Consult, Manage, Change

Personal traits of professionals - time to shape up!

Recently I have observed some behaviours and traits of so called professionals that are in my mind are totally unprofessional.

I believe we owe it to our friends and colleagues to tell them if their traits of behaviours upset us or are out of balance with society.

It todays instant gratification society there is a tendency to become self-centred, over important, and narcissistic.

I have been asking my colleagues and clients about business behaviour recently and the feedback I get is that some common sense and personal ethics would go a long way these days. Is it me or are our schools and universities no longer teaching basic manners, behaviours and kindness?

It is time to make a stand on this! Don’t put up with pushy people behaving badly. Tell them their behaviours are wrong and it is time for them to grow up!

From my observation here are some behaviours and traits we don’t like:

• Rude people
• People who don’t say please or thank you
• Arrogant people
• People who think they get power from abusing service staff
• Serial complainers or whingers
• People who talk loudly on cell phones in public places
• People who send and receive txt messages in meetings
• People who drive aggressively
• People who eat like pigs in restaurants

And here are some behaviours and traits we should see more often:

• Random acts of kindness
• Call service staff by their names
• Saying please and thank you more
• People who are self-aware of themselves and others
• Positive attitudes
• Applying personal discretion when using phones in public places
• Using the mute button on your phone
• Leaving your phone in your pocket of bag at meetings
• People who make genuine eye contact with you at meetings
• People who know the basics of eating etiquette
• Holding doors open for others

I know I have probably missed some so let me know your thoughts on what we should add to both lists.

How to avoid the traps and pitfalls of presenting in JAPAN

PRESENTING IN JAPAN

Pitfalls and Traps to Avoid

Purpose

This brief introduction is only an overview on the importance of understanding the issues you will have to consider when presenting in Japan.

Introduction

If you are about to make presentations (verbal or written) in Japan there are a number of critical issues that you need to consider before you make the presentation. You will have to consider language, colours, translations and religious beliefs to name a few.

This introductory guide provides an initial understanding of the issues you may face when presenting in Japan.

While the focus of this document is on making presentations in Japan, all of the concepts raised in this document apply to presentations in other Asian countries.

Presenting in Japan

Though English is Japan’s second language outside the main cities in Japan few Japanese have encountered a native English speaker. English is taught in Japan at secondary and high schools for 6 years. Most of the post baby boomer generation in Japan can understand (read and write) and speak some English.

Use of Language

It is important to consider your use of language when you are presenting to an audience of non English speaking people or to an audience where English is a second language. You will have to pay attention to sentence construction, technical terms and the use of bullet points within PowerPoint.

Translations

If you are presenting to a bilingual audience then it is strongly recommended that you have any written presentations translated into the native language. There are many translations services that can assist with this. A point to note here is that literal English translations to another language do not always have a one to one equivalent and may not have the meaning you are trying to convey. For example there is no literal translation in Japanese of “How are you?”

Colour

Depending on the country you are presenting in, you will have to research what colours may offend and to not use these in written or PowerPoint presentations. In Japan it is highly offensive to produce written correspondence (especially someone’s name) using the colour red.

 Religion

In any Asian country your audience will be made up of people from a number of different religious backgrounds. You will need to carefully consider your use of language especially the use of humour so as not to cause offence. In Japan the two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. The post baby boomer generation in Japan may not practice a religion but with a cultural upbringing based on religion, offence may be caused if religious beliefs are not considered.

Business Cards

The exchange of business cards in Japan is a highly significant event. The business card exchange can set the tone for the rest of the relationship. It is recommended that if you do not have a business card holder that you purchase one before visiting any Asian country. In Japan it is critical that you keep your cards in a business card holder and when you receive a business card that you examine it carefully and try to pronounce the name. Then make sure you are seen putting it carefully in your business card holder.

Basic Foreign Language Skills

It is highly recommended that before you visit Japan you learn some basic terms and how to introduce  yourself. Consider learning the following:

My name is Watashi Wa (YOUR NAME) dess

Good Morning o-hayo gozaimass

Good Afternoon Kon-nichi wa

Excuse Me Sumimasen

Please O kudasai

Thank You Arigato

No Thank You i-e kekko dess

Independent Professionals

This week I have been presenting social media training for professionals.

There was opportunity to meet new people swap ideas and exchange experiences on the use of social media and online networking for professionals.

One of my key messages has been that face to face networking is alive and well and social media enhances your networking but will never replace face to face meetings.

Business cards and the ability to give and receive business cards is as important as ever.

Here are a few TIPS on being a better professional when meeting face to face.

1/ invest in a business card holder. Keeps your cards fresh and keeps the cards you receive in a safe place

2/ if you are an independent professional invest in good quality cards. First impressions count. And by the way invest in a personalised email address don't use a gmail or hotmail address on your cards!

3/ never give out that last card from your wallet that is stained and wrinkled

4/ have a good supply of cards with you all the time and have spare cards in your brief case, car and travel bag

5/ get efficient in collating the information from the cards you receive. Consider using the CardMunch app from LinkedIn you will be amazed how much time you save

Please share any other tips you have by commenting on this post.

The Path to Business Sustainability

The most recent research on the move to transformational sustainability suggests that organisations go through five stages:

 

Stage 1 – elementary

 

Stage 2 – engaged

 

Stage 3 – innovative

 

Stage 4 – integrated

 

Stage 5 – transforming

 

The stage that an organisation is at is determined by what they are doing on seven key dimensions. These are:

• How is sustainability defined within the organisation?

 

• What is the strategic purpose served by sustainability?

 

• Do leaders support and lead the sustainability effort?

 

• How are responsibilities for sustainability managed?

 

• How does the organisation deal with issues that arise?

 

• How does the organisation engage its stakeholders?

 

• How transparent is the organisation about its financial, social and environmental performance?

 

The Development Path to the Sustainability Revolution – the 4 “C”s.

Credibility

Credibility is in the eyes of the stakeholders. They are looking for evidence that the organisation is not just meeting lip service compliance but going beyond that. Some evidence of involvement in solving societal problems will also be sought. The key here is systems and processes.

Capacity

As the organisation moves beyond engagement it finds there is so much more to be done and needs to develop internal capacity to do more. The key here is education and coaching that builds on the increasingly sophisticated systems and processes.

Coherence

This is where the organisation’s leadership needs to pull all the various programmes together and match up the programmes to a coherent vision and strategy. Strategic change including appreciative inquiry are the key factors here.

Commitment

This is where the sustainability programmes become so ingrained they become “who we are”

 

 

The Operating Model

So who has to make sure what happens on Monday morning?

The following table summarises a number of points that will need to be addressed as you work through the 4Cs model, gives a quick ‘headline’ summary of the issue and suggests where in a business organisation each issue would fit from a responsibility perspective and from the perspective of what organisational officer/manager is responsible for delivering each issue.

For smaller businesses and non business organisations, most of the responsibility falls on the CEO and leadership team as they will be lacking access to the specialist departments tabulated below.

The new position of Chief Sustainability Officer reflects our belief that we are seeing a paradigm shift that will place sustainability at the core of the organisational model for the foreseeable future. The CSO is responsible for the setting the leadership position on sustainability, engaging the rest of the C suite and top reports in the organisation to provide compelling leadership in each of their areas, setting policy and putting in place systems and procedures for ensuring organisational action is embedded in day to day routines. The CSO will have significant organisational power as well as significant influencing skills to ensure others buy in to the Sustainability programme.

Want more information?

www.sacnz.co.nz

http://www.sacnz.co.nz/resources 

Tell Me Where It Hurts ??

The following thought provoker is kindly reproduced under permission by Alan Weiss.  Alas provides us with sound advice and challenges us to think differently.

© Alan Weiss 2012. All rights reserved. Summit Consulting Group, Inc. "Reprinted with permission"

Source - Alan's BLOG http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/

When you’re coaching people or simply observing clients, you’re well served never to assume someone else is “damaged” or malicious. We tend to make too many assumptions about others’ motives without any evidence.

There are four key vectors to consider when, in fact, people are being hurt. Develop evidence to support your conclusion so that you can properly help in each instance.

1. Consciously hurting others. This may be through emotional manipulation, peer group humiliation, withholding important information, providing incorrect information, starting rumors, and so on. Passive/aggressive people deliberately hurt others, though seemingly unintentionally (though it’s highly intentional). Bullies (emotional, psychological, physical) try to hurt others because of their own perceived inferiority, attempting to lower others to their levels.

You must confront these acts with observed behavior and the ramifications of that behavior. If it continues unabated, it should be grounds for dismissal. I was the fourth in a line of coaches trying to prevent obscene workplace tirades and humiliation from an executive vice president whose division delivered large profits. He refused to stop his behavior or get counseling. I told the president that the entire workforce considered it HIS preferred behavior, and this man was his proxy, since the president refused to put a stop to it. A week later the vice president was fired. His division continued to produce large profits.

1. Unconsciously hurting others. These people are generally oblivious to the world around them and/or totally self-absorbed. They are the people who speak loudly on the phone in public areas, use inappropriate language, demand attention at others’ expense (they monopolize the help in a restaurant), or drive at 20 miles an hour on a 45 mile-an-hour road because they are talking on the phone.

It usually helps to bring the behavior and its ramifications to the attention of the transgressors, since they are unaware of both what they’re doing and how it impacts others. “Why are you changing the temperature in the room when all the rest of us are comfortable, and you haven’t even asked us? Put on a sweater.” If they are apprised and refuse to change their behavior, then they enter category 1 above.

1. Consciously hurting yourself. This can range from physically harming yourself (e.g., cutting) to emotional and psychological harm (e.g., constantly sacrificing personal objectives for others, denying yourself what is rightfully yours, and so on). This often stems from a need to punish, feeling alienated, and feeling unworthy.

In this case, people have to be encouraged to reveal their feelings of inferiority or lack of worth, or explore why they constantly accede to others because of intimidation or a false sense of protocol. Many people deliberately dress, use language, and comport themselves so as not to draw attention or praise. They are often afraid of exposing their own perceived ineptitude.

1. Unconsciously hurting yourself. These are people with very low self-worth who “automatically” and consistently place themselves in inferior positions. They never try to “win” or to gain praise, or to stand out favorably in a crowd. When I once forced such a person to explain why she couldn’t speak up to a prospect who was asking reasonable questions, she said, “I guess I just can’t imagine why he’d listen to someone like me.”

There are people walking around believing inherently that they don’t deserve, don’t count, don’t merit any success and, if it comes, it was an accident, a stroke of luck. Their defeats and setbacks of course, are because of their own lack of talent. I’ve found that people in this category are carrying “baggage” and self-limiting beliefs that are never examined or even apparent. But they are guided by them nonetheless.

Examine why and how people are hurting and being hurt. Don’t assume it’s always the same reason or situation or solution. And it doesn’t hurt to ask this of yourself, as well.

© Alan Weiss 2012. All rights reserved.

Alan Weiss, PhD

President

Summit Consulting Group, Inc.

Box 1009

East Greenwich, RI 02818

401/884-2778 Fax: 401/884-5068         

http://www.summitconsulting.com

http://www.contrarianconsulting.com (blog)

Alan@summitconsulting.com

 

• Professional Speaker Hall of Fame

• Fellow, Institute of Management Consultants

• Lifetime Achievement Award, American Press Insitute

• 48 Published Books

 

"One of the most highly respected independent consultants in the country. 

— New York Post

"One of the top motivational speakers in the country." — Providence Journal

Twitter tips for the twitter novice

Companies small and large have taken to using Twitter, the global microblogging service www.twitter.com

Twitter is also very relevant for individuals and professionals.

In recent research by MIT Sloan Management Review, they found that some 77% of the Fortune Global 100 companies have at least one twitter account at a corporate level as well as specific twitter accounts for individual brands.

Twitter has more than 100 million users. Twenty-seven percent of twitter users log in every day, and 25% say they follow a brand and are happy to interact with that brand.

Some twitter terms explained:

• TWEET                         A message on twitter limited to 140 characters
• #(HASH) TAG                A tag that links topics and can be searchable e.g. #socialmedia
• RETWEET                     The practice of forwarding others messages to your network
• FOLLOWERS                Twitter users following you – you are in their network
• FOLLOWING                 Twitter users you follow – they are in your network
• @NAME                       You twitter name e.g. @onespec
• DM’s                            Direct Message – twitter users can message each other direct

 

Nine twitter practices that work

 

1. Keep it short and sweet. Leave room in messages to allow retweets
2. Grab attention so that they read your message
3. Just ask to be retweeted
4. Make it personal and use appropriate humour
5. Add value and provide news and information people can use
6. Offer a deal
7. Make your tweets relevant and practical
8. Do it every day
9. Get efficient and use technology to assist you to tweet regularly e.g. hootsuite

 Still got questions? The check out ONESPEC on twitter www.twitter.com/onespec or @onespec also check Onespec out on the web at www.onespec.co.nz