Presenting the legs of the Excellently legendary Diane von Furstenberg.

The Excellent Diane von Furstenberg in her office, as photographed by Todd Hessler for The New York Times.

Presenting an Excellently atmospheric view of the first official state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, honoring His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India,  and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur.

Inside the White House state dinner, as broadcast by Twitter at 8:59 pm, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

I remember when I first realized that the notions I had regarding politics and social affairs could most closely be called Anarchy.  I was in one of my Spanish literature class (to my delight my second major, Spanish, was filled with all the exciting peripheral fight-the-power ideas that I had been so disappointed to learn that my original major, English, lacked), taught by my favorite professor, an Argentine.  He lectured about three recent political structures:

1st – The Nation/The People - The Nation is ruled by a government that represents the will of The People.  Top-down.

2nd – The Leader/The Masses - Coming from Argentina my professor was especially familiar with Peronism and this form of organization.  The Leader is one who sweeps to power through the overwhelming support of The Masses .  Not empowered by the national sovereignty such as Rousseaou talked about…but instead representing a more coarse group outside the structure of government, one that fills government with its exploding will.  Also top-down.

3rd – The Multitudes/Sporadic Potential – He said this was what truly excited him.  The Multitudes combine to create Sporadic Potential which in turn affects the direction of decisions and policies.  Bottom-up. 

Many in my class, especially one young woman, were furious about his teachings.  She called him a communist.  But what I realized was that his political leanings were something even more taboo, which he was understandably loathe to openly admit – an anarchist.  And for the first time I understood Anarchy and it slotted completely into my misgivings about power, government, corruption and subjection.  It all made so much sense then…although this realization made me distressed and uncomfortable at first. 

 As I read further I came to realize that Anarchy had been developed over centuries, and was not as scary as I had once thought.  It seemed that above all other political theorists, the Anarchists had the most beautiful vision of human potential, the most heartrending devotion to what so many others scoff at.

The following conversation stems from an excellent post on one of my favorite blogs on WordPress, Speak Now Peace Works.  It was specifically in response to the post Positively Deviant, which talks about the success observed when ideas come from within groups instead of from outsiders providing guidance, however well-intentioned. 

It was a good opportunity to try and elaborate further on what, for me at least, Anarchy is.  It also raises some very difficult questions that an ideal conception of the world with sporadic, independently-functioning beings would have to address.  But those are the topics for further posts…

• That is why I am mostly an Anarchist!

People can solve their own problems, if we give them a chance. The human brain is more amazing than any machine could ever be…

I believe in bottom-up solutions always and hope that these ideas catch fire throughout the world!

Great to see you have been writing a lot lately, this is one of my favorite stops while my brain is fried from staring at reports and contracts, ugh…

We’re delighted to welcome guest author Kate Feather, executive vice president of PeopleMetrics to our site. PeopleMetrics primary purpose is to enable organizations to systematically take the best actions to secure and engage customers and employees. They are an interesting organisation with an impressive list of clients and a passion for engagement and service. This article was first published on David Zinger’s employee engagement network and we’re grateful to David and PeopleMetrics for permission to reproduce it here. We found the article useful, practical, and enjoyable, and we hope you will enjoy it and use it too.

Resilience is a crucial characteristic in this unpredictable world. Trees survive terrible storms if they can bend in the wind. Species who cannot adapt to new conditions die out. The natural world’s proclivity toward flexibility is also rewarded in humans. Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Eventually, resilient individuals can achieve success, sometimes after hundreds of attempts at their dream. At its core, resilience is the spark of determination that empowers us to get up and try again, no matter what the circumstances. We have seen time and again that the most successful businesses are resilient enough to bounce back from any crisis. What’s less clear is how such successful firms encourage resilience in their ranks.

It may seem like all that’s required for organizational resilience is a widespread “Try, try again,” company mantra, but actually nourishing resilience in an organization is much easier said than done. Today we’ll explore various ways of encouraging resiliency. To direct our review, we’ll list a technique or two for each of the characteristics of resilient organizations, as established in our previous post on resilience. Consider the following methods for increasing your organization’s resilience:
a. Resilient organizations have a Clear and Compelling Company Purpose.

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins suggests that those who are looking for a compelling purpose ask themselves the following three questions:

1. What am I most passionate about?
2. What can I be the best in the world at?
3. Now, how can I make money?

Although these questions were meant for the individual, they can certainly help your firm develop a clear and compelling company purpose.

As you zone in on the concept that expresses why you are in business, look for things you would do even if they didn’t bring you any money. Aim for a simple, short sentence that expresses your reason for being. A company purpose should be brief, customer-focused (what will you do for the customer?), broad enough to last through technological and societal shifts, and attainable through effort. Here are examples of two effective company purpose statements to get your brainstorm brewing:

Disney: “Keeping alive the magic of childhood.”
Western Union: “Connecting friends, families, and businesses around the world.”
b. Employees at resilient organizations have a Strong Trust in Leadership.

Steven Covey has recently turned his attention to the lack of trust in modern society. According to his article at Leadership Now, “Research shows that only 49% of employees trust senior management, and only 28% believe CEOs are a credible source of information.” In addition to making trust an explicit objective within your organization, Covey recommends that leaders who wish to be trusted follow these 13 behaviors of high-trust leaders worldwide:

1. Talk Straight
2. Demonstrate Respect
3. Create Transparency
4. Right Wrongs
5. Show Loyalty
6. Deliver Results
7. Get Better
8. Confront Reality
9. Clarify Expectation
10. Practice Accountability
11. Listen First
12. Keep Commitments
13. Extend Trust
c. Resilient organizations are defined by their Open Communication.

Your company cannot effectively respond to adversity if employees don’t feel comfortable speaking to one another. It’s no surprise, then, that many of the world’s largest, most enduring companies have an uncompromising dedication to open communication. General Electric has 14 divisions around the world, but it is all tied together through one person: the CEO, to whom all 14 division heads report directly. A clear, established line of command helps GE keep internal communication humming.

One more example: Google is consistently voted one of the best companies in the world to work for. One reason is that employees are given a plethora of tools for communicating internally. As described at Google Blogoscope, Google employees have access to a broad company intranet, a special page for communicating new ideas, a project database to allow employees to see what their peers are doing, and much more. Even if your organization doesn’t have Google’s technological capability, you can still improve operations by smoothing out the lines of communication within your firm.
4. Supportive Management in resilient organizations helps employees solve any problem.

Due to widespread dissatisfaction with management, Boss Day is one of the most lackluster holidays in the US. A recent Adecco survey revealed that 53% of American workers think their boss is dishonest. In the same survey, 89% of those interviewed linked job satisfaction to their relationship with their boss.

Sincerely supportive management, therefore, has a huge impact on your organization’s resilience. If employees feel comfortable with management, they are far more likely to bring up opportunities and problems.

A simple way to encourage supportive management is to increase the amount of positive interactions managers have with employees. How many times a day do managers simply wander through the work space greeting and socializing with employees? When was the last time that managers honestly thanked employees for their contributions? Any recipe for supportive management is based on delivering consistent communication and positive feedback. To learn more about effective employee recognition, see our post on Five Effective Real-World Approaches to Employee Recognition.
5. Employees in resilient organizations have Adequate Tools and Resources to help them produce their best work.

Today’s economic hardships have tempted many companies to scour their books for opportunities to cut costs. Unfortunately, such budgeting often reduces the resources employees have for doing their best work, which usually has a long-term impact on profitability. Slashing employee resources damages your organization in two ways. First, employees who lost their tools for success feel undervalued, and often become embittered about their workplace. Second, there are practical implications of reducing employee resources. Outdated resources may save a few pennies today, but leaders should also think of the potential revenue that is lost by limiting your employees’ output. Leadership in resilient organizations recognizes that investing in employees’ performance yields better products and services in the long run. If you must cut costs, bring employees into the discussion.

As you can see, organizational resilience springs from the general work atmosphere. If employees feel supported and empowered to do their best work, they will see problems as challenges. A common, cherished company purpose enables leadership and employees alike to accurately direct their response to difficult situations. Open communication and trustworthy leadership allows employees to tackle crises confidently. In the end, as all of these factors also contribute to employee engagement, effective Employee Engagement Management may be the most comprehensive approach to encouraging Organizational Resilience.

~Kate Feather, Executive Vice President

1 Samuel 22:11-19

The king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.  Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

“Yes, my lord,” he answered.

Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

Ahimelek answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him?  Of course not!  Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.”

Then the king ordered the guards at his side:  ”Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David.  They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”  But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”  So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down.  That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.   He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

When life goes south and it seems like everyone is against you, who stands beside you?  When your family comes under attack and your ministry is under scrutiny, who will defy the king for you?

Saul went rogue and his hatred of David led him to a wild life-and-death chase across the country.  Saul was literally willing to risk anything and pay any price if it meant David’s death.  Siding with David on anything was a death sentence but Ahimelek didn’t hesitate.  David had done no wrong so Ahimelek stood before Saul, looked hatred in the eyes and answered the call.

No long after, Ahimelek died for his actions.  Actually, Ahimelek’s words so enraged Saul that 85 priests and an entire town died.

Who’s your Ahimelek?  Who will stand for you and who will die for you?

Life is cutthroat and ministry can be worse.  You need someone at your back.  You need someone who will die for you and for whom you will die.

It might not be today, but someday you will need Ahimelek beside you.

Find him.

Presenting the Excellently overly-dramatic trailer for Reflections in a Golden Eye, a dated yet still shockingly relevant Technicolor ode to lustful homosexual repression and voluptuous heterosexual conformity (based on the Excellent 1941 novel by Carson McCullers), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando (due to the violently, untimely death of tragically Excellent Montgomery Clift, following a chic Beverly Hills party at would-be co-star Elizabeth Taylor’a home).

This morning we launched the ‘Marketing Cloud’ – (#mktgcloud) (#datarati) Database Marketing in the New Frontier at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel.

When we started the company 6 months ago, we wanted to find an organisation that we could support and one that we could give back to. We wanted to find an organisation that we had history with and one that was in line with our own company values.

Above all, we wanted to ‘Inspire’ our fellow digital and data-driven marketers!

Inspire them to challenge the status quo of the past and educate them on the new frontier of database marketing, the ‘Smarter’ way of using digital behavioural data to acquire new customers and retain existing customers.

As a result, we thought there was no better organisation to support than that of the Inspire Foundation www.inspire.org.au and their website www.reachout.com

This morning we raised $400 for them at our breakfast briefing. For every $50 raised, 5 Young Australians are provided access to Inspire’s programs  to help find the support they need.

The event this morning was sponsored by the world’s fastest growing marketing automation database provider (Marketo).

For those who were unable to attend this morning, the event video was captured by our friends at Viocorp and will be made available shortly.

Stay tuned this week for more!

Just saw a news story on Ad Age. It is titled “Will Retailers or Consumers Come Out on Top on Black Friday?” The story references how Sears, Kmart and other retailers have begun holiday sales ahead of time as shoppers start early, searching for deals. According to Ad Age, Black Friday 2009 has become a massive game of chicken among retailers and consumers, as the closely watched post-Thanksgiving sales data will largely decide which succeeds at outsmarting the other.

Is this the right attitude?

As marketers, are we really trying to outsmart our customers?

If we are customer-centric, we would not be trying to one-up each other, but would focus our efforts on helping our customers solve their needs with relevant and differentiated offers.

As I defined in one of my earlier posts, providing value to customers by fulfilling their specific needs (relevance), recognizing their unique contribution to the business (recognition) and rewarding them with specific offers (reward) will create a win-win proposition. I defined the equation as 2RL + 2RC + RW = CL.

By doing this, the customer gets what they need from the brand and the brand gets the transactions that add strength to the business while building value in the relationship.

It is not about being smarter than them. It is about serving them well.

A simple idea. One that works

Thanks to an invitation from Giancarlo Carniani, I recently had the pleasure of presenting social media for hoteliers with Laura Valerio at the Buy Tourism Online Conference in Florence.  Laura, who is Expedia’s Director of Market Management for Northern Italy, is highly knowledgeable about the Italian travel market.  This post is an epilogue to our presentation, and given that the great majority of Italian hotels are independents, this post is dedicated especially to them.

Independent hoteliers need to truly understand their differentiators, because it’s the differentiators that will enable hotels to attract the right guests who are willing to pay a premium for what you offer.  Differentiators must meet the following 2 criteria:

1. It’s absolutely good by your own standards (however measured, either through internal guest satisfaction surveys, word-of-mouth feedback on the web, or because your guests tell you when they check out)
2. It’s relatively better when compared with your competitors (from looking at social media feedback and editorial reviews)

Given this framework, location is rarely a differentiator if your competitors all face the same piazza.  While it may satisfy criteria 1 (the location is absolutely good), it fails criteria 2 (it isn’t relatively better — at least not discernible to most guests evaluating where to stay when all hotels are in the same piazza).

Design, however, can be a differentiator.  For example, let’s say you’ve recently renovated, “modern rooms in a classic building” could be a differentiator, and an especially strong one if other hotels in the piazza haven’t renovated in the last 10 years.  Service can also be a differentiator.  For example, “fresh-picked fruit from own garden” or “regional cooking lessons” can all be differentiators.

And herein lies the absolute beauty as it comes to the Italian hotels: it’s easy to spot the differentiators in independent hotels once you move away from the “obvious” criteria that often appear on guest satisfaction surveys.  In most cases, you can find the answer in social media about your hotel.

Spotting Design as Potential Differentiators

According to the Italian State Tourism Board, Italy is consistently one of the of the world’s top 5 destinations (the other four being USA, France, Spain, and China).  In 2007, for example, 42.8M visitors contributed to 163.5M bednights, with cities of historical and artistic interests contributing to nearly 1/3 of the bednights.  The rest is primarily made up by visits to sea, mountain, and lake locations.

This information suggests that travelers to Italy are naturally inclined to seek out picturesque things (artistic, sea, mountain, and lake).  To find out what are the picturesque things that guests find exciting about your hotel (and want to share with their friends and strangers), go to Google (or Flickr and Picasa), type your hotel name in, and look at the “Image” search results to see the pictures that are available about you.  And then follow the pictorial links to sites that have user-generated content to see what pictures your guests are sharing and how they are describing your property.

You might find pictures of your amenities, rooms, certain design elements, or you might find pictures of nearby attractions, or you might find pictures of the outside of the hotel, or the view from the balcony at sunset.  Whatever it is that you find will tell you precisely what guests found to be interesting about your hotel — and took the time to download the pictures from their camera into their computer, uploaded it from their computer to their account on the social media site (assuming that they’ve already created an account), and then told their friends that they’ve uploaded these wonderful photos about you.  These photos give you a pretty good idea for what in the design of your property (either internal or external) could be differentiators.

Leveraging History as a Potential Differentiator

Secondly, travelers to Italy who are interested in historical cities might also be interested in the history of your property.  For example, what did the building used to be?  How did it become a hotel?  Is it a family business?  Did anything interesting happen on premise?  Hotels in Italy (and many other countries around the world) have built-in stories that make the stay experience even more special.  Why not share them?

Even though it may be more relevant if the property’s history is connected to the historical attraction in the city, sometimes it’s the people that own the building or run the property who have the interesting history.  For inspiration from a familiar source, think of the wineries that are all over Italy.  Many of them are run by families who have owned the same winery for generations.  Behind each of these wineries are stories of colorful characters overcoming (or facing!) problems.  Even most wine labels have a story behind them.  Can you relate this to your hotel?

The great thing about the history of your hotel is that it’s always unique to your property.  If you share your history and your guests begin to write about it in their reviews about your property, then that history might very well be a differentiator — one that you don’t have to spend any more money on improving.

However, you won’t know until you share and see how your guests respond.

Getting People to Talk About Your Service

I have a third tip on differentiators.  In the past 12 months I’ve sat on more planes crisscrossing the globe than I can remember.  On a recent KLM flight the safety video projection was not working, so the flight attendants had to demonstrate in person.  I saw that most people actually stopped what they were doing to watch the flight attendants demonstrate how to buckle and fasten a seat belt.

This is because people pay attention to people.  Extended to hotels, especially good service will not be ignored, and can become a differentiator that is not easily replicable by your competitors.  Whether it’s in the way of a welcoming attitude, or thoughtful anticipation, or speed to solution, or personal recognition, or something else quirky but wonderful, what you and your staff create in terms of the human experience can often be your strongest differentiator if you construct the experience with empathy in mind.  For Italian hoteliers, empathy can solve guests’ language obstacles, dietary needs, lack of familiarity with local culture, attractions and customs, bad/long transportation experience, etc. and win your guests’ loyalty.  If they are so moved as to recommend you to their friends, they also become your best marketers.

4.5 years ago I stayed at Villa La Favorita in Alba which was up in the hills.  I had bought some wine and needed to get to Turin, but this would have required me to get down the hill with a bulky box, take a train from Alba to another town, and then switch trains to get to Turin.  Roberta, the owner, after helping me decipher the train schedule, voluntarily offered to take me to the train station.  At first I thought it was nice of her to take me to the Alba train station, but she ended up driving me right past it and on to the 2nd train station.  To this day, I’m still referring people to her 6 room property, and look forward to going back.  On TripAdvisor, Villa La Favorita has a 100% recommendation rate and is ranked #1 of the B&Bs in Alba.  Roberta is mentioned by name in several reviews.  The most recent one reads:

Last but not least the owner Roberta goes out of her way to make each guest feel special and welcome. She provides for most anything you could ask for and will arrange for special tours or activities in the area if you wish. She will definitely succeed with Villa La Favorita.

An Example from an Independent Hotel in Italy

To summarize, let me use Villa La Favorita as an example.  If you go to the Villa La Favorita website, you’ll see the following description amidst beautiful pictures of the property and Roberta.  My analysis of why this is so effective is in parentheses below each paragraph:

Welcome!  It gives me great pleasure to present my country home.  Dating back to the early 1900’s, it is officially recognized as a historic residence, and has been meticulously refurbished in recent years.  Set amidst a 10,000 m² estate of vineyards and fruit orchards, it is located on a hillside just 1 1/2 kms outside Alba.

(Roberta displays her pride of ownership and introduces the historical significance of her property)

The farm produces fine doc-status wines – Nebbiolo d’Alba and Grignolino Piemonte – which can be tasted free-of-charge, as well as a large variety of organically-grown fruit (cherries, apples, pears, apricots, plums, persimmons, figs, mulberries, peaches and pomegranates), some of which are used to make delicious jams.

(introduces potential differentiators: tasting of fruits, jams, and wines made from on-premise orchard and vineyard)

The villa’s four highly original, en-suite bedrooms are tastefully furnished with period family pieces, and have satellite TV, air-conditioning, bath with shower and hair-dryer.  Each “room with a view” brings guests into close contact with the hills.and the towers and roofs of ALBA’s old town centre.  A stroll along the path leading through the vineyards to enjoy the picturesque view of the sunset from on high is warmly recommended before the sun disappears behind the rooftops and bell-towers.

(with the pictures available on the site, introduces design as potential differentiators of the guest experience, both internal and external)

Every morning a plentiful breakfast offering a wide choice is served outdoors in the large garden, on the terrace or in the bright lemon-house. I will recommend the best restaurants in the Langhe and Roero, and visits can be arranged during your stay to the countless castles in the area, as well as to wine cellars – famous estates or family-run concerns just waiting to be discovered.

(service as the strong differentiator, addressing convenience and access to local knowledge backed by her personally )

Alba is a lively town, standing at the feet of the celebrated “Langhe” hills. It is famous for its mediaeval towers, “Via Maestra” (the main street, animated by plenty of shops and a busy Saturday morning market), and cultural and food & wine events. It is also the starting point for many interesting outings, on foot or by bicycle, motorbike or car.

(sells Alba.  Note that she isn’t selling her proximity to the town center — those may be strong differentiators for other B&Bs that are competing with her)

What is effective about this simply laid-out page is that the description presents the property’s strong differentiators and sets guest expectations on the location.  The property is exactly where it is, and not only is the description transparent and upfront about it, it moves the value proposition to design, history, and service.  These differentiators are then further backed up by social media.

All in all, a consistently great story, which makes for a great business.

Being a member of the Marketing Society provides many positives – not the least the insight gained from all the member experience. Here are 15 of the things that delegates learned at the Marketing Society’s 50th Anniversary Conference:

1. Between the age of 10 and 11 the average child spends about 900 hours in class, 1200 with family and friends and 2000 in front of a screen, according to neuroscientist Susan Greenfield

2. The consumer of the future will have a shorter attention span, reduced empathy, less sense of identity and be less risk averse

3. The ‘cacophony of content’ could get worse before it gets better – and monetising user generated content is no longer being pursued as the holy grail of online

4. When it comes to the future it’s not about being right, it’s about being ready, says futurologist Tamar Kasriel

5. Brands and the media today are controlled by the consumer. As marketers we need to embrace the chaos and work out how to manage it

6. ‘Expectation inflation’ has eaten away at our happiness. In the US, the ‘happiness index’ has actually risen since the recession

7. Successful companies are showing that consumers can and will take over every point in the supply chain

8. People would pay more attention to the emergency announcements on planes if they were sung as opera

9. Our world is increasingly dominated by fashion and style, which is merging with entertainment – marketing directors need to become style directors said John Hegarty

10. In 1859 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease on the St James brewery in Dublin and the remarkable 250th anniversary celebrations this year saw 200 million fans of the black stuff in bars across the world raise a toast to Arthur

11. There are many ‘green fakers’ out there who say one thing and do another – the implicit and the explicit do not always match up and we need to understand the implications of this for marketing

12. Stelios wishes he hadn’t believed his own bulls**t in the dotcom era and opened his internet cafes. He now says if something seems too good to be true – it is

13. Shoppers look at a label in a supermarket for 5-7 seconds

14. Each of us on average owes 19 months pay in debt

15. London Mayor, Boris Johnson has high hopes for the London Olympics. Sales of Tsingau beer quadrupled during the Beijing Games and sales of condoms doubled during the Sydney Olympics

(Photo: stopnlook)

(Originally posted as a series November 16 -20, 2009 on The Blog of Jason Christensen – “Your Life as a Remote User”)

Times are tough right now. Raises are not being doled out, salary’s are being cut, 401K’s are not being matched, people are loosing their jobs…morale is low. Many managers may not be concerned if their remaining employees are unhappy; where do they think they are going to go in this economic environment? Don’t be short sighted; employees who are not happy are looking elsewhere and when the climate turns many will abandon ship. Now is the time to keep your employees exhilarated!

“So what can you do to motivate a team and create loyal employees when morale is low?”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————
In this economy it’s imperative employers concentrate on non-monetary motivating factors by:

1. Taking a genuine interest in people
2. Keeping an open line of communication
3. Helping people to understand the importance of their role
4. Bestowing recognition on your team
5. Cultivating career development plans

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

1. Take a genuine interest in people.

When times get tough people band together; they take a bona fide interest in one another.

• Find out what is going on in the life of your team members
• What is important to them right now
• Let them know you understand
• Do what you can to help them
• Offer advice if they are looking for it

Try making a mental list of everyone you may encounter today; think of what they are working on or what they have going on in their life and try to relate to them. People appreciate it when you take an interest in their lives. It will increase morale, let people know you care and help them realize they are not just another number in the corporate books.

Remote Note:

When your team is remote and you do not see them face-to-face this can be especially challenging. Take the time to work with each of them personally. Be sure to contact them weekly even if it is just to touch base. A one-on-one call will let them know you are thinking of them and will be there help should anything come up.

Keep in mind; this may be something you have to ease into if you have not shown an interest in the past; otherwise they may think you are prying and become suspicious. So take it slow, work to re-develop those relationships and with any luck it will lead to a motivated team, stronger group bond, greater retention rates, and increased team morale.

Think of others first, show interest in their lives, offer a helping hand.

2. Keeping an open line of communication.

An open door policy sends a message to your coworkers you are approachable, willing to listen and discuss issues as they come up. An open line of communication also acquaints you with your team in order to know what is important to them. If you are familiar with their goals and desires, you will be able to lead them more effectively grooming them for the next steps they wish to achieve. Without and open line of communication you are leading them blindly and will not get the synergies needed to achieve your goals.

• Ask employees for their ideas
• Be a good listener
• Take notes
• Work to find ways to incorporate their ideas into the corporate vision

You may be surprised at the good points of information they will provide to you. And when you do use their ideas and the employees see them in action you will be surprised by their loyalty to you and the company.

Don’t forget, communication is a two way street. People feel important when they know what is going on with their company. They feel a sense of power when they are “in-the-know” on breaking news. Reach out to your staff when there is news to be shared, organize your thoughts and convey a clear, concise, informational message without breaching company confidentiality.

Remote Note:

It can be tough to have a so called “open door” when you lead a team of remote users. Here are some tips to help:

• Always take their calls or return their calls as soon as you are available.
• If you only have a moment, let them know and schedule a definitive time to speak with them further.
• Hold weekly conference calls to allow for corporate communications, success and improvement stories as well as an open forum for issues affecting the team.

Keep an open line of communication, be a good listener and make them feel important.

3. Helping people to understand the importance of their role.

People like to feel needed, so helping people understand their contribution to the corporation and showing them their efforts DO make a difference will increase their morale. It is important for people to understand how each gear turns to keep the machine operating effectively. They need to understand the part they play in the overall corporate structure and the flow of the business.

Take a particular function in your business as an example:

• Where was it generated what is the intended outcome?
• What path had the process taken before it reached your team?
• Where did it go afterward?
• What was the result and how did it contribute to the goals of the company?

It is important to illustrate this so people understand their role is not idle and without function.

Another way to generate a feeling of contribution to the company is to delegate authority. Delegate authority by:

• Encouraging people to take on additional responsibilities
• Aligning them with the company goals
• Letting them take ownership of certain processes.

This increase in leadership responsibilities will build the bench strength of your team and increase fellowship amongst employees. Furthermore take the time to publicly recognize them and convey how their initiatives helped the company and/or the customer. Better yet invite the customer to take the time to provide a public testimonial of the employees efforts. This kind of respect in a timely manner will go a long way with your team.

Remote Note:

When your team is part of a remote workforce it can be especially challenging for them to understand the role they play in the company and the path processes take from inception to fruition. By illustrating to your team the route a business process takes whether it is through a slide presentation or work flow chart it helps them understand the function of their position and how they can affect the overall process.

In addition, it is important for the remote work force to understand the appropriate contacts for varied situations they encounter in their day to day. This will help them know where to go for answers when a problem arises.

Help your team to understand their overall role in the company and build bench strength through delegation.

4. Bestowing recognition on your team.

Expendable funds are minimal, but how do you recognize your team for a job well done? One of the best ways is to allow your employees a greater stake in the company. By offering your team options in the organization it generates a deeper interest in helping the company to succeed. The closer the ties, the more loyal they will be and the more desire they will have to look out for the best interest of the company.

A lesser option is to provide them with a gift they would not otherwise spend their own money to purchase. In better times companies had gift catalogs allowing the staff to pick from a selection of nice items. In today’s climate a more resonable token may be company logo merchandise. It allows the employee to boast his affiliation with a nice corporate logo while at a minimal cost to the company.

Let’s face it, people enjoy recognition, but the timing and context have to be right. Be sure to:

• Convey praise immediately with much encouragement
• Tie the recognition to the team goals and make it part of your repertoire
• Have recognition provided by an officer of the company, this is often times worth more than a material token
• Award people based on measurable goals

An award is good, but bragging rights are better!

Remote Note:

With a team of remote users it can be difficult to publicly recognize a job well done. A great vehicle for recognizing a team member is through a weekly newsletter. Create a short article touting the wonderful job they did and if you can get a customer testimonial it makes the achievement all the better. There is nothing like being able to show others your achievements right there in print.

Another great method is on your weekly team call where their colleagues can applaud them in person. It is always nice to have a quick pat on the back for a job well done.

What a terrific way to spark a friendly internal competition for your team members in order to vie for that top spot.

Awards and recognition generate loyalty and elevate morale.

5. Cultivating career development plans.

One of the worst feelings as an employee is not knowing where you are going with your employer. Take time with the individuals on your team and sit down with them to develop a clear career path showing them the next steps they can take based on their achievements. A great time to cover this is during biannual performance reviews. Take this time to provide constructive feedback AND discuss with them what they can do to grow with the company. Find out what you can do to help each of your team members advance and work to make it happen. Not only will it help them, but as management sees future leaders continually being produced from your staff it lets them know the value you offer to the company.

Develop your team using:

• Books and short articles on related topics
• Online Courses
• Out of office training workshops or seminars

When people are excused from their regular duties for a short period of time to participate in these type of events, it makes make them feel important amongst the crowd.

Out of sight out of mind.

Remote Note:
When you manage a remote team it is challenging to enhance the visibility of the work your team does. Often their achievements get overlooked by people who work in the office since they do not see your team members regularly. This can make it difficult for members of your team to exceed in the workplace and continually grow with the company. It is important to create campaigns to tout the accomplishments of your team. It could be through a company newsletter or possibly a weekly email stating the highlights of the week. Be creative and find a method which fits your corporate structure.

Take time with your team to make sure you understand what their goals are with the company and help them to develop and achieve those goals.

Keep your team on board! Think of others first by conveying an interest in their lives, talking with them frequently, letting them know they are doing a good job and you appreciate their contributions, then help them to develop in their careers. With any luck it will lead to a motivated team, stronger group bond, greater retention rates, and increased team morale.

This article has nothing to do with Gang Stalking, but I felt it was worth commenting on.

I came across this article the other day, and the wording of it surprised me. It was not vulgar, the language was not racist, yet it’s one one of the most hard hitting critiques of the American President I have come across.

I am at times not too bad with checking the temperature of the net, and this article surprised me. It was a recap of what the writer felt was an unforgivable action and that is the American President bowing to the Japanese Emperor and Empress.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/17/

[quote]A little traveling, like a little learning, can be a dangerous thing. Barack Obama on the loose in a foreign land is enough to frighten protocol officers and embarrass the rest of us.[/quote]

I did notice that American’s were upset with his bowing before foreign royalty.

See I think Americans see the president in their own way as royalty. Sure the ties to monarchy on the outside have been removed, but inside American’s want to feel proud, they want to feel that the person that is representing them will do so well. They want to know that American views and values will be upheld.

I was surprised by some of the comments, but the general consensus on some of the forums is that the President should bow to no one.

I think in my personal opinion a bow of respect can be given, but it’s all about how it is delivered that makes the difference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/

In the above file footage of his meeting with the King and Queen of England, he does bow, but it’s a moderate bow and it is respectfully returned in kind. Equals of sorts and I don’t recall hearing any recriminations about this bow.

I also suspect the country he was bowing to did play a role. I know many mentioned the War time dead of WWII and felt that it was disrespectful to them as well.

I believe with this President people very much wanted back the good old days. The days they felt proud, the days that they felt that they had their own royalty. The Kennedy years.

I think in part one of the reasons Obama was a shoe in for president is that he did remind many of the Kennedy days. Jackie was queen and it felt as if there was royalty. The Kennedy’s wore no crown, but many felt that they were royal in their own right.

Americans came off of feeling embarrassed at times by the last Administration, I recall many times where the last president did something goofy, or made and error, and the American people cringed with him. When the world hated his policies, they felt hated right along with him.

With this administration one of the things that was promised not overtly, but in it’s own way was good representation. People liked that fact that he had come from a good school, had a degree, and wanted to be represented well. Americans are known for being a proud and arrogant people. Most would deny it, but many in the world want to come to America and be American and that is part of the reason.

After the horrible stimulus package, where they felt that they were violated, but were not quite sure, (You were violated.) they wanted to feel secure again, proud, they don’t want more debt or wild spending being tacked on to themselves or their kids. I think that is in part why they are so cautious with this health care bill. The last previous eight years was a lot for many Americans to deal with.

With this Administration they wanted to put the wars behind, the some degree of shame they might of felt with some previous polices and actions, and I think that is why they are quick to react when they see signs of the previous admin shining forth.

The bow wounded the pride of some. Most Americans would not admit it, but they are a proud and somewhat arrogant people, which is not a bad thing. I think they just want that pride back, and this bow hurt that pride, for some.

Most people will read this article and view it as a bad thing but I don’t fully. It shows me that Americans are a loyal people, it shows me that they take their representative seriously, and it tells me that they want to feel proud and full of hope again.

It means that if the president fails to represent the American people’s well, they will be a disloyal, hurt and angry subject, but if the president represents the American people well, they have the capacity to be loyal, faithful, and to stand with him, and feel pride with him.

To me it shows that they want the president to do well, but were hurt, and again not everyone even cared about this, but some did, and those are people worth listening to. It’s struck me as one of the more strongly worded articles I had come across and I felt that it was worth noting.

Some more highlights.

[quote]This is not the way an American president impresses evildoers that he’s strong, tough and decisive, that America is not to be trifled with.[/quote]

Americans like their tough guy image. Most countries do. They want that don’t mess with our country.

It makes them feel safe, like someone will be capable of looking after their best interests.

[quote]His predecessors learned with no difficulty that the essence of America is that all men stand equal and are entitled to look even a king, maybe particularly a king, straight in the eye……

John F. Kennedy, on the eve of a trip to London, sharply warned Jackie not to curtsy to the queen.[/quote]

I take it that Jackie did not curtsy. Respecting all traditions is a fine line to walk. I know the number of times I have read that this president is narcissistic, yet a narcissist would not bow before another would they? I think sometimes it can be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

I would highlight more, but you will have to read the rest.

I believe Americans when represented well will let a lot go, I am not sure who handles protocols for these trips, I think it’s not a bad idea to have more than one opinion, or suggestion as to proper protocol.

Traditions can be a very limiting thing, and can hold a nation back from progress, but they can also be a beautiful thing, and everyone loves when their’s are respected and adhered to.

Presenting an Excellently relaxing moment at home, featuring Her Excellency Betty Catroux, 2007 Excellent People Hall of Fame inductee, with husband Francois, as shot for Vogue.

The Excellent Betty and Francois Catroux, at home, from Vogue, February 15, 1970. Image via Style.com.

Many students will be faced with tough, ethical decisions throughout his or her career. As students and public relations professionals, we should now the legal and ethical guidelines to help us in sticky situations.

I once had a professor who gave an example of ethics by using chairs. The first chair was a solid ethical person. The second chair was a slippery ethical person. The third chair was a person who had no ethics whatsoever. My professor asked the class what chair we would be sitting in at the end of the day. I stressed over this question because I believed I would sit in the solid ethical chair, but as he explained the different chairs I began to realize that I have made some decisions that could border being unethical.

Making decisions can be stressful because you must think of all the possible  outcomes. If we want people to trust us then we must make ethical decisions. I’m  reading a book called Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques by Dennis  Wilcox, and one of the chapters’ focuses on legal and ethical guidelines.

Guidelines for ethical conduct from Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics:

Advocacy

• We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates fro those we represent.
• We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.

Honesty

• We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communication with the public.

Expertise

• We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience.
• We advance the profession through continued professional development, research, and education.
• We build mutual understanding, credibility, and relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.

Independence

• We provide objective counsel to those we represent.
• We are accountable for our actions.

Loyalty

• We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.

Fairness

• We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public.
• We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.

One question many public relations professionals have is “what is truth?” People have many different views on what is right and what is wrong. It is stressful trying to decide whether or not to go along with what your company is saying or stand up and say something.

I handle these situations in a way that will help reduce the stress and anxiety of making such tough decisions.

Here are a few of my own tips:

• Ask around – ask professionals you look up to if they think the decision you are making is ethical or not.
• Sleep on it – don’t make rash decisions.
• How will you feel about the outcome – if you are going to feel guilty about the decision you made then it is probably the wrong choice.

Before making any decisions ask yourself, “what chair will I be sitting in at the end of the day?” Hopefully these guidelines and tips will help you with any ethical decisions you must make.

It wasn’t my intent to be here.  For all intents and purposes I should be yapping away in a radio booth in a city or town near you.  But I was brainwashed some might say however, the truth is a door opened for me and once I walked through there was no turning back.

A friend asked me yesterday to write about why I serve. 

This is my story and the reason after 17 years I have no regrets for the choice I made all those years ago to enlist nor to stay despite the separation from friends and family, the hardships endured, love lost, the physical pain and the mental stress. 

When It All Began

I was a restless young man in the late 80’s and early 90’s and I would even argue that I had been restless my whole life.  The truth is I wasn’t even a man, merely and anxious lost soul with little idea about a destination let alone a five year plan.  I had an exciting job working at a successful radio station and in the summers I worked on the northern Michigan rivers in between shifts.

In the local radio world I’d gone from part-time fill-in to a top rated slot all my own in just two years.  Not bad being only 20 years old but after a time I was restless, wanting more but realizing the men I competed with had 20 years in the business.

Then a retired vet named Bob joined the team. 

The story of Bob

He came into the station fill some part time slots, kill some time and earn a little pocket change.  He was a fully retired vet who didn’t need the money but enjoyed doing something he’d loved for the last 20 years only now it was on his terms and unlike his days in Vietnam he could broadcast without the fear of incoming rounds.

Bob recognized my youthful ambition and anxiousness but took the time to give me early lessons in patience and wisdom.  Over the weeks and months Bob became a trusted mentor and toward the end his best lesson would change my life completely.  What Bob knew was that I was eager to move up in this business but what I didn’t realize then was that the wild rover in me simply needed to move.  Bob knew that so the last words of advice he gave me were simple, go to the military with my trade for four years and learn the life lessons northern Michigan would take 20 years to teach me. 

Bob had been there and done it and I had been toying with the idea since the first recruiter came calling while a junior in high school.  I’d always rebuffed their attempts to sign me but this time there was a clearer purpose; get my experience on prime time shifts and come back to the civilian market after my four years to a more balanced competition.  Bob was one of the last people to say farewell as I signed off the air one final time.  He exuded pride and wished me well.  That was the last time I ever saw Bob.

The early days

My education started on the Greyhound to Lansing where I would swear my oath and move on to basic training.  I’d never ridden public transportation as I preferred to drive at my own pace but it was an eye opener from the start.  I sat next to a man from India who was working on his last two years of a medical degree at Michigan.  I’d never met anyone from India so the conversation was compelling and I learned a little bit about values and loyalty.  His plan wasn’t to land a job at a big hospital in the states despite the allure of a western lifestyle, my friend was going back to India to help those he could from the poor village where he grew up.  What words cannot express here is the determination etched in the creases of his forehead and the fire in his voice as he talked about his family and friends back home.  This was the first true example of loyalty and selfless service I’d seen. 

Not all of the lessons I learned in those early days were positive though I would use them to my advantage in the years that followed.  I discovered racism in its many ugly forms at basic training. 

Growing up in the northern part of Michigan our largest industry was tourism.  The only color that I knew was green and the key to earning tourist dollars was good customer service, which meant it didn’t matter where someone was from or what they looked like, all of our visitors were treated well.  Certainly there were some who told the wrong kind of jokes geared at all kinds of people.  The most popular in the north were Polish jokes because so many families were of Polish decent and these people made up a majority of our ethnic society there.

Things were drastically different at Ft. Knox, Ky. 

Early on I was impressed and even a little in awe with all of the different places and backgrounds of the people around me.  We have trainees from Mississippi, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, D.C., Ohio and West Virginia.  Some were smart, some not so much.  Some of my platoon mates were black, Hispanic and Korean.  Some came from generations of military experience others not.  Some had money, many of us didn’t.

To me this started out to be the best possible environment, a chance to meet all different kinds of people and learn something about the larger world I lived in.  I made friends easily enough and tried to pull as much as I could from their backgrounds as possible.  It was awesome.  Then someone pointed out to me the difference between black and white.  

On Sundays we were allowed to go to chapel and then have a couple of hours to ourselves before beginning our cleanup details and follow on training.  I generally spent the personal time in one of the platoon rooms sharing stories and talking about home with a few of the other trainees in my platoon.  I was approached after one of these Sunday story sessions by a trainee from my platoon, a white kid from Oregon, who was adamant that I spend less time with the company I’d been keeping and get with my own kind.  I honestly had no idea what he meant at first but he followed up that me hanging out with the(blacks) really started to agitate him and some of the other (whites). 

I didn’t change my friends and continued to talk to everyone in the platoon to include the Puerto Rican, Korean, Mexicans and some of the Anglos, though a few of them no longer wanted to talk to me.  I chalked it up to their loss.

We had two younger guys, former bangers from San Antonio who didn’t much care for my mingling.  The elder of the two challenged me to a fight after graduation because he didn’t like a (white) who didn’t know their place and I shouldn’t be mixing it up with his people.  It was a short scuffle and at the end he decided he’d keep his comments to himself and I’d talk to whomever I wanted. 

There were other scraps and scuffles through the course of the eight weeks however they gradually became less about color or background and more about individual behavior.  Mostly we settled our differences internally, as a platoon and the nonsense subsided but those early days of learning about skin color were important for me in strengthening my resolve to treat jerks like jerks and welcome good people with open arms and an open mind regardless of where they came from or their background.

Fort Bragg – The arrival

They told me a broadcaster/public affairs guy could never get to Fort Bragg let alone go to an Airborne unit.  I didn’t much care for people telling me what I couldn’t do so I was determined to find a way to North Carolina.  Two months later I got my orders.

I hopped off U.S. 401 to a back road the map said would take me to Ft. Bragg proper.  It was warm, clear spring afternoon and the yellow pollen from the tall Carolina pines was just starting to settle as dusk drew a little nearer.  I was the only driver on this road and “If I ever Lose My Faith” by Sting just came on the radio.  At the same time I saw a C-130 Herc for the first time, flying low and slow over the horizon.  I knew in that moment I found a new home.

The next few months were a whirlwind.  After reporting to replacement my opportunity came to volunteer for Airborne duty and I took it.  The success I’ve enjoyed through the years all started with SFC Clark, who prepared us for life in the 82^nd Airborne Division.

In those days, “Legs” as we non-paratroopers were referred to, were not permitted to be assigned to an actual unit within “The Division” until we were jump qualified.  Clark’s sole responsibility was to weed out the weak from the volunteer platoon while preparing those of us who survived for jump school and life on Ardennes street. 

Our days were stacked with PT in the morning with the replacement company followed by every nasty kind of detail the rest of the division needed done.  Most of the people we worked for treated us well though the work was hard.  There were jabs of course but I honestly believed then as I do looking back that these paratroopers wanted us to succeed.  The afternoons were special.  Clark would assemble our platoon for afternoon PT and this is how he shaped us and separated the wheat from the chaff.  His sessions were the toughest I’ve experienced in the whole 17 years.  He was demanding and the pace was grueling, testing us to the limits of our physical and mental abilities.

One day, just a few weeks before we were to report to Ft. Benning’s Airborne School, a group of about eight new volunteers showed up to the morning formation.  That afternoon Clark took us all out for a brisk run through the trails behind the division area that seemed to never end.  We quickly realized this session wasn’t going to end anytime soon and some of the new people were gassed after three miles.  As one would fall out we would all drop and do a combination of pushups and flutter kicks until they caught up and the sprints through the sand continues.  After a couple of more miles we were all sucking wind but those of us who’d been in the platoon kept fighting through it and after another couple of miles we were back at the platoon area, beaten but not broken…well for the most part.

After our group of “old timers” caught our breath for several minutes, Clark came back downstairs and with a simple bark told us to hit the showers, put on civilian clothes and be back downstairs in 20 minutes.  When we started to assemble a little while later in the platoon area we watched as seven of the eight new volunteers were doing the duffle bag drag back to the other side of post, having quit after deciding that this pace was not worth being a paratrooper.  After that Clark came back down and told us he was proud of how we’d handled the training and refused to quit.  He loaded us into the back of his pickup and took us to a ballgame downtown.  We were both shocked and proud that he’d given that kind of praise.  His methods epitomized tough love, making jump school a breeze for all of us.

Fort Bragg –Settling In

My first boss dropped in just after jump school to give me his indoctrination speech and lay out his expectations for the next two years.  It was a simple message, “You can follow my guidance and learn something and maybe get a good assignment after your time here is done or you can do what you want to do and I’ll send your ass back to WalMart like I did the guy you’re replacing but it’s up to you.”

The next 24 months were some of the most important of my career.  I worked in a five man unit and was referred to as a combat correspondent with a nickname, Joker.  I wore glasses and jumped into multiple drop-zones with camera and rifle.  My boss sent me on virtually every training event our brigades participated in, generally a month at a time at places like Ft. Polk and Ft. Irwin, Panama and Avon Park.  I had the honor of participating in the 50^th Anniversary of D-Day in Ste. Mere Eglise, France.  I met wonderful veterans who gave me a first-hand education on why this was the Army’s premiere division and instilled in me a deep sense of pride.  18 of those 24 months were away from Bragg, giving me the chance to learn from the line units how to be a paratrooper while also keeping me from getting into trouble in garrison.  Most importantly I was a fully indoctrinated paratrooper, drank the Kool aid and nothing would ever be the same.

I made good friends and established bonds with some great people.  I also learned that you can’t take those for granted and that the Army is a culture of constant momentum.  It was on my next assignment that I learned how important these bonds truly are and how to maintain them.

Germany Part 1—Shock and Awe

I brought a train hard, live hard mindset with me to Germany.  My first days in Frankfurt were a blur of in-processing and an introduction to German beer.  I met some good people early on, who showed me the sights and started me on a path of appreciation for this European culture.  I really didn’t understand the Army then because everything I saw I did so with Bragg filtered glasses.

They assigned me to an affiliate station in Wurzburg.  The team itself was a blessing, providing a soft cushion as I started to see what the rest of the Army was like.  We later became known as the Airborne affiliate since most of our members were former Bragg troopers with two exceptions, one being a former Marine along with a dedicated chief engineer, and a great guy who was really just out of place wearing a uniform.

The latter two eventually moved on to other things but their support in teaching me the technical aspects of the job were a great value.  I also learned that the Army is made up of a lot of different kinds of Soldiers who, though different than the Bragg model, bring value to the Army team.  Tony and Pat, my boss and boss’ boss were both top rate Soldiers and very skilled technicians who taught me a lot about career and professional balance.  I learned the TV aspects of the craft from them and also how and when to employ finesse in Soldiering. 

The real shocker came while I was in Spain on a training mission with one of the 3 ID battalions.  We were at one of the training lanes and I was talking with a Sergeant who’d also just come from “The Division”.  We hadn’t been there for only a few minutes when we noted an argument taking place between another sergeant and a private, presumably from the same squad.  The private was completely out of line, yelling and cussing at the NCO.  Finally the Sergeant I was talking with moved in and started ripping into the private about disrespect to an NCO among other things.  A captain stepped in and in front of all of us started dressing down this sergeant and said, “This ain’t Fort Bragg or your fucking 82^nd Airborne Division bub.”  No shit, it sure wasn’t.    

To be fair, the 3^rd was a heck of a division with a DCG I will never forget, BG Grange was a lead from the front, take care of Soldiers kind of leader we all wanted to follow.  Papers wrote stories about his methods and he still leads a lot of efforts in analysis today, even as a civilian. 

The best of the 3^rd were the intel guys I was barracked with.  Daryl, Tom, Gregg and Andy were incredible guys.  All NCOs, these were the people who helped me prepare for my first promotion board.  We partied hard and worked hard.  The antics we participated in are far too numerous to list here and some are just too embarrassing but we were tight.  We drank far too much when they weren’t off training.  I remember reciting the 11 principles of leadership from a handstand position, doing pushups for correct answers with twice the number were I to get any wrong…thank God I didn’t get them wrong.  The board itself was an anticlimactic conclusion to their training efforts.  

Daryl and Tom were virtually inseparable and I was astonished that they took me into their personal circle but their lessons really shaped my approach to foreign cultures.  Both spoke fluent Russian and German.  One early afternoon Daryl came and pulled me from my room and explained we were going into town for a bite to eat.  I threw on some clothes and went along. 

When we got seated and we looked over the menu both explained, in English, what they wanted and instructed me to order for all of us in German.  I explained that I didn’t know German and there wasn’t an English translation on the menu.  They both told me that I’d best learn and that whatever I ordered would be my responsibility.  The waitress coached me along and between the three of them they got a good giggle out of my pronunciation and constant stumbling.

Other times they’d coach me on some of the language.  We would generally go to an Irish pub in town and at some point, generally when a local girl or two would sit with us the conversation would go into German and along the course of the conversation I had them all looking at me and giggling.  I eventually learned passable German and it made a huge difference in what I got out of that tour.

Don’t get me wrong, Tom and Daryl weren’t abusive or mean in any way.  We shared a lot of thoughts and feelings on religion, history and culture.  They were great teachers and wonderful friends.  They never hesitated to drop what they were doing to help me navigate through an Army question or a life question.  Their confidence was without question and they were the closest thing to family I’d had since leaving home.

Over the years since that assignment I’ve managed to cross paths with most of them on more than one occasion and each time it was like we’d never been apart.  I still think about them often and occasionally exchange an e-mail, knowing the next time we meet could be right around the corner.

I felt like I grew a lot in that tour but I was extremely frustrated with the lack of discipline around me and though I’d learned about patience I longed for the more familiar environment I’d known at Bragg.  There were too many moments like I’d seen in Spain.  At that point I was making my preparation to leave the Army since my contract was almost up.  My team mates at the affiliate were leaving and many of the guys I was with in the barracks were also moving on.  It seemed fitting that I would stick to my original plan but inside I felt a combination of emptiness and even some dread.

So while I was on my way to my last separation appointment I turned the car around and went back to my station manager and asked to reenlist.  We called the branch manager in DC and arranged for a return trip to Ft. Bragg.  A few days later I found out I would make Sergeant and I was ecstatic about the whole thing.

Bragg—Part two

Most of the first half was learning how to wear the stripes.  I had a lot of Soldiers in that first couple of years and made plenty of mistakes.  I got married.  I travelled to Bosnia for a six month tour where I got the Dear John e-mail.  I chucked the ring into a mine field and called my buddy Blake for advice.  Within 48 hours he and my father policed up my belongings, shut off my accounts and had my truck and cat on the way back up to Michigan to my parents’ home.  Blake took care of the rest.  Eventually I went home.

Blake picked me up and delivered me to the barracks.  He’d stored all of my things in a unit at his place and through his friendship helped me face the emotional turmoil that had been brewing for the last three months.  I met the new team and began working at perfecting my craft as an NCO.  Tossing aside the technical expertise and related comfort zone I went after a different role in developing teams, like my first boss had done with me.  I took my guys all over the U.S. to every field exercise we could get into.  I was in the best physical shape of my life and had no trouble with the next promotion board.  To say I was driven was an understatement.  Blake and I were as competitive as two buddies could be, carrying that through the day to day job to our basic leadership school.  We were mutually supportive and it was probably one of the few times I’ve competed so hard while rooting for the challenger simultaneously.

Our boss prepared us for that training and set us both on a path for leadership success.  He taught us the nuances of taking care of our Soldiers by taking a personal interest in our development as leaders and as people.  He led from the front and walked the talk.  We finished one and two in our leadership course because of him and both enjoyed success as NCOs by emulating his model.  I am still grateful for those days.  I found a balance between discipline and compassion and more importantly, how to approach leadership on an individual basis by knowing your people and what makes them tick.

The Next Few Years

Over the next years I went from leading the last team and eventual closure of the military’s oldest radio and television network.  The life lessons I learned there were precious but had little to do with the Army however, the people and larger communities in Delta Junction, Alaska and Dallas, Texas have been pivotal in helping me come to terms with my eventual retirement and what to do after.

September 11^th happened and all I wanted was to get back into the mix.  The mix as it turned out was a return trip to Germany.  By the time I got there the war in Afghanistan had been on for almost two years.  As the operations NCO for our network I was able to get into the early stages of the Iraq war, taking teams into theater to support our units from Europe.  It was a staff job but rewarding in that I had a chance to take care of my deployed teams.

Eventually I got my own affiliate to command and my first real leadership challenges. 

The group I inherited from an ousted colleague was among the most dysfunctional, disgruntled Soldiers I’d ever seen.  My initial marching orders were to blow it up and start over.  A few people we did move but many simply took time to re-develop.  The biggest challenge was changing an individual mindset to one that was team focused.  For some it worked right away, others took time to come around.  I actually had one visit during an RR in Hawaii to close the chapter and tell me about the things she’d come to realize.  It was a gratifying lunch with my former troop.

Hawaii—Life lessons over steaks and cigars

Two of my best friends came to be in Hawaii.  I’d met Dave and Mike previously but we’d never been assigned to the same post let alone the same unit.  I went to the island after volunteering for an Iraq deployment, laying claim to a portion of a large house on a former banana plantation up in the north shore of Oahu.  It was this bachelor’s dream, close to the ocean and very quiet. 

A little while after getting settled in and familiar with the things to do Dave arrived and shortly after Mike came too.  They’d both just served together in Iraq and were arriving on the island just to prep and prepare to go back again.  It had been a while since we’d gone to our advance leader training together but we quickly bonded, partially because we were going to work together to include the deployment and partially because they were/are just great people.

Dave’s family was awesome.  Lots of old school parenting resulted in two very well-manned kids and his wife was one of the most welcoming spouses you’ll ever meet.  She always received us with a big smile and open arms, which is kind of rare when your hubby’s been gone more than not.  Still, she valued Dave’s friendships and was a big part of that in her own right. 

Technically I worked for Dave but at his insistence we formed a heck of a team.  Deferring to his final decision I was always able to provide input with the work side of things.  He, through the course of the deployment, gave me every opportunity to excel and shine despite our close proximity and rank.  I’ve heard of other situations where people were people were limited because of the fear instilled in competition for promotions and assignments.  Quite the opposite for me as Dave was always my biggest advocate, earning my enduring professional loyalty.

Outside of work we spent hours discussing politics, military business, religion and other earth shattering matters, to include music, over steaks and cigars.  Mike was always a great in these situations because his personality often lends itself to play devil’s advocate for the sake of peeling back the proverbial onion in a conversation.  Mike himself is one of the most loyal friends I’ve had.  Never ashamed and often emboldened to share his less glowing moments, Mike gives with his whole being both the good and the bad.  When you know Mike you know the guy, not just the nice parts of his life.

The three of us made it to Iraq and back unscathed and having enjoyed more than a few cigars together.  We’d accomplished much in our time there as PA guys and felt great about the work we’d been able to accomplish and I really feel our leadership was also impressed.

The only near miss came one night near the end.  Dave and I were roommates and decided to sit outside and enjoy a cigar.  We had a couple of Opus X going and were about halfway through when the first of two rockets exploded a few hundred meters away.  We looked at each other as the alarms went off and people scrambled for bunkers…shook our heads and finished our cigars without a word.  To me it was like a scene out of MASH and it still makes me chuckle the way everyone was scrambling for cover while we sat in the darkness wearing our PTs and flip-flops, just enjoying a good cigar.

A Final Thought—For Now

As I write this it occurs to me that there are hundreds of stories and details I’ve left out.  I think the initial intent was to explain why I serve, still.  Looking back it’s simple to me.  I’ve had great leaders throughout my time, been able to lead some incredible troops and made some friends of a lifetime.  I’ve watched brand new Soldiers develop into dynamic leaders and others move on and become productive civilians.  I’ve experienced love and loss but through it all I’ve rarely felt restless and always departed an assignment having felt challenged and accomplished.

To compare it to other directions I could have chosen reaffirms the choice I made to join and then stay.  I could have settled somewhere and established roots and I still look forward to that one day.  But I would have missed the chance to see the world and all of the different people in it.  I wouldn’t know first-hand the foreign cultures in places like Romania, Germany, Spain, France or Russia.  All of those experiences have helped shape me but especially my comrades and the other people along the way.  I wouldn’t trade any of it for a house in the burbs with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids with a seat on the PTA.  That time will come I think, but for now I would rather Soldier on and see where I can find the next challenge. 

No job on the planet affords the opportunity to travel the world while mentoring, shaping and molding people into something more than they were as professionals and a person on such a broad scale.  To me that is the most rewarding experience a person can enjoy and that my friend is why I serve.

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My mom and I were talking earlier this morning about random stuff and ended up talking about failed marriages, and the overwhelming numbers of it in this modern age.  If it’s about love, if they think the emotion is dying, they can surely make a conscious effort to keep loving their spouse until death – that is, if they really want to.  Because love is not just an emotion, it is also a conscious decision and a conscious effort.  I know I don’t have the right to talk about it, being not married and all, but just thinking about how couples in the past managed to make their marriage work, I really can’t think of any excuse why married couples of today can’t.  In this day and age, why does it seem like it’s a growing trend to just decide to walk away when things get tough?  My mom laughingly said married couples in the past really stick with each other no matter how they make each other’s life miserable.  It’s true.  I witnessed my grandparents (my mother’s parents) sitting and facing each other as they quarrel.  I remember the day when I was looking at my grandmother while she was making her “litany” of rants and how my grandfather just laughed at her and told her to quit talking.  They used to quarrel a lot, but when my grandmother died, I saw my grandfather cried.  It’s a very touching moment, but I was too young to realize that.  It’s just now when I look back and remember that picture of my grandfather crying over my grandmother’s death that I realized that my grandmother and my grandfather had this love, if not friendship, for and with each other through the years of being married to each other.  So, it really makes me wonder if the so-called “irreconcilable differences” really is a valid reason to end a marriage, or just an excuse?  But as I said, what right do I have to question this growing trend of married couples going their separate ways anyway when I don’t even have any idea what a married life is like?  Maybe I’m too idealistic when it comes to the topic of marriage, but that’s because I’ve seen couples who managed to make it work despite and in spite of their differences.  I also would like to mention the marriage of my favorite historical woman Marie Antoinette to King Louis XVI.  They were never really attracted to each other at first.  Their marriage was arranged for political reasons only.  But as years go by, they managed to develop a genuine love for each other and managed to make their marriage work.  They stick with each other through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, and until death parted them.  They have shown the world a very beautiful story of love, commitment, and loyalty.  Marie Antoinette knew she is putting her life in grave danger when she decided to stay at her husband’s side during the Revolution but she decided to stay with him nonetheless.  Why did she stay even though she knew that by deciding so means certain death?  Marie Antoinette’s bravery, the nobility of her character, her overflowing love for her family, for her adopted country, for its people, and her overwhelming sense of duty are remarkable at best!  She did everything she could to make her marriage with Louis XVI work that she deserved to be noted for that.  She’s a very good example to women, and to mankind as a whole for that matter.  What I’m really trying to say here is, if the individuals who are in a committed relationship will focus on how to make their relationship work instead of focusing only on themselves and their own interests, they can successfully make their relationship work.  If there’s a will, there’s a way, right?  So, why indeed don’t married couples try harder to make their marriage work anymore the way married couples in the past used to? That’s something worth pondering about, isn’t it?

Until each leader can face his/her own inner doubts and fear of reprisal, all attempts at leadership will fail in the face of conflict.  

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As we begin our managerial careers, most of us start out supervising people who are older than we are.  Some of us react negatively and consider it to be a threat.  Others use the opportunity to learn from people with experience.  Have you given much thought to what it will be like on the other side of the equation?

Two things are certain in your career if you work long enough:

1. You’ll eventually become a number to an organization (with very rare exception)
2. You’ll eventually work for someone who is younger than you are

When I was younger, I’m sure I felt intimidated by the older subordinate–especially if I received a promotion into the managerial role and that person was also a candidate.  That prompted me to consider how my new, younger supervisor felt about having to come in and supervise me.  I sure hope I practiced what I’m about to say.   I felt I was talented and had much to offer, but wanted my newer and younger supervisor to make use of what I brought, and to recognize me for my efforts.  The latter was sometimes an issue.  To watch my new and younger supervisor take credit for my efforts or ideas was difficult to swallow.

Now I do understand that the supervisor does get the credit for his/her department’s successes, and I’m OK with that.  However, occasionally letting others know where the ideas came from would have gone a long way to helping us bond.  Otherwise a feeling of resentment grows.  As I look back, I hope my older subordinates knew that I wasn’t there for any personal agenda, and any mistakes I made were out of ignorance and not malice.  Now I hope that my younger supervisor feels that he/she can certainly learn from me and that I’m not there to undermine authority.

Wherever you are in your career, think what your older subordinate is going through, or what your younger supervisor is experiencing.  Anticipate the insecurities each is experiencing, and remember that you’ll occupy each of those roles at some time in your career–if you work long enough.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT……

(Photo: vkx462)

Times are tough right now. Raises are not being doled out, salary’s are being cut, 401K’s are not being matched, people are loosing their jobs…morale is low. Many managers may not be concerned if their remaining employees are unhappy; where do they think they are going to go in this economic environment? Don’t be short sighted; employees who are not happy are looking elsewhere and when the climate turns many will abandon ship. Now is the time to keep your employees exhilarated!

“So what can you do to motivate a team and create loyal employees when morale is low?”

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In this economy it’s imperative employers concentrate on non-monetary motivating factors by:

1. Taking a genuine interest in people
2. Keeping an open line of communication
3. Helping people to understand the importance of their role
4. Bestowing recognition on your team
5. Cultivating career development plans

 

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5. Cultivating career development plans.

One of the worst feelings as an employee is not knowing where you are going with your employer. Take time with the individuals on your team and sit down with them to develop a clear career path showing them the next steps they can take based on their achievements. A great time to cover this is during biannual performance reviews. Take this time to provide constructive feedback AND discuss with them what they can do to grow with the company. Find out what you can do to help each of your team members advance and work to make it happen. Not only will it help them, but as management sees future leaders continually being produced from your staff it lets them know the value you offer to the company.

Develop your team using:

• Books and short articles on related topics
• Online Courses
• Out of office training workshops or seminars

When people are excused from their regular duties for a short period of time to participate in these type of events, it makes make them feel important amongst the crowd.

Out of sight out of mind.

Remote Note:
When you manage a remote team it is challenging to enhance the visibility of the work your team does. Often their achievements get overlooked by people who work in the office since they do not see your team members regularly. This can make it difficult for members of your team to exceed in the workplace and continually grow with the company. It is important to create campaigns to tout the accomplishments of your team. It could be through a company newsletter or possibly a weekly email stating the highlights of the week. Be creative and find a method which fits your corporate structure.

Take time with your team to make sure you understand what their goals are with the company and help them to develop and achieve those goals.

-What have you done to develop your team? Please leave a comment and let us know.
-What are some methods you use to boast the triumphs of your team? Please leave a comment and let us know.

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This concludes the final segment of the five part series, if you missed a prior segment you can click on any of the numbered links above and you will be taken directly to the individual post. I hope this series engaged you and sparked ideas you will be able to utilize with your workforce. I would love to hear your feedback so feel free to comment on this or any of the articles posted on this blog.

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Remember: Keep your team on board! Think of others first by conveying an interest in their lives, talking with them frequently, letting them know they are doing a good job and you appreciate their contributions, then help them to develop in their careers. With any luck it will lead to a motivated team, stronger group bond, greater retention rates, and increased team morale.

The things we can not change:

Everything Changes And Ends

Suffering Is A Part Of Growth

Things Do Not Always Go According To Plan

Things Are Not Always Fair

People Are Not Loving And Loyal All The Time

These are examples not just of the conditions of existing but also of evolving.  They help us to be able to unfold with character, purpose and meaning.  Only in this passing world do we keep aiming for the timeless.  Only through suffering do we find our inner strength and our need for others too.  Only in this unpredictable universe do we expend all the effort we can muster and then some more.  Only in the face of injustice do we work for justice and act with mercy.  Only among people who sometimes hurt or betray us do we find the CHOICE of love over retaliation and thereby grow in compassion.

Taoist Han Hung says: ” The biggest risk is to trust that these conditions are all that we need to be ourselves.”

That said:

EVERYTHING CHANGES AND ENDS yet can be renewed.

SUFFERING IS PART OF GROWTH yet we keep finding ways to bring good.

THINGS DO NOT ALWAYS GO ACCORDING TO PLAN yet we can find the strength to say yes to what is and thanks for what has been.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS FAIR yet we can be fair and even generous.

PEOPLE ARE NOT LOVING AND LOYAL ALL THE TIME yet we do not have to retaliate but can ourselves act with love and loyalty, never giving up on others.

In the face of fear is a cry for love.

I choose love.