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Clean up your own mess

If you spill, don’t just stand there, because you need to clean it up. Don’t expect or wait for others to clean up for you. This correlates with taking responsibility when you create a mess; don’t blame others for issues you cause or expect them to clean them up for you.

This was brought home to me this morning by a mess I made. I was in a hospital waiting room and spilled a large cup of tea. As the puddle of caffeine spread across the floor, causing many people to lift their feet up onto seats, I was, of course, horrified. I jumped up and started looking for paper towels to start cleaning up. A nurse told me not to worry about it. She had called maintenance, but I did find some paper towels and cleaned up as much as I could by the time the maintenance person showed up.

I had the choice to clean up my own mess or not. I had back up with the maintenance person coming, but, to me, it doesn’t feel right sitting by in such a situation. I certainly made the maintenance person’s job easier even though she may not have noticed. But this was about me doing what I think is right.

In business, we all cause messes that need to be cleaned up. I believe in taking the same approach and cleaning up what I can. It doesn’t mean you don’t let others help you, but it sure shows better to your team if they know you don’t expect them to do so without your help.

Of course, messes in our business and personal lives can be much messier than the spill I caused. This means it will take more effort and time to clean them up. The more effort you put into doing so, the better. It will help you resolve the mess as much as possible and reflect well on you at the same time.

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Follow through is a double edged sword

People are fast to commit, but then what? Some do exactly what they say they will. They email or call the next day. Others don’t.

This leads to two quick thoughts: (1) some people are organized and follow up and (2) some people are disorganized and don’t. I think there is a third thought that has to be acknowledged: many people say they will follow up when they have no intention of doing so. It’s the flip side to people making offers or telling people to follow up with them when they don’t mean it.

I have been thinking about this and have come up with my own rules for making offers and following up. If you took the time to think through these ideas you may like the idea of having similar rules, or not. My rules are:

1. Only make genuine and intentional offers.

2. Don’t say you will follow up or show interest unless your response is genuine.

3. If you make an offer and the person doesn’t follow up, note it and move forward without them.

4. If someone makes you an offer, follow up.

If you are challenged by organization, use tools such as calendar reminders or organization apps on your phone to prompt you to follow up.

The point is to be intentional in your actions. It also is to be genuine. It will save you and others time, which is our most valuable commodity.

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Don’t be a poor winner or loser

Despite the participation medals or trophies our kids get for seemingly every activity or sport, in most everything in life there are winners and losers. This obviously includes in business. The baseline is easily a business surviving versus a business failing. If you speak with someone whose business is going to fail, they don’t want a pat on the back or to be told “good try.” They wanted to win.

Of course we all lose. When you lose, how do you react? Do you get upset? Do you blame others? Or do you take responsibility for your part in the loss, if any? I ask because I am used to seeing people make excuses.

Conversely, how do you act when you win? Do you gloat? Do you put down whoever lost? Or are you complementary to the person who lost?

In what I do there are winners and losers all of the time. It could relate to a motion being considered by a court or at trial. No attorney can win them all. And there can be real excuses because we are hemmed in by the facts in each case and the law that applies. The excuses I have heard over the years for these types of losses are many, such as “the judge made a mistake” or “the jury just didn’t like my client,” etc. The list goes on and on.

When I have lost I chalk it up to experience and try to look back on what I can learn. I also try to be a graceful loser, where it makes sense and is appropriate. When I communicate a loss to a client, such as when a court issues a ruling months after a hearing or trial, I make sure to do it in person or on the phone, and not by email or text. I don’t make excuses. Doing so never helps the situation and is not how I would want to come across.

When I win, I am, of course, happy. Who isn’t? But I also maintain a professional decorum with any opposing attorney or party. I save the celebration for my client and the attorneys I have worked with on my side of the case.

Knowing how to win and lose is important. It contributes to how people view you and your reputation in your community. Next time you win, or lose, think what you want your reputation to be and let it guide you to acting accordingly.

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Luck v. Skill

I really like the podcast How I Built This, on which Guy Raz interviews entrepreneurs about the businesses they have built. At the end of most of the interviews he asks each entrepreneur how much of their success they attribute to luck and how much they attribute to skill. The answers can be interesting, but it always makes me apply the same question to my business and those of my clients. Since first listening to that podcast in the last few years I have been known to pose the same question to my clients and professional contacts.

For me, and for most of the people I have asked, I believe it’s a combination of both. I include timing as part of luck, because most times there is nothing you can pin a chance meeting or conversation on.

An example is when, many years ago, I interviewed at a law firm where a partner there asked me for references. In addition to asking for the usual type of references we generally know will say how great we are – otherwise why would we be using those people as references? – they asked for an adverse reference. I never had been asked that question and thought of an attorney who had been very complementary after being adverse to me in my first trial. The end result was that the formerly adverse attorney, after giving me a great adverse reference, asked me to come work at the firm where she was then employed. I accepted that offer.

If Law Firm A hadn’t asked for an adverse reference I never would have had the opportunity with Law Firm B. Additionally, the timing of this occurring was at a point in time when Law Firm B was interested in hiring someone with my background and skills.

Without those skills, the serendipitous timing wouldn’t have mattered. My skills allowed the opportunity to advance to a job offer and to succeed in that new position.

The point is that business and life are an amazing combination of luck and skill. You need to take the time to hone your skills in you chosen line of work. As you move forward you need to be open to luck and timing. This could be a job opportunity like I had, or a chance connection with a new client with really interesting work for you to do.

If any of you have a great story on the intersection of luck and skill, I would like to hear about it.

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Show Appreciation

We previously established that your success rests on the shoulders of all who have lifted you up through your journey. This includes all who assisted you, taught you, mentored you, the person who told you how to navigate the corporate bureaucracy, told who you needed to know, who introduced you to who you needed to know. You get the idea. People like this exist throughout your career. The names and faces change, but without them you do not go as far or experience as much success.

Remember to thank these people. Maybe you did. Maybe you didn’t. Maybe you did sometimes. It never is too late. Never. Most people are not helping you seeking your thanks and appreciation. But showing appreciation is abut you and who you are. Make sure those who were there for you know how you feel, that you appreciate what they have done for you. I know one woman who still thanks a mentor from years and years ago in writing once a year and every time they speak. That is how its done!

It is up to you to choose how to show appreciation. Know your audience. Some people will appreciate a handwritten note or letter. Others will appreciate a text or email, though these really are too informal for the types of people and assistance I am talking about. I think you should err on the side of caution and make your thanks take a form more formal than you think it needs to be. You can never go wrong when you do so.

Sometimes you will want to include a gift. If you think you might need to, you need to. Make it something thoughtful. A book you like (and think the person will too). A bottle of wine. Flowers. If you are not sure, ask someone who knows the person’s interests. If you don’t know someone who does, again err on the side of caution and use what you know about them to make the best choice you can. But try not to over do it. It is not about the cost, but the thought.

The one thing you don’t want to do is forgot to thank those you should. When you do, they will remember. They will mention it to others, which in turn will enhance your reputation as one who cares and appreciates others, thereby continuing to lift you higher on their shoulders. And while you are being lifted on their shoulders, they are being lifted by those who have helped them, completing the circle that results in a pyramid of people lifting each other up continuously through time. This kind of appreciation and courtesy is what helps make your world the type of environment in which you want to live.

 

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Why you need to learn about BYOD

Some of you may be saying to yourselves, “What is BYOD and why do I need to learn about it?” The answer is because it is 2015 and each of us is carrying around a computer in the form of a phone in our pocket or purse, not to mention all of the iPads, Surfaces, laptops, etc. So what exactly is BYOD?

BYOD is the acronym for “bring your own device”, which refers to employees who bring their own computing devices into their workplace. This is an issue for a lot of reasons, and is important to both employers and employees. The issues include whether personal devices can connect to an employer’s secure network, an employer’s confidential information or trade secrets leaving the workplace on a device or whether employees’ devices are subject to search by the employer, let alone being remotely wiped (erased) to prevent sensitive information from potentially being lost or used improperly. If you are an employer, do you know what type of devices your employees bring to work and how they are using them? If you are an employee, do you know whether your employer has a BYOD policy, what it says and what your rights and obligations are under that policy?

Because of these issues, BYOD policies by employers are becoming quite common. Employers need to decide whether to implement a BYOD policy and their options in setting the terms of such a policy. Employees need to understand their rights and the rights of their employer under those policies. The options on how to deal with these issues vary, and what makes sense depends on the type and size of a business.

If you haven’t heard of BYOD before now, you will continue to hear about it in the future. And you will want to know about it no matter what side of the equation you are on to understand your rights, responsibilities and obligations.

So, for the first time in this blog, I have what I will refer to as a shameless self-promotion: My partner Laura Rogal and I will be speaking on BYOD issues at the Apple Store, Biltmore (https://www.apple.com/retail/biltmore/) at 8:00 a.m. on October 28, 2015. And please feel free to forward this invitation (BYOD Event 10-28-15) to anyone you think may be interested.

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Why commitment matters

You have to do what you say you are going to do. Period. If you don’t, people you deal with will not trust what you say and probably not bring you their business or deal with you in the future.

Part of commitment is trust. Are you overselling just to get the job? What are the odds that if you do, you have any chance to succeed? The answer is simple, slim to none. And once you lose someone’s trust, all is lost.

This doesn’t mean you always will be able to meet your commitments. Once you know you may have a problem meeting a commitment, Let the other party know right away. Things happen. Reset expectations. It really is a situation where honesty is the best policy. It will earn you respect even if the other party doesn’t like the change in schedule or expectations. They will know you are a straight shooter.

But try not to let it happen often, or you run the risk of having the people you deal with doubt the commitments you make.

An example is that I committed, when I started this blog, not to overwhelm your inbox with emails posts. I believe I have stuck to that.

This is my first blog post in a few months. In Arizona, everything seems to slow down during the summer until early to mid-August, when school starts. By then, a lot of people are back from vacation, focused and ready for a good run to the end of the year.

I hope you have had a great summer! Here is to a productive Fall 2015!

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Don’t Burn Bridges! Reputation is everything!

A friend recently was telling me about a long-time co-worker who not only resigned, but did it in a way that burned all bridges and goodwill with the former employer and most co-workers at a good sized company. I understand people get mad, disagree and are frustrated at times, and certainly when leaving a company, but even when your are dealing with the short-term, you have to think about the long-term.  If you don’t, your actions today can seriously affect your future opportunities.  In business acting on your emotions can have a long lasting effect.

You may never even know you lost a fantastic opportunity.  It just won’t be there among your options. This person I mention above has done that because the actions on the way out affected a lot of people who won’t forget when this person’s name comes up in the future.  I am sure it felt good to get things off of their chest, but what did it really accomplish?  Phoenix, like elsewhere, is a big city that in business is like a small town. And people remember being told off longer than someone providing constructive criticism on their way out the door.

So what do you do when you dislike the actions of your employer, co-workers or even clients or vendors?  You have to chart the smoothest course you can. Sometimes it means not saying what’s on your mind in way you would like to.  I am not advocating that you brush serious issues off of the table.  I am simply saying that it is better to act on thought than emotion in these situations.

Remember, reputation takes a lifetime to build and seconds to destroy. Don’t let it be you.

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Why being at work, while anticipating fun, is important! Or, make life/work balance a goal.

Some of you may be asking, what does he mean? Some of you may be saying, life/work balance, good luck! What I mean is being on the edge of having fun, vacation, just not working for a day, etc. What I’m really talking about his life/work balance.

We all work hard. At least I like to think that we do. One of the things that helps me stay focused at work is the knowledge that I have planned breaks, whether taking a mental health day, a short or long weekend or a weeklong vacation with my family. It helps me focus and be productive in my chosen profession.

We all have different things that motivate us, but it is important to have balance in your life. You cannot work all the time, the same as you cannot play all the time.

How do you achieve this balance? I wish I had the answer for everyone, but that is for you to answer for yourself. What creates balance in your life will be different than what creates balance in my life, let alone for anyone else. But it is important to figure out what provides that balance for you. If you already have, or even start now, you are on your way.

Now, get back to work!

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Why are life and business so taxing?

Yes, I know the title is a bit cheesy, but it is April 15, and, of course, I mean something else: Why is it so hard to be successful?

Life is hard. Work is hard. Business is hard. Being successful is hard, let alone getting “ahead.” And working hard doesn’t mean you will be successful or get ahead, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

You need to put in time and do so smartly, whether in your business or personal life.  Doing so is investing in yourself and your business. How do you do this? It depends what you do for a living.

For me, it can mean a lot of networking, including face time. For the person running a small business, it may be the same thing, but with suppliers or people who can connect them to suppliers to try and get better product or pricing.  And for any of us it could be the person at the golf course, who can get us a better tee time if they like us.  It works in all parts of your life.

So put in the work, even though it is taxing!

And I hope this tax day was not too painful for you!

 

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