Perspectives

Lean on me

Earlier this evening I was listening to a speech on leadership and was struck by a single statement.  The person was telling the story of a trip she had been on.  She had been rock climbing and reached a point where she was scared and exhausted and had stopped.  Her partner urged her not to look down but also shouted words of encouragement and she eventually made it to the top.  The statement that made me really think was that she said that her boyfriend was the leader at the moment when she could not be.  His words of encouragement helped her to accomplish something she really wanted to do.  Leaders often forget that cheer leading is one of the many functions which should be performed.  We all have our weak moments, and you never know when you will inspire someone to do something great.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at  www.oakleyassociates.com

Do me a favor...

I was having a conversation today over lunch about networking and brought up a book by Harvey MacKay titled "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty".  His perspective on networking is that you should do favors for other people so that when you need one there will be more than one person whom you could call on for assistance.  You build a network of contacts who owe you a favor.  When you need something, call in a favor.  The important thing to remember is that this takes quite a bit of doing on your part, which brings me to reciprocity, one of the topics I often discuss in the context of networking.  You get out of networking what you put into it.  Network before you need a job, don't wait until crunch time to try to build your network.  Find other people who have shared interests, viewpoints, etc. and keep in contact.  Sending an article that might be of interest to someone can go a long way and keeps the line of communication open. 

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com

Two ships passing...

Last Saturday as I was out on my occasional morning walk I passed a woman who was also out for a brisk walk.  She smiled at me as we passed each other and commented on the beautiful day we were having.  I turned around, agreed and kept on walking.  She then proceeded to shout to me as I was walking away about retiring early and asked if I was interested in Quixtar.  She was obviously trying to recruit me to join her group of contacts.  I politely told her that I was not interested in selling anything and that I was happy with my career.  It occurred to me moments later that she had not even introduced herself so she did not know my name.  It is difficult to try to network with people who do not even introduce themselves before trying to sell you something. 

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com

Salad Bowl

If we take a moment to consider what some of the qualities of a great leader are, some which may come to mind may be great communicator, good negotiator, ability to influence others and visionary among others.  Being a good leader means having all those qualities and even more, there is no single trait which can stand alone.  This is very important to remember when thinking of enhancing leadership skills - first determine if you have some of the above-mentioned qualities.  If you do, here are some others to consider:  patient, understanding, flexible, considerate, and respectful.  Leadership is a continuous exercise in improvement - we should always strive to be better at it.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com

Close Contact

I have been mentioning the importance of networking at my Toastmasters meetings for quite some time now and got to do some of it at last night's meeting.  I shared with one of my fellow members my need to hire more trainers.  To my surprise she told me that she had been a professional trainer and had extensive experience delivering presentations for many years.  This is odd because it is someone I have known for a year but we never discussed our respective businesses.  She has offered her services and we will be speaking today.  This just goes to show that one of your best contacts may be someone you already know.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com

Are you really listening?

Ever go to your manager's office to speak to him or her, get waved in but then he or she continues to type away?  Body language is a critical component of communicating well.  When we speak to people we like to feel as if we have their undivided attention.  The old saying: "go ahead, I'm listening" while continuing to work may send the message that what is being said is not that important even if you do not intend it to.  If your stop what you are doing and face the person speaking it says that you are interested in what is being said and will encourage him or her to speak more openly.  It is not always what you do, but how you do it.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com

Mixing it up

Many people who attend diversity training come to there thinking that they may be accused of something because of their views.  The important thing to remember about diversity training is that is intended to allow people to express their views in a comfortable environment.  That environment allows for finding a common ground.  We all have something in common and can find it if we take the opportunity to do so.

Ilan Smith

Visit our website at www.oakleyassociates.com

Raising The Bar

At a gathering with some of my former colleagues one of them inquired about my company.  He has a brother who happens to work for a company that provides network design and installation services to large clients across the country.

You may ask, so what does that have to do with a company that provides training services? Well, the answer is this: he mentioned that his brother happens to have fairly good relationships with many of the key people in those companies. Those clients may be interested in the services that my company provides. He asked me for my card and offered to pass it along to his brother along with a good word for me.

Networking happens in some of the most unexpected places, and in this case, it was a bar. You never know where your next great contact will come from, so it is important to maintain the correct frame of mind.  The ability to recognize networking opportunities is an important skill to acquire and must be continually honed. Being tactful in your approach can make the difference between a decent conversation and a great contact.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com