When does “attention to detail” become “micromanagement?”

A friend of mine is a perfectionist and runs a tight ship in his department at a large company. He has a great reputation and his team thinks he’s great.  Except for one guy, who uses the “M” word every time he has a disagreement with my friend.

Now, I’m a person that hates being managed at all, and micromanagement in particular has a connotation of a nosy boss looking over your shoulder all the time critiquing everything you do and the way that you do it.  I think people need to be trusted and given latitude to do their job their own way so that it’s satisfying to them and takes advantage of their unique skills and preferences.

On the other hand, it IS necessary for bosses to define objectives and make sure that quality standards are met. In competitive industries, it’s absolutely vital to the company’s success (and even survival) to ensure that employees produce top-notch products and services.

Where do YOU draw the line between attention to detail and micromanagement?

Found an article in Bloomberg.com – number one on their list of 10 Management Practices to Axe is a good one -

Forced Ranking

The idea behind forced ranking is that when you evaluate your employees against one another, you’ll see who’s most critical on the team and who’s most expendable. This theory rests on the notion that we can exhort our reports to work together for the sake of the team 364 days a year and then, when it really counts, pit them against one another in a zero-sum competitive exercise. That’s a decent strategy for TV shows such as Survivor but disastrous for organizations that intend to stay in business for the long term. What to do instead: Evaluate employees against written goals and move quickly to remove poor performers all the time (not just once a year).

Forced ranking is something most managers are  asked to do if they’re in the game long enough, and it’s so ingrained in many corporate cultures that it takes some backbone to resist. When John was managing a technology group several years ago, he had the opportunity to supervise a fantastic group of people. He ranked them all “outstanding” and was told by his manager that he couldn’t do that.  It took quite some doing to convince the heirarchy that they really WERE all outstanding, and to play silly games with HR to make it everyone’s evaluations come out accurate and fair.

The only possible result from people who actually DO forced rankings are these:

Option One – Your people step on each other climbing the “ladder” and currying favor.

Option Two – Decent employees who refuse to participate in Option One start devoting their energy to looking for work in a more cooperative environment.

Being able to give a presentation to a chamber of commerce, business group, or even a group of coworkers can be daunting. Most people are more nervous about public speaking than they should be. The great thing about that is that if you can summon the courage, you will find several advantages:

• Speaking gives you the opportunity to become known in the community
• You are seen as an expert on the topic of your presentation
• It’s a great platform for sales or conveying your ideas

Since so few people consider public speaking, you’ll have relatively little competition, and most groups that meet regularly are looking for speakers.   You can add your speaking availability to your website and you may be surprised to be invited to speak for groups you may not have known about it.

Some tips for doing it well:

• Find out as much as you can about the audience. If you know something about the area or about the group of people you’re talking about, you can make relevant comments and use relevant humor.
• Know your topic very very well.  Whether you take questions or not, being knowledgeable about history, recent developments, and everything in between about your topic will make you feel more comfortable.
• Dress up.  Wearing an outfit that makes you feel great and confident will help your presentation.   Preferably, wear something you’ve worn before so you know it’s going to be comfortable and appropriate and won’t surprise you with a sleeve that’s too tight while you’re making a hand gesture!
• Don’t try to convey too much at a time.  One to three key ideas with supporting information and facts is plenty for most 20-30 minute speaking engagements.
• Enjoy it!  People can tell that you enjoy your audience and your topic.

Have a great time!  And let us know if you have any other tips for aspiring speakers.

A business etiquette quiz that was quite good -

This one had me stumped:

16-  You’re scheduled to meet a business associate for working lunch and you arrive a few minutes early to find a suitable table. 30 minutes later your associate still hasn’t arrived. Do you:

1. order your lunch and eat?
2. continue waiting and fuming that your associate isn’t there?
3. tell the head waiter you’re not staying and give him our card with instructions to present it to your associate to prove you were there?
4. after 15 minutes call your associate?

Their answer:

A. You’ve waited 30 minutes. Expect an apology later, though.

Do you agree?    I think they’re right other than that it’s rarely productive to “expect an apology.”  And if it was a friend or client you have a relationship with, I would call after 15 minutes.  It’s possible they’re stuck in traffic. (Although THEY should be doing the calling if that’s the case.)

Take the quiz -

http://www.gradview.com/articles/careers/etiquette.html

With the recession as awful as it is, all businesses are looking for ways to reduce costs.

One of the best ways to reduce costs is to get rid of expensive phone service.  Phone companies like Skype, Vonage and other internet-based (Voice-Over-IP) programs are MUCH less expensive, especially for long distance and international calling.

Business VOIP also has some great features:

• You can usually request numbers with any area code you like, so you can be “local” in any area that you have a lot of customers.
• You can forward a VOIP service to your cell phone, so you get calls when you’re out of the office.
• You can often take the hardware with you, with a Magic Jack of VOIP box, you can carry it with you and receive calls even when you travel.

The call quality is usually excellent, (as long as you have high-speed internet) so you lose nothing!  In some cases, you can keep the same phone number.

We’re always looking for ways to help businesses.  If you have a great idea, let us know!

A friend asked me this one, I thought I’d ask our readers.

She’s done some contract (1099) design work for a medium-sized company.  She has submitted invoices that are 45 days overdue.   She’s sent emails to her billing contact asking if there’s a problem, with vague, nonspecific responses.

She frequently has meetings with other contacts at the company, including the owner.

Would it be inappropriate for her to mention the overdue invoices to the owner of the company?

My initial thought is, it’s absolutely fine to request payment for services rendered, as long as she does it in private and politely. . . but that’s where it gets awkward.

Anybody been there?  What did you do?  How did it work?

“And I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers so I know whose ass to kick, right?

Barack Obama in an interview with Matt Lauer June 9, 2010

The President was responding to a  line of questioning that  included the criticism about his handling of the BP oil spill, indicating that many people felt that he was being too “cool and controlled” and that there are times when a President should show some emotion or anger.

And granted, the BP oil spill is certainly a  catastrophe of anger-justifying proportions.

I’ve heard profanity from CEOs and from seminar speakers that make several thousand dollars an hour.  “It gets people’s attention!” one speaker told me.  “It’s a way to cause a ‘break,’ in NLP terms, with their current line of thinking.”

What’s your opinion?  Is profanity ever justified? Especially in a business situation?

Blog Talk Radio with Walethia:

Walethia and I have a great (and wide-ranging) conversation:

• Is Etiquette a “class” issue?   It is on the airlines . . .
• Etiquette as a business opportunity
• Getting things done when doing business around the world
• How “slow” is sometimes “fast” in real life and in the social media
• How 10,000 screaming fans on Facebook is not what you REALLY want
• Is opening a door for a woman insulting?
• How to find the “quiet money” on the internet

Listen here

Guest Article by: Kristine M. Lewis (used with permission from the Seabright Company- Thanks Mark!)

Recently, I attended a networking event for my company. The speaker that night spoke about good networking practices. One of the practices she referred to was making sure to follow-up with everyone you meet at these events. She aptly referred to it as “pinging”.

The word “ping” takes its name from a submarine sonar search — you send a short sound burst and listen for an echo or a “ping” coming back. So, in networking terms, when you send out a ping, whether with an email, a phone call or a hand-written note, you’re inviting that person to “come back” and communicate with you thus beginning a relationship with that person…one that will hopefully benefit you both long term.

I always make it a practice to send out hand-written thank you notes to everyone I meet at these events. I like hand-written notes, because they’re a physical manifestation of your company (your brand) to that potential client, strategic partner or referral source. A hand-written note sets the tone for your company. Hand-written notes also differentiate you from most other businesses. Ask yourself when the last time you received a hand-written note from someone you met at a business setting was?

Quite simply, hand-written correspondence is a wonderful way to build your business. When I say build your business, I am not just referring to acquiring new customers. I am also referring to keeping the customers you have!

According to a study conducted by the Technical Assistance Research Project in Washington DC, 68% of customers leave because of “perceived indifference”. In other words, customers don’t think you care about their business. As Sir William Jones said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated”. Our customers and clients want and need to be appreciated, remembered and thanked.

Another great advantage in sending a personal note….people tend to keep these cards. Whenever I receive a nice note from someone, I display it one my desk for awhile. Every time I see the card, I am warmly reminded of that person or business.

So, when should you send a hand-written card to someone? Here are a few suggestions:

• Every time you meet someone new and get their contact information (i.e. a networking function, a business meeting, a training session, on the plane, a social party, waiting in line at the grocery store, etc.)
• When a customer makes a major purchase from you or sends a referral your way.
• When you embark upon a joint venture with a new company.

Here are some other suggested but not mandatory times to jot a quick note:

• A birthday greeting to your clients and associates.
• A congratulatory note when you hear about something great that customer or business associate did. For example, one of my customers published a new book, so I sent her a congratulatory note.
• If you see an article that might be of interest to that client or associate, send them the clipping with a quick note.
• An encouraging note to members of your staff or team.

Remember, every card is a “ping”. It is likely that your message will echo back to you in some way soon!

Writing a hand-written note does not have to be a difficult exercise! When networking, make it a practice to take notes about the people you meet on the back of their business cards, so you have something to reference when you go to correspond with them.

Hand-written notes should only be 3-5 sentences in length. In other words, be short and to the point. If it is your first correspondence with this person, remind them where you met and what you do for a living. Thank them for taking the time to speak with you and perhaps suggest another meeting. Make sure to enclose another business card.

Your personal correspondence should be written on high quality stationery. Remember, your stationery represents your brand. If you are a veterinarian for example, a note card with a cute dog might certainly be appropriate. If you’re an image consultant, you might want something more refined and sophisticated. Personalized note cards with your name and/or company already printed on them are great for establishing a consistent brand or image. Make sure to give your correspondence that extra personal touch by hand-addressing the envelope and using a real postage stamp.

Set aside some time every day to write your notes. I prefer to do this practice at the end of the day. It gives me time to reflect upon the day and

allows me to give this practice my undivided attention. It also helps me to end my day on a very positive note…energy which transcends to the following day.

For remembering customer’s birthdays, I have created an Excel spreadsheet with my customers’ names, addresses and birthdays. Once a week, I refer to this sheet to remind myself of the birthday notes I need to send out for that week.

Don’t get me wrong, emails, instant messages, phone calls and the like are all wonderful communication tools! However, taking the time to write a hand-written note really sends the message that you care and you have taken the time to think about your relationship or potential relationship with that person. Those 3-5 sentences can make a mighty impact. And, that ping will come back to you in the mighty echo of increased opportunity. Grab your pen and stationery and get writing today!