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Dirty Habit

I must confess, I have a dirty habit. It is a good habit, though. I am one of those who wipes down the shower. Every time. Well, not if I am staying at a hotel. 

It is an engrained habit. It is also one of the best housekeeping tips I can recommend. I never have to spend hours trying to clean hard water or mildew stains. 

It takes about 5 minutes to wipe down the shower. That's a small investment of time for a huge payoff. I really dislike cleaning a dirty shower. The motivation to keep my habit is high. 

Since it is a habit, I just do it and never even give it a thought. I am faster and better at than I was when I started. There is no substitute for practice, you know.

What habit can you add to your business that takes 5 minutes a day and offers a huge payoff? Maybe you can prioritize your to-do list and put the most challenging task first. Pick something that will improve your life or your business and make it a habit. I have heard it only takes 21 days to make an action a habit. 

Expectations

I remember doing research papers for school homework. Seems like there was one or two due every semester. I was lucky, my family owned an encyclopedia set. I remember my mom bought a book at a time with a grocery purchase until she completed the set. The books made a lovely display on the bookshelf in the hallway by the phone (the one phone and it was corded). I used the books more than the phone. That was what my parents expected, so that is what I did.

Information is available in vast quantities these days. But what about the quality? No one questioned the reliability of the facts published in the old encyclopedia. These days, it is hard to trust any information. Who is writing the stuff online? Anyone can put information online. Even me. 

So why do I write for free? Today, I hope to influence someone to be trustworthy and provide quality work. It will make you happy, at least that is what I believe. I guess that is why people are spewing out so much information and communication: We want others to believe as we do. 

Trust. Quality. I hope there are still people and companies who value those qualities. I have met too many lately who don't. 

New Year's Resolutions. Pick One

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Everyone knows the drill.  You make New Year's Resolutions and bet on how long it's gonna take you to fall off the wagon.  I just wanted to share what I've learned over the past couple years.

2008: I was feeling a little guilty for not reading enough.  My New Year's Resolution was to read 2 books a month for the entire year.  By the end of November, I'd read 24 books and people were telling me to stop reading and start doing.  In short, I was addicted to my books.  Reading was now a habit.

2009:  My doctor had told me that my Body Mass Index was a little high.  That's a polite way of saying "You're fat".  My all-time high was 210 lbs.  I weighed in at 196 on January 1 of last year.  To achieve a healthy BMI, I needed to be under 175.  Now, I am really lazy.  So, there was no exercise involved.  I just watched my portions for the first half of the year.  After being diagnosed with hypertension in July, I started watching my sodium intake.  It's amazing what happens when you start reading nutrition labels.  The only processed food I have in my house now is Cheerios (because they are supposed to lower cholesterol).  I weighed in again on Dec 31...173 lbs.

So, now I've got to figure out what my resolution is for this year.  But, I think the key is to pick one and only one thing to focus on.  Once you've experienced success, it makes you more confident that you can tackle anything.

Talk Smart

What a way to wake up. As I was preparing for the day, I had Good Morning America on the TV. I think Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer are wonderful. They are smart and interesting. While watching the show, Barbara Walters showed up on the screen. She was promoting her interview with Sarah Palin. In an excerpt from the interview, Palin said the words: Bull Crap and My Bad.

Any interview coach would cringe. I cringed. Barbara Walters said she cringed.

While I would love to see a woman president in my lifetime, I want that woman to be competent. Actually, I want her to be beyond competent. That goes for a man too.

To at least appear competent for any job, my advice is don't use words like bull crap and my bad.

Stupidity

A certain theme came up in my conversations this past year. At a certain age, over 50 let's say, does every generation think the world is in decline because people are stupid?

Recently, someone answered that by pointing out that certain generations actually did experience devastation as a result of stupid decisions, such as, the Roman Empire and the Great Depression.

Will my generation be another? Will yours?

How do we eliminate stupidity? Better education is usually the answer. However, I think better parenting is the key.

I heard a story on TV about a man who wrote a book and was quite successful. He was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. He was asked how he could overcome the horror he experienced. He said he had a "joyful" childhood and he never forgot it.

I have heard the human brain compared to at tape recorder. The tapes we hear over and over in our childhood are the most powerful.

Want better service? Train a child.

Want better customers? Volunteer at a school.

Concerned about the world? Rescue a child.

Get Motivated: But How?

I attended a seminar last week. It was called, Get Motivated. The speaker list was impressive. Dr. Robert Schuller looked fabulous. What is he now, 100-years-old? I don't even remember what he said, I was so impressed by how great he looked. General Colin Powell was charming, handsome, smart and funny. He was my favorite speaker. Laura Bush was graceful and sincere. Her example is her motivation.

Tamara Lowe, provided some of the most interesting information. At least it was for me. She talked about motivational DNA. Motivational DNA dictates how you are best motivated, she said, and there are three categories for the DNA. Her book tells more.

Here are some bullet points from my notes:
1. Drive: The focus to mobilize. You are production oriented or you are connection motivated.
2. Needs: What you need to move. You need stability or you need variety.
3. Awards: How you like to be rewarded. You need internal recognition or you need external recognition.

This all made a lot of sense to me. The awards category especially clicked with me. I never liked external recognition. I would blush and get flustered. I felt embarrassed. I remember in second grade, I received all A's on my final report card. My teacher, Sister Joan, told the class that one person got all A's. I sat at my desk quietly pleased. Sister Joan knew me well. She knew I was smart but she knew I was shy. She knew I would have been embarrassed if she made me stand up or even said my name in regard to the best report card in the class. As for the other students, they could look at their own card and see how they measured up. It was good motivation for everyone. Through experience, I have learned to graciously accept external awards. I even enjoy the attention sometimes. But that is not why I do what I do. I want to feel inside that I am doing my best and making a difference.

I also liked that Tamara said being one way or the other is not a character flaw. People who are motivated by external awards are not flawed. It is just how they are, so reward them that way. People who are embarrassed by public attention are not flawed, so don't tell them to be proud.

Self awareness is wonderful. Being aware of what makes others get motivated and adapting to what others need is amazing. Be amazing today!

What is Customer Service?

Customer service is partly about the buying experience. But the customer service that really reveals the true colors of a company is the complaint experience. Last week, I contacted the a company about some defective solar lights. I called the 800 number and was directed by a recording to leave my call back information. The recording indicated that someone would "call me back shortly." I waited two days, no call. I used their online customer service contact process and left my information again. The form indicated someone would "email me shortly." Nope, no email. I am not a happy customer and will likely not be a repeat customer.

Most companies are realizing that they must train all the employees to provide excellent customer service. A great book that shows how this leads to success and a better world, is The Disney Way, by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson. Check it out, I recommend it for anyone truely interested in your customers.

I am not done with my efforts to contact Brinkmann. Let me know if you have a good idea for my next step.

I'm On LinkedIn--Now What?

I remember when I first found out about LinkedIn.  It was a couple years ago.  I thought "WOW!  I can upload all of my contacts, see if they're on here, invite the ones that aren't, and I'll be on easy street for the rest of my career doing business based 100% on referrals.  I quickly got to 20 connections, got no business after a week, so I quit working it.  Over a year later, I got a request to connect from someone.  I searched through old emails and finally found my login.  I connected to them and then spent an afternoon searching for other people I knew.  I built my network to about 50 people and then left it alone again.  I just couldn't figure out how to make this work for me.  I was connected to 50+ people, the majority of whom had 3-5 connections with one being me.

Then I stumbled across this book called "I'm on LinkedIn--Now What???"  I finally read it a couple weeks ago.  Now, I've not buried my head in the sand when it comes to social media.  I have a blog.  I'm on Twitter, MyBlogLog, MySpace and a few others since I've signed up on just about every networking site that I've been invited to join figuring I'd be able to pick my favorite and then get everyone I was connected to on the other sites to join me.  Wrong!  That's like going to a networking function, meeting someone you like, and then telling them you'll exchange business cards only if they attend this other function you really like that's happening later in the week.  Doesn't make much sense, does it?

So, back to LinkedIn.  Social media is  all about conversations that are happening all around us.  Just like an in-person conversation, you either have something to add or you don't.  On LinkedIn, the conversation is taking place in the 'answers' section.  You can read through questions on a particular topic and, if you can provide a relevant answer or contribute something, then you spend a few minutes taking part in that conversation.  If you have a question, post it and you will get plenty of answers.  The person who asked the question (you or someone else) chooses the best answer.  The more best answers that are credited to you, the greater your online credibility.  The greater your credibility, the more likely it is that people will want to do business with you.  That's it.  No requesting to connect or begging for introductions.  The winner's in social media are those that know how to be a resource to others without worrying about what's in it for them.

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