Tag: Leaders

A Nod And A Smile Among The 4 New Ways That Replaced The Handshake…

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Is the traditional handshake a thing of the past? Has it been replaced by fear? Caution reigns with its mighty power. Yep, the worldwide Pandemic has infiltrated business and traditional code of ethics for greeting colleagues, business partners, interviewees and networking. But as things change we need to adapt. The Society of HR Managers (SHRM) shared its 7 Alternatives. When next we connect in person, it might be a nod and a smile ingrained in a touch of social distancing in the midst. Here I share my top 4 pulled from the SHRM list.

Handshake Alternatives

  1. Offer a Nod and a Smile
  2. Make a Good First impression … a pleasant wave will do
  3. Focus on eye contact
  4. Develop a workplace code (corporate cultural adjustment)

It’s the new normal. From the list above which do you intend to use? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

The Insights: What Will We Do After Corona? 21 Projected Changes…

To stand still is to be left behind

COVID_19 will incorporate changes throughout the USA and worldwide. Gone are the days of resistance to societal changes. There will be some who still resist but soon they will be dormant. To stand still is to be left behind.  But while we wait for the cure, a new vaccine and more, we practice safe measures, quarantines and more.  Here are a few basic gleanings that’s highly possible will become the norm for businesses and individuals:

  1. Some organizations may incorporate work-from-home for some positions as a new way of working.
  2. Some employees delighted for the break, may never return to work in a physical office structure. We call it exposure to work / life balance.
  3. Some businesses may never recoup and go under.
  4. Some businesses will expand or diversify. For example, a business that provides recruitment to hundreds of hotels has been placed on hold as the hospitality industry was forced to a halt. Meanwhile the healthcare industry booms in response to the pandemic. Same business but incorporating different industries. We call it diversification.
  5. Some Celebrities will fade while others will enormously gain.
  6. Smaller churches and religious leaders exposed to the expanse of online possibilities to minister to the sick and shut-in. No doubt they will venture out bench-marking those well known preachers. Competition rampant even among churches? Yikes!
  7. World-wide Entertainment. The exposure of Digital media to those who didn’t have a clue of its existence (living in the dark ages, I’d say). Online movie-goers will expand into mobile users accompanying their musical mix. Expansion, expansion, expansion.
  8. Some parents… now introduced to the ‘joys‘ of home-schooling, will decide to do so as a way of life. Better Control and safety they’ll say.
  9. Some parents may even start their own school.  Hmm …the exhilarated insight to new entrepreneurship!
  10. Lets not forget healthcare as more patients, workers, laissez faires will be more willing to use telemedicine!  Yep! no more resistance to the doctor-on-call.
  11. Research and Development (R&D) will speed up provided they have the investment/ financial funding.
  12. Record numbers of census sign-ups…never seen before?
  13. Real Estate will see increased number of interests from homeowners who will want a dedicated space to work at home. Four bedroom anyone?
  14. More will be willing to purchase their dream cars online. Oh the delights to test-drive and return later for a better ride
  15. Some barbers and hairdressers will lose business as clients will try to do their hair at home. Yep! Mistakes get better with time.
  16. Other Masters of hair-care will expand as they become more mobile or more flexible… trying this, that, or the other.
  17. Virtual meetings will soar as those who didn’t know become exposed and be bold enough to experience the joys of technology …the virtual enabler.
  18. E-commerce will soar making virtuality a normality for sure
  19. Oh and what of governments, policies, and politics? We’ll leave that for you to explore.
  20. Individualized self-discovery, and willingness to learn will explode, giving rise to
  21. The escalation in anything new as we innovate, innovate, innovate!

 

Tons more will rise but for now it’s your turn. Any changes you have noticed that you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

Social Distance. 5 Ways To Greet Safely…

Here’s a hug for you, and for you, and one for you.

But Hold up! With the advent of the Corona virus we are not supposed to be hugging right? It’s called keeping your social distance. We are now forced to find new ways to greet others at social gatherings such as in the networking sphere.

5 Ways To Greet Safely

Here are 5 Ways:

  1. Look the person in the eye and use your feet to greet (shown in video). It’s called the Wuhan Shake.
  2. Wave to say hello
  3. Fist Bump
  4. Head nod
  5. Just say hello

There are tons more circulating but for now as we battle the Corona health pandemic, these should help bridge the gap.

Cheers!

 

Time Wasters. Manipulators Among The 5 Kinds Of Toxic People

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They give headaches. Increase stress…and Simply make your life miserable. Living with one? Whew! Working with one? May God help you! (yep). But whatever your situation…Do something about it! 

In my Success Strategies workbook, I outlined 8. Here are 10 kinds Jeffrey Moore posited. I’ll share my top 5 from his list. Check his 10 kinds of Toxic People for more including descriptions.

Toxic People

1.Time Wasters

2.The Victim

3.The Always Negatives

4.Manipulators

5.The Always Stressed Out

 

But how do you deal with them? Stay tuned to learn more in my soon to be released book Ditch It. Switch It.

From those listed here, what are your top 5? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

Don’t Be Scared. Ask.

Don’t be afraid. Ask

Heart pounding. I reached for the phone ….10 times. Scared. How can I ask? They will say no or think I’m factitious. But the feeling of uneasiness, discomfort and pain would not go away. So pride aside, I picked up the phone.

They said yes.

Aren’t we all like that at times? Whether its a job, promotion, increase, entrepreneurial venture, or relationship, we encounter sleepless nights and stress because we are afraid to ask. Our wants, desires and needs go unfulfilled because we are afraid to ask.

But…

Asking alleviates confusion, conflict, clarifies, and resolves our challenges and issues. Most important it helps us grow and creates a feeling of importance and joy to the person who has the answer.

But what if they respond negatively? What if they don’t? Go ahead and ask….I dare you?

Cheers!

Writers: 50 Productivity Hacks For Entrepreneurs That You Can Use…

Paper, electronic or a combination of both? No matter your preference, you’re sure to find John Ramton’s 50 Productivity Hack’s For Entrepreneurs a great source of inspiration. Of his 50, here are my top 13 favs:

Top 13 Time Hacks

  1. Plan your day around your energy levels
  2. Optimize notification
  3. Schedule the time you actually need
  4. Plan themed days
  5. Pump up the jams
  6. The 2-minutes rule
  7. Don’t break the chain
  8. Just time learning
  9. Plan for interruptions
  10. Every Friday, review your calendar for the past week and the week coming
  11. Pencil in time to do nothing
  12. Unsubscribe and unfollow
  13. Give yourself a break

Which of the 50 did you like the most? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Goals: Sometimes You Will Just Have To Show Up Without An Invitation….

Sometimes you will just have to show up without an invitation where doors were never opened for you. Just Go. Don’t let anyone deny you the Opportunity. ~Henry Fernandez

Encouraged by this. Hope you are too.

As the sun rises daily without an invitation, we should rise in pursuit of our Goals. Let no one stop you. Go. Reach for the opportunity and if it doesn’t exist, create one. For only you can accomplish what you will.

Cheers!

New Mayor’s Historical Appointment. Success And The Challenges He Had To Overcome…

I was flying out of the Fort Lauderdale International airport to Washington DC for a conference when I heard the familiar voice of Broward County’s newly appointed Mayor VC Holness announcing welcome to visitors. Mayor Holness made history recently when he was unanimously voted to become the first Black Mayor to lead the county. Indeed an achievement.

Success Strategies Research

Personally I extend my own congratulations because years ago when I conducted my research on Success Strategies of Caribbean American Leaders in the United States with Nova Southeastern University, Mayor Holness quite willingly agreed to participate in the phenomenalogical study. At the time he was Commissioner. In the research he shared the strategies he used to become successful as well as the challenges encountered along the way.

Regardless of how we feel about politics, his appointment signifies a goal he went after and achieved.

Mayor Holness continues to strive. To work hard to show those who wish to achieve that it can be done through hard work and dedication.

More of his story as well as those of other industry leaders in healthcare, aviation, education, media and more can be read in the book Success Strategies of Immigrant Leaders In The United States.

Thanks again Mayor VC Holness for your willingness to go beyond the call of duty to share your experience to benefit rising millennial leaders.

Cheers!

Leaders Discover Yourself…

Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult.– Warren Bennis

At a family social 9-year-old RJ was asked to be the leader for his little brother and cousins at the park. He looked shocked. He’s never been asked to play that role formally before. Yet unknown to him he has always done it. He was a natural born leader.

Discover Yourself

When we reach for a goal that is beyond our usual capacity we discover great things about ourselves. Things that surprise, encourage, and please us. Things that make us go aghast. Leadership opportunities are all around at work, school or play. You don’t have to have that official title of leader.

Stretch Yourself

But these leadership discoveries can only happen when we step outside our comfort zone. When we are scared but do it anyway.

Step outside your comfort zone today. Stretch yourself. You’ll discover great things. Read more in my book Success Strategies of Leaders.

Cheers!

Silence…

Be silent, or say something better than silence. Pythagoras

My three-year-old nephew was playing hide and seek with the other boys when one of the boys came over to hide near where I was sitting. He started giggling. I told him not to because it’s a secret. Maybe that was his first time being exposed to the word because he started shouting secret! Secret! It was hilarious!

Think Before You Speak

But what about us? Do we do the same in our daily lives, jobs, business or entrepreneurship endeavors? Do we publicize or quietly share what others tell us in secret? Do we know when to speak and when to be silent? Do we know what to to share and when to share it? Communication is key to relationships and knowing the right time to speak is even more important.

Many are the secrets that have been espoused that have destroyed organizations, relationships and families. Remember speech is silver, silence is golden.

Let’s make it a habit to think before we speak.

Cheers!

4 Strategies To Beat The Over-Qualified Syndrome…

The fear they seek becomes their own

The Qualified are haunted and hunted by the overqualified syndrome. One recruiter even went so far as to say she would not hire someone who she believes is ‘over-qualified’ for the job. But has that recruiter examined the reason the so-called over-qualified applicant is searching? It could be for a career change. It could be to start a family and the person chooses to take a step back. It could also be an empty nester with a desire to simply slow down.

Give the Peeps a Chance

Here’s where it becomes necessary for the well-experienced candidate to use strategies to convince recruiters that you have no intention to come in to wreak havoc. Your desire is to join forces and work hard for the organization and/or department’s benefit.

Be warned Recruiter, one day you may be get there and then you will understand…when you’re misunderstood.

4 Strategies to Overcome

In her Wall Street Journal article the overqualified trap can hit you at any time, Sue Shellenbarger shared several strategies to combat the syndrome. Here I share my top 4 favs:

  1. Explain upfront why you’re applying for a position that seems beneath you
  2. Be consistent in explaining your reasons for applying throughout all interviews for the job
  3. Line up references who will vouch for your commitment
  4. Network with contacts who also know insiders at the target company

As a HR practitioner myself, I tend to be open to diverse applicants and our society certainly expects it. However, not all organization’s search process is without idiosyncrasies. So if you are an experienced job searcher as The power of Resilience when things go wrong in this depiction, the strategies listed before will help.

If you are on the hunt and find that there’s something that works for you, do share, we would love to hear.

Cheers!

 

The Rush For Time…

Nature never rushes, yet everything gets done.

“You’ve got to drive around ma’am. We have a time to customer service that we have to meet”, drawled the drive-through clerk.

Growing kids have appetites that sometimes seem never-ending. So auntie drove into Burger King. Ordered stuff for the boys amidst repeated requests “will that be all ma’am?” With each question, she felt rushed. She wanted something herself but not one for fast food, she decided to ask for help when she got to the drive-through window. While paying for the kids’ order she asked whether she could get a sandwich. That’s when she was told that she would have to join the line of traffic again to get another sandwich. What in the world? She thought she misunderstood so she sought clarification. That’s when she was told that the employees have a set-time-to-meet-each-order and she was affecting it. In disbelief she asked again. Seven minutes later same response then from supervisor, Patricia on duty. Out of consideration for the growing line of famished drivers waiting behind her, auntie drove away. Lose-lose situation for sure.

The Rush For Time Two

In another incident, the Fedex delivery guy tossed the package at the door. Without ringing the doorbell, he quickly made his getaway. This act repeatedly done over his 6 hour route as he tried to meet his targeted goals. Oh the haste to deliver packages door to door.

Where’s The Service?

There are many more situations that can be shared about the new focus on meeting deadlines to the detriment of Quality service. Dismantled packages. Incorrect orders. Broken pieces. All creates havoc for service departments. So goes the new trend on delivery, Uber-eats and all. Compliance divisions pay thousands of dollars to dissatisfied customers in their attempt to correct terrible behaviors.

Disconnect

There is a severe disconnect. Why not marry the two? Stress to employees and external contract service providers the importance of optimal Quality service while meeting delivery deadlines

Be assured that one cannot exist without the other.

Have you experienced the negatives of the Rush For Time? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

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