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Improving Professional Character:
A Wish List for 2004
2004. The New Year is in full swing. This time of year always
holds promise and hope.
Visions of a "better" life abound, and we feel compelled
to set goals (dare I say
"resolutions") for the upcoming year. Most of us
set goals that are specific – to lose 10
pounds, get a promotion, spend more time at home, etc. While
these are all great
ambitions to strive for, there is one area that most of us
forget to address – improving
professional character.
It's the beginning of the year, time for a fresh start, so
allow me to dream for a few
minutes. Here's my New Year's wish. Maybe you can find an
area worthy of a 2004 goal
for your own personal development.
Follow Through
The corollary here is, Respect Others' Time. Allow me to provide
a little context for this
one. Currently we are attempting to landscape and paint our
house. During the last four
months, my husband called no less than four painters, two
stucco people and a host of
contractors. Very few returned our calls. Of those who did,
few came out to look at the
job. So far NONE have actually submitted a bid. We have a
decent size job to be done,
money budgeted for the project and we've yet to find anyone
who wants either.
Astounding. If I ran my business that way, I wouldn't have
any business. You might be
thinking, "But I don't own my own business. What does
this have to do with me?"
Everything! Whether or not you own a business or work for
one, other people depend on
you. Customers inside and outside your company need information
and support from you
to do their jobs. Every minute that you don't respond to them
is a minute of their time that
is wasted. Not to mention the damage that is done to your
reputation. Let's be honest.
Lack of follow through is a huge problem for businesses today.
Thankfully it is also an
easy one to fix. Simply stated: Follow-up and follow through
in a timely fashion.
Take Responsibility
Recently it dawned on me that responsibility is probably what
most of my clients are
talking about when they ask if I can do seminars on accountability.
Accountability is
given or governed by the organization. Responsibility is taken
by the employee. There is
a huge difference.
People like to work with others who take responsibility for
work and for their actions.
People trust someone who they know will follow through. Don't
be afraid of
responsibility. Be the person who makes a difference. While
you may not be able to
control everything, you have total control over one thing
– yourself. The buck stops with
you.
Caring For Others/Be Considerate
I know this sounds cliché, but I really believe that
this is a characteristic missing in much of the world today.
Simple considerations can make a huge difference in both your
personal and professional life. Today's workers are looking
for employers with goals that align with their personal values
and they will work harder for a boss who shows a little flexibility.
Customers want to buy from companies that care. And friends
and family will be there for you if you are there for them.
People simply like to do business with people they like.
And what is the number one thing that makes someone like you?
Showing an interest in them. Dale Carnegie knew that. It is
one of the basic tenets of his book How to Win Friends
and Influence People. I read the same idea recently in
the book, What Clients Love by Harry Beckwith. And
this concept has been touted in corporations under the acronym
WIIFM (What's In It For Me?). It's common sense, but common
sense is not always applied commonly. If you want to resolve
an issue, gain a customer or have a better relationship with
anyone, start by caring about what's important to them.
Practice the Art of Listening
How do you find out what's important to others? By listening
of course. Yet a funny thing happens in my Active Listening
classes. I typically begin by asking the participants if they
think they are good listeners. Anywhere from 50% to 75% of
the class will raise their hands. Then I ask the follow up
question, "How many of you think the people you talk
to on a daily business are good listeners?" Only one
or two people raise their hands. You don't have to be a mathematician
to figure out that we are probably not as good at listening
as we think we are.
Listening should be an active process with questions and
paraphrasing to ensure that you received the intended message.
Most people find that when they start listening actively,
they actually save time because they "get it the first
time" and don't have to ask questions later. This skill
also builds relationships, as truly listening to someone shows
respect.
Make Realistic Promises – and Keep Them
Call it wishful thinking or simply not being in touch with
reality, many people give unrealistic or false promises to
employees, managers and customers. This leads to organizational
suicide – as eventually the only safe bet is to promise things
late and ask for them early. It's true that it's better to
under promise and over deliver, but internally let's be clear
on what we can realistically provide and go from there.
If You Must Complain, Follow Up With a Suggestion
or Action
Many managers live by this axiom and I think it's a good one.
While it is OK to vent to a trusted friend now and then, as
a general rule, try to help solve problems, not perpetuate
them. Complaining makes you a victim and causes stress, doing
something moves you from victim to change agent. A much more
empowering idea.
Be Proud of What You Do
I told someone recently that I thought pride was the best
motivator. To my surprise, the person screwed up his face
in a most unpleasant way and said "I don't think pride
is good. I am hard working, but I'm not proud." After
several clarifying questions, I learned that this person associated
pride with conceit. While in some contexts those words are
interchangeable, professional pride is the feeling you get
when you know you have accomplished something significant,
have overcome an obstacle or worked with a team to accomplish
something others said could not be done. This is the kind
of pride that makes life worth living. This is the kind of
pride that makes us want to get out of bed in the morning.
And this is the kind of pride we need more of in the work
place.
Stop Holding Court in Your Head
Consider how many times you've heard the following: "He's
just lazy," "She doesn't care about the extra work
she makes for us," "He thinks he's better than us
because…," "They just don't have the same work ethic."
I often hear statements like these in my classes and professional
coaching sessions. When I ask how the person making the statement
knows this accusation is true, he/she usually says, "I
just know." Well, that doesn't work in a jury trial,
and it shouldn't work elsewhere.
Think about what the world would be like if we gave people
the benefit of the doubt. What if we assumed that people have
the best intentions and looked for legitimate reasons for
their behavior? Could it be that the coworker who arrives
late every morning stays later than you or routinely skips
lunch? Or maybe she has a sick family member and is doing
the best she can. I am not suggesting that you give people
excuses; just don't convict them before you are sure of their
crime. Try to avoid judgmental words like, "unprofessional,"
"immature" and "rude" and also avoid absolutes
such as "always" and "never." Assume the
best in people until PROVEN otherwise.
By now you may be humming John Lennon's song, "Imagine,"
but, in all seriousness, wouldn't the world – and your workplace
– be a better place if we all exhibited these characteristics
all the time? To get things rolling, consider drafting your
own statement of professional characteristics (or conduct)
for your company or department. It's a great way to start
the New Year. |
