shared how Europeans think Americans are crazy because while they take up to six weeks of vacation per year, statistics show that US employees leave 429 million vacation days on the table annually. Interestingly 40% of executives think employees would be more productive if they took vacations. Yet among those same senior managers, 72% said if offered unlimited vacation time they wouldn’t take it! What’ THAT about?

If what you REALLY want is to be better at what you do, and have a better life while you’re doing it – try these three strategies for scheduling recovery and downtime: 

Plan early: One thing we do as a team, is review calendars at the first part of the year and plan a variety of trips during that year and might include cars, bikes, pool time or trips back to Australia to see family and friends. It’s a practice we have followed for many years to ensure the majority of vacations are scheduled to give us experiences to look forward to. Can you review your calendar and book time to enjoy something that you love to do with people you love being with?

Create variety: Look for ways you can mix it up – with a variety of destinations, adventures and times of year based on your needs and budgets. I’m not a stay-cation kind of gal. My office is in my home (maybe you have one there too.) That means I would just work the whole time, so that doesn’t work for me. For some people, it works. Consider visiting a new spot, driving instead of flying, build in adventure, art galleries visits, or a walking tour of a city. With so many online tools to help plan your visit, you can leverage community events, support local initiatives and experience cities and towns in a completely new way. We often use the site HomeAway.com, as I prefer an apartment or a house than a hotel when traveling for extended stays. We have used this service around the world and have loved it every time. My career allows me the luxury of travel to incredible places staying in lovely hotels and yet some vacations the idea of getting on another plane or staying in another hotel. Can you and your family choose a new adventure in the next twelve months that everyone can help plan to enjoy a trip together?

Go offline: This is the toughest ask for many of our clients (and me) but it’s not impossible! Can you create an out of office message that bounces back to manage email providing an alternative person to help while you are away? Can you stay off social media and instead focus all that time and attention on creating memories with those you love? I am a huge fan of a digital detox; your vacation is a great time to do that.

Get outside. There’s something incredibly life-affirming about getting outdoors in beautiful new space. Think mountain hikes, a walk on a nature path, collecting shells on a beach, or catching fish on a lake. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel, how much deeper you sleep and how much healthier you feel on vacation when you invest time to be active while you are relaxing?

Create memories: Truly, isn’t one of the biggest reasons we work so hard is to create a lifestyle for our loved ones? Keep this in mind – recovery time is not always just about your taking a break, it’s about taking the time to create special experiences with family and friends. It’s about connection. It’s also NOT negotiable for any leader who wants to excel. If you want to accelerate your leadership and be a productive contributor on your team? Take time off. You will be more fun to work with, more focused and energized and you will create memories with people you care about, and isn’t that the reason many of us work?

Here’s my challenge to you: Pay attention to what matters. You, your health, and your loved ones all benefit from scheduled recovery, book yours today.  Need more convincing or ideas how you can achieve peak performance through regularly scheduled recovery time? Check out this video and learn how professionals can achieve maximum productivity results, focus and dedicated attention to goals and priorities through recovery time.

 

Categories
Growth Human Resources Management Personal Development

Do You Trust Your Employees?

One of the questions I frequently ask clients is whether they trust their employees. I ask with purpose. If an employer does not trust the employees that are supposed to be interacting with customers, that employer also can’t trust that customers are being taken care of well.

A company’s front-line employees are the ones who create the all-important first impression. Employers have to be able to trust them to make that first impression a good one. Unfortunately, far too many employers retain workers they don’t trust and, as a result, jeopardize relationships with customers.

Trust Is the Foundation

Trust is the foundation of any relationship between employer and employee. This trust manifests itself in two ways. First, employers want to be able to trust their employees to perform the job to the standards set. This includes taking good care of customers. Second, employees need to be able to trust that their employers will take care of them just as they are expected to take care of customers.

A lack of trust in either direction is usually an indication that a particular employee should not be put in a position of interacting with customers. If that employee cannot be trusted to do the job up to standards, he or she certainly cannot be trusted to interact with customers. Likewise, if the employee does not trust that the employer will take care of him or her, customer satisfaction isn’t going to be a priority.

In addition, think about this for just a minute: an employee who is not trusted by his or her employer will probably not be trusted by customers either. Do you see how important trust is

Communication, Retention, and Motivation

With trust as the foundation of employer-employee relationships, we can build on that foundation in other key areas. First among them is communication.

A relationship of trust between employers and employees rises or falls on the ability of all parties to communicate. Owners and managers must be willing to effectively communicate what’s going on within the organization so as to empower employees to be part of it. Likewise, employees have to be willing to communicate their thoughts and ideas so that management has an understanding of what is on their minds. Both sides need to be more than willing to listen and respond accordingly.

Next comes employee retention. When trust exists in the employer-employee relationship, retention is a lot easier. A solid relationship built on trust puts everyone at ease. It makes the employer happy to keep the employee; it reduces the likelihood that the employee will look for a new job.

Last is employee motivation. Employees who know they are trusted are more likely to have confidence that they will be retained. That trust and confidence subsequently motivates employees to be better at what they do. The more trust and confidence there is, the more motivated employees are.

Show Employees Your Trust

If it helps you to better understand the concept of trust in the employer-employee relationship, think about it in terms of parents and children. Older children who are treated like adults will begin to act like adults. Employees respond much the same way. Treat them like trusted team members and they will begin acting that way. Empower your employees by demonstrating your trust and they might just surprise you with the way they take care of your customers.

Remember that trust in the employer-employee relationship is a two-way street.  Do your employees trust you?  Mutual trust creates an environment that customers flock to. If you don’t have it, you may not have your customers for very long.

Randi Busse is the founder and president of Workforce Development Group, Inc., www.workdevgroup.com, a training and coaching organization that specializes in improving the customer experience, increasing customer retention, and maximizing revenue. She is also the co-author of Turning Rants Into Raves: Turn Your Customers On Before They Turn On YOU! Randi can be reached at randi@workdevgroup.com.

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development

Using Language to Manipulate

If people were deceiving you right to your face would you want to know? That’s not such an unheard of idea. When people talk with each other today it’s common not to say what we mean.

Honey, do these jeans make me look fat?

No.

[It’s your butt that makes your jeans look fat but I can’t say that.]

Would you like to go out again?

Yes.

[He never heard from her again.]

He’s a really great worker.

[I’m glad he’s out of my department. He wasn’t a good employee.]

It’s easier to say what we think someone wants to hear instead of saying what we think. We hope to avoid hurting another person or the confrontation that might ensue. We answer by the painless way out. We want to get our way so we gloss over the truth. These are common practices in our communication and it’s considered acceptable. It’s delivering a message by using words that hide our true thoughts.

That is one way to use language for our benefit. Another way is by changing definitions of words in order to con others. It has been happening for years yet most people aren’t aware of it.

We learn language from our parents, from school, and from the world around us. As a word is introduced we learn what it means. From there we build sentences, which make it possible to get our message across to others. Communication occurs when a speaker conveys a message and a listener understands what the speaker is saying. It takes the speaker using the right words for his message and the listener understanding what those word mean. But what happens when the definitions of words are changing from what we learned them to mean and we aren’t aware that it’s happening?

Take the word crib. Standing alone we don’t know if the meaning of the word is a baby’s bed or a place to live. The word has changed meanings. The word reality means actual, truth; it’s real. Today we use the word reality as being real or the resemblance of being real. The word reality originally meant it had to be fact. Today it only has to appear to be real.

We’ve seen it on television shows. We used to have reality shows where people were shown as their real self. Later on we find out the reality stars had been coached so it creates better TV. From there we changed reality programs to actuality programs to show that actuality is the real thing. Right.

We even changed the word true. It originally meant fact, actual, genuine, real. Today the word true means conforming to reality. We just learned that today we define reality as resembling something real.

The word true went from fact to anything that looks like it could be fact.

When someone tells you that something is true we think it is fact. What they mean is it’s something that appears to be fact but might not be. If you take what the speaker says as real you are being fooled. Their intention is to deceive you so you will believe them. The speaker is using the change in definitions to manipulate you to their ideologies. You are being duped and you don’t even know it.

It may seem harmless but it is anything but that. When a person is exposed to something over a period of time they adapt to it. For instance, you see a dirty window at home and it bothers you but you don’t take the time to clean it. After a period of time it doesn’t bother you anymore. Your viewpoint has changed. You have been conditioned to accept what you really wouldn’t allow before. This is how the changing of definitions is moving the beliefs and actions of unsuspecting sheep.

No need to fret. An informed mind is an effective mind. We can put a stop to this takeover. Realizing there is a problem is the first step to repairing it. We won’t be fooled since we are aware of what is going on. Check out my website for more: https://www.danalynnpope.com

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Personal Development Women In Business

What a 5-Year-Old Can Teach Us About Listening

We’re told from a very young age to pay attention. From our parents. Teachers. Then bosses and gurus.  But I don’t think it means what we think it means. At least I don’t after a very smart lesson from my young friend Donovan.

I was sitting in the kitchen having coffee with my next-door neighbor Eileen, while her 5-year-old son Donovan, dressed courageously in his Superman costume was engaged in quite a heated debate about why he couldn’t wear his costume to school.

He kept inserting himself into our conversation. He was continually asking me questions:

“Neen do you like to play outside or in?”  OUTSIDE. “Neen, cats or dogs?” CATS! “Neen, Obi Wan or Yoda?” YODA of course!

Then he said, “Neen you’re not listening to me!” I replied, “YES, I AM, HONEY.” He assured me I was not, then jumped in my lap, grabbed my face in his tiny little hands, turned it towards him, and with great Superhero passion and intensity, he said the words I will never forget.

“‘NEEN, LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES!”

He was FIVE. It took a 5-year-old to remind me, that we don’t listen with our ears, we listen with our eyes, our hearts, and our souls — and I think that’s what it truly means to pay attention.

It’s a combination of all these things.

Too often, we pay attention to the to-do lists in our head.  Or we’re waiting to respond. Or trying to work out what to say in response to someone, instead of listening intently.

To truly pay attention — or as Donovan says, listening with our eyes, — is being intentional. It’s holding our own agenda at bay. It’s looking someone in the eye. It’s being fully and absolutely present.

In that precious moment, Donovan helped me realize why it’s so important that we pay attention, and why our parents and our teachers and everyone, kept reminding us of this valuable life lesson. Intentional attention is a gift. One you give the people in your world, and one you give yourself.

It’s a game-changer in your relationships. From your friends and family to the people you work with, to the teams you lead, to the customers you support. Make the shift to be more INTENTIONALLY attentive. And watch as your business and life become much more AH-MAZING. Thanks Donovan!

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Investing Management Marketing Personal Development Technology

Crypto Currency Explained by Currency Expert

As part of my nationally syndicated radio show, Take the Lead, I interview top leaders and successful individuals who share their success stories. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency expert and CEO of FIREapps Wolfgang Koester, sat down for a live interview with me.  He was named as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Finance” and is regularly included in Global Finance’s annual “Who’s Who in Foreign Exchange”. To hear the entire interview, you can go to:  http://drdianehamilton.com/episodes and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMm8R6WJObU&t=1105s.

The following are highlights of what he discussed in our interview:

  • What is crypto currency and Bitcoin
  • The security and traceability of crypto currency
  • Block chain technology or ledger technology and digital mining
  • Supply and demand of Bitcoin and why the price changes
  • 130 cryptocurrencies out there – creating a market for currency
  • How many crypto currencies there should or will be
  • Countries like Russia and others going with crypto currency soon
  • Chinese raise to beat others to become dominant currency and displace the dollar
  • Millennials interest in crypto currency
  • Criminal activity hiding transactions
  • Winklevoss Bitcoin marketers will never spend their money
  • How much is in circulation
  • Difficulty getting out of digital currency
  • Rules getting made up as we go and scamming
Categories
Economics Management Marketing News and Politics Personal Development Technology

Dr. Diane Hamilton Interviews Steve Forbes

As part of my nationally syndicated radio show, Take the Lead, I interview top leaders and successful individuals who share their success stories.  Steve Forbes, the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, was a recent guest on my show.  He and I worked together when I was the MBA Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business and Technology.  To hear the entire interview, you can go to:  http://drdianehamilton.com/episodes. The following are highlights of what he discussed in our interview.

  • Whether leaders are born or made
  • Taking Forbes digital
  • His favorite people he has interviewed
  • Why he ran for the presidency
  • The biggest changes he has seen in politics during his life
  • Predictions for future markets and innovation
  • The three big reforms we need to address
  • The flat tax and whether we will ever see it
  • The Fed and what changes will we see
  • What to look for in employees
Categories
Best Practices Human Resources Management Marketing Skills Women In Business

Embracing Generational Differences in the Workplace

To reduce conflict and improve productivity, it is important to understand generational issues, culture, emotional intelligence, and engagement.  Leaders are often frustrated by some of the conflict that stems from generational differences in the workplace.  For real progress, we must learn to share the things that we have in common and appreciate the things that we do not. Once we understand people’s preferences and perspectives, we can embrace multiple generations in the workplace.  To watch a recent speech I gave to a large group in Phoenix, regarding these important issues, please go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7WLNJ1O4o&feature=youtu.be. 

During that speech, I discussed:

  • Avoiding generational stereotyping
  • Embracing each generation as unique and important
  • Improving soft skills
  • Developing emotional intelligence
  • Improving engagement
  • Improving productivity and turnover
  • Embracing diversity
  • Reducing conflict