Perspectives

Tuning in

I watched the presidential speech last night and was struck by what one of the commanding generals in Iraq said to the president about the troops under his command.  He expressed concern over morale being adversely affected by a perception of lack of support from the American public.  The fact that he was aware of the concern and took steps to ensure that it was made known to us shows a fundamental leadership responsibility:  pay close attention to morale.  Many leaders fail to realize the tremendous impact morale can have on a company's ability to meet its goals and objectives.  When your interests are being taken into consideration, you are better able to focus on the task at hand.

Ilan Smith

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Defensive??

Many of us are familiar with the idea that crossing the arms is a defensive posture but how many have found ourselves doing it during normal conversations?  I have started to take keen notice lately as to what type of conversation is occurring and how I feel when I cross my arms.  Oddly enough, the conversations have been friendly and this leads me to examine it even more.  The hostility is not there and I am inclined to believe that it is more than just a habit so it is difficult to figure out what is going on.  Could it be that it is just a habit and there isn't any more to it?  It is good to analyze things but sometimes there is no hard answer.

Ilan Smith

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A True Common Ground

I was having a discussion today about diversity with a business colleague and we both agreed that food is a common factor among all human beings.  She explained that if you really think about it food ingredients do not vary widely among cultures.  The way they are prepared is what differs.  I had not given this much thought before but it made sense.  This goes to show that if we take the time to look for things we have in common with other cultures we will find that we have more in common than we think.  There are many ways to look at the same thing, but that does not change what is being examined.  Focusing on similarities can open up new worlds for us all and food offers a great way to start!

Ilan Smith

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Lead Who?

I once worked for a company whose leadership slogan was "One firm, one team.  Be a leader."  We were told that self-leadership was something we should practice.  It was odd that no one ever explained what self-leadership meant or how to go about leading yourself and made me question the logic of the concept.  I believe that leadership is getting others to willingly do what they would otherwise not do.  Needless to say, this made me wonder about the logic behind the slogan.  I never did quite understand it and wondered if focusing on ethics would have been more worthwhile.

Ilan  Smith

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I Never Knew...

At a former colleague's wedding this past Saturday, I ran into several other people with whom I used to work.  One of them, Juan, and I were doing some catching up when he mentioned that he does public speaking and leadership training.  This caught me by surprise because I had no idea this was an outside interest of his.  It goes to show that you can work with someone for a long time and not be aware of talents and abilities outside of those required by a job.  I am currently recruiting trainers in that subject, among others so it is a great opportunity for both of us.  I did not do much networking when we were both at the same employer, but for those of you who work together, try to find out what your colleagues do outside of work.  You may be surprised at what you might find.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at: www.oakleyassociates.com

The right response

    Have you ever had a sales clerk make an error?  If so how did you address the problem?  Your reaction plays a major role in how expeditiously it is resolved.  I was in a local Bed, Bath and Beyond today shopping from a bridal registry.  I noticed when I walked into the store that one of the clerks seemed disgruntled and unfriendly.  To avoid contact, I stood on his colleague's line but he became available and beckoned me over.  He had some trouble finding the future bride's name but eventually did and printed the registry list for me.  I spend the next half hour finding my items, paid for them  and left.  As I was about to put the bags into my trunk I noticed that the names on the registry were incorrect(they were in Michigan and the couple I know live in New York).
    I went back into the store and explained calmly that I had been given the wrong list.  I also stated that I really did not have enough time to go through another list.  The offender was nowhere to be found and the other clerks were not at fault.  The registry coordinator apologized and offered to personally get any items I was interested in.  I accepted graciously and thanked her for the offer.  I had a personal shopper who brought my items to me and opened a register just to ring up my purchases.  I wonder what the response would have been if my reaction had been hostile.  I am positive that I would have been looking for the items myself and would have had to stand in the checkout line again.  My reaction probably surprised them as someone else would have been quite hostile and made a scene.  I said very little throughout my ordeal except to thank whoever was assisting me and I did smile often.  You may not always have control over things that happen to you, but you always have complete control over your reaction.

Ilan Smith

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Find a Starting Point

Many of us get caught up in noticing the differences among us that we fail to realize how much we do have in common with each other.  I would even venture to say that there is more commonality across different cultural and ethnic groups than there are within the groups.  Humans have some common concerns:  food, shelter, clothing, protection, family, education, relationships and the list goes on.  We may view them differently but they are still the same issues.  Finding something in common is the first step towards gaining a better understanding of other cultures.  You may be surprised to find out that you have a lot more in common than you think.

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at: www.oakleyassociates.com

Something is not right

Just about a month ago we learned of the "runaway bride" story.  I watched a television interview with the fiancee and was struck by his body language.  Even though he was talking about a very serious issue he did not seem upset or overly concerned.  The woman he was about to commit to spending the rest of his life with was missing without warning and he seemed to not be taking it seriously.  He smiled a lot during the interview and his body seemed very relaxed.  I must admit that I thought he had something to do with her disappearance based on his conduct.  This just goes to show the impact body language can have on how you are percieved and how important it is to be aware of the subconscious messages you send. 

Ilan Smith

Visit our web site at www.oakleyassociates.com