I’m annoyed, agitated and needing to vent. I’m on the phone recruiting for a Customer Care person (I have a great job open if you know anyone) and sometimes I get a wrong number. When I know it’s a wrong number I do not leave a message – I hang up. Leaving a message wastes time.
It’s amazing to me that I get so many calls back from people demanding to know who called them and why. When I ask if a message was left they say, “No” and I tell them it must have been a wrong number. Seriously - do you really have that much time on your hands to go through your caller ID to phone everyone back????
Please call back the people who leave you a message, but if a message was not left, why are you calling? Ugh!
I feel much better now. Thanks.
At my home we have house rules posted on the wall. These rules are simple but work and I thought they might apply in the work place too. So here is the home version and the work version:
Home:
Play don‘t hurt – not hitting, pinching, body slamming, tripping, etc.
Do as you are told.
No complaining/whining.
No name calling.
No foul language.
Be friendly and thoughtful.
Respect is earned, not given.
Work:
Play well for the team - don’t hurt the team.
Do what your boss asks you to do unless it’s illegal and unethical.
Find solutions to problems don’t complain about them.
No name calling. Has calling your co-worker a nasty name actually furthered your career?
No foul language – we all have better vocabulary than that. Do you really need to let out a f-bomb all the time?
Be friendly and thoughtful – works at the office too. It never hurts to be good to your team.
Respect is earned not given.
While chatting today with a great CFO, Bruce R., he mentioned how companies are holding back during this depression/recession. During his search process he’s been offered several jobs but with no monetary incentive to push the company forward and drive revenue. He’s been seeing employers cautiously, cutting salaries, and thinking short term by undercutting salaries, which does lead to resentment and people leaving for more money when they can.
He had an interesting analogy revolving around NASCAR. During NASCAR racing when there is an accident the official yellow flags the race – the cars are under caution and need to be careful while driving the track. Bruce thinks there are lots of companies running under caution and believes it’s the wrong time to be cautious.
It’s time to crank up the business and take an aggressive posture. Don’t let the recession dictate how you run your company.
Go to green and come home first under the checkered flag!
Today is flying by and I keep on getting all these notices popping up – “post to your blog” and I keep on hitting snooze. Ever have one of those days where you keep on hitting snooze because you’re so swamped? I’ve found that if I just stop for a second, quit hitting snooze and just get whatever I need to get done, and then my day goes a lot better.
So stop hitting snooze and just get it done!
"Be at war with your voices,
At peace with your neighbors,
And let every new year
Find you a better man."
- Benjamin Franklin
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on it." – Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The secret of success:
1. Get a job.
2. Get a better job.
3. Get an even better job.
4. Repeat as often as necessary."
- Matt Groening
"It is well for people who think to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean. For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in awhile."
– Luther Burbank, scientist.
"There are three types of people. People who make things happen. People who watch things happen. And people who don’t know what’s happening." – John Madden
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can somehow become great." – Mark Twain
"Being tolerant dos not mean that I share another’s belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one’s right to believe, and obey his own conscience." – Victor Frankl
"Good leadership must be for the future, not for the past or present." – J. Arthur Urciuoli
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." – Aristotle
** My favorite quote!!!!! **
"May the most you wish for be the least you get." – Unknown
"Minutes are worth more than dollars, spend them wisely." –Thomas P. Murphy
"Whatever you are, be a good one." – Abraham Lincoln
"Character is a by-product; it is produced in the great manufacture of daily duty." – Woodrow Wilson
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." – Thomas Jefferson
What fun! Today, I revamped my blog with a new format, added our company logo and a link to YouTube. It was great to change up the look of my blog to be similar to my company. I like it - it's clean and easy to read.
Dave has been on YouTube for a while and this week I joined him asking questions. It was totally off the cuff, no rehersal and no script - you'll see that is very evident! So check us out on the daveankenbrandt channel on YouTube. Dave has lots to say on career, how to find a job, what jobs are hot etc.
What’s in a handshake? Should it be wet noodle, limp fish, or an iron grip? Is there a happy medium for a good handshake? Of course there is. When shaking hands, you are portraying your self-confidence, friendship, power, status, and self-worth. Your handshake says a lot about you. Make it firm but don’t squeeze the life out of the hand you are shaking. A good handshake bridges the gap between you and the other person. It should be a warm greeting, not a power play or an intimidation factor.
- Your handshake should be firm but gentle. Men -- firm does not mean squeeze the hand like it’s in a vice grip.
- Palms should touch, but not be compressed together. Again, don’t flatten out their hand until they are saying ouch.
- If you have sweaty palm syndrome, wipe your palms in your suit jacket/pants pockets, casually, before you shake hands. You can keep a dry Kleenex in your pockets to help dry your hands.
- The encounter should be long enough to make contact but not too long, usually two or three quick shakes or a quick count to three.
Shaking hands is a salutation, treat it as such. First impressions do matter – the handshake, the polished shoes, the clean shirt, well groomed hands. Make sure your handshake is part of the package that makes a great first impression.
