Participating in Teams during Change

One way you can contribute to your team during change is to keep your attitudes positive and focused. These principles give you direction in keeping your attitude centered on team success.

Support each other
During periods of change, you sometimes feel like you are on a tightrope without a net. Even though other members of the team may be experiencing the same change, you tend to feel isolated and alone during organizational change. Make a commitment to express support to everyone else on the team, and let them know that the whole team is in this effort together. If you give unconditional support to your fellow team members, you will receive support in return.

Communicate expectations
The best way to break out of isolation is to communicate openly, honestly, and often. What are your expectations of each other as a team? What are your expectations of the team effort and the results that you can produce? Commit to discussing these expectations and applying the highest levels of listening to one another. In this way, all members of the team can unite in a common purpose.

Have fun
Let's face it. Sometimes you take yourself a little too seriously. Sure, you are engaged in serious, demanding team efforts during periods of organizational change, but teamwork at its highest level is fast-paced, engaging, and fun. Many of us feel that the most exciting and rewarding efforts in our work are team efforts. Let's make a commitment to make teamwork during change enjoyable and fun, rather than dreary and dull.

Find efficiencies
One of the advantages of working on a team is that you can capitalize on the individual strengths of your team members. You don't have to do everything or even know everything when you are on a team. Focus on utilizing individual team members' skills, experience, and abilities to achieve a high level of team efficiency and accomplishment.

Build competitive team spirit
You can take tremendous pride in being a member of high-achieving teams. As you set and achieve goals, why not compete with each other and push each other and the team to an ever-higher level of performance? When you tap into your competitive spirit, you unite as a team and reach higher levels of success.

Think big
Maybe the changes that you are undergoing as a team will be the best thing that ever happened to each of you. Maybe you will come through the change so successfully that you will achieve team recognition. Instead of viewing yourselves as merely surviving the change, think big and imagine the organizational change as a springboard to greater individual and team success.

Six Steps to Writing a Thank You Note – Holiday Edition

Writing a sincere thank you note is one of the professional skills that can make a lasting favorable impression. People like being appreciated. One of Dale Carnegie’s fundamental human relation principles is “Give honest, sincere appreciation.” When writing a thank you note, use a plain, small card. However, the card is not as important as the effort, so if paper is all that is available, write the note anyway! Use this 6-step formula as a sure-fire method of expressing appreciation in a written note.

1. Greet the Giver: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith OR Dear Jamie. It seems like an obvious point, yet many people will begin a note with “Hi” or even omit the greeting.

2. Express Gratitude: Thank you so much for the book. The key is to keep it simple and specific. The point of writing the note is to create an expression of a heartfelt sentiment.

3. Discuss Use: I started to read the book immediately and have found many great ideas already. People like to know that you found their gesture or gift valuable. Sharing how you are using the item or idea makes their effort more meaningful.

4. Another Thank You: Thank them again for the gift. It’s not excessive to say thanks again.

5. Complimentary Close: Wrap it up with a close that expresses your final thought: Regards, All the Best, Sincerely, Gratefully, etc. Then sign your name.

6. Send It: Even if your colleagues and acquaintances are not of the note-writing variety, be the one who sets the precedent.

It is the mark of a true professional to become skilled at writing thank you notes in this age of email, voicemail, and text messaging.

Demonstrating business professionalism is not difficult; it just takes effort and focus. Applying simple aspects of business etiquette goes a long way in establishing our professionalism, which builds our confidence and comfort in business settings.

Twelve Tips to All-Win Negotiations

Negotiating is the process of attempting to agree on a solution. Compromising, or settling on a mutually agreeable solution, is the result of successful negotiations. Compromise is all about being flexible. It means being able to generate alternate solutions when you've "hit the wall." Whether it involves a person you can't get along with, an idea you know will work but that others are reluctant to embrace, a change in office systems, or a turf war that needs ending, learning to negotiate and compromise is essential to your success.

1) Have a positive attitude.

Your attitude is essential to the outcome. You improve your chance of achieving a mutually rewarding solution if you approach the negotiation as an opportunity to learn and achieve an all-win outcome.

2) Meet on mutual ground.

Find a mutually agreeable and convenient physical space to meet that is comfortable for all involved. Agree on when you will meet and how much time is available to devote to the process. Whenever possible, deal with negotiations face-to-face. Be careful about negotiating over the phone or in e-mail. A lack of facial expressions, vocal intonation, and other cues can result in a negotiation breakdown.

3) Clearly define and agree on the issue.

Agree on a statement of the issue using simple and factual terms. If the situation is multifaceted, search for ways to slice the large issue into smaller pieces and deal with one issue at a time.

4) Do your homework.

Take time to plan. You must not only know what is at stake for yourself, but you need to know the other side's concerns and motivation. Take into consideration any history or past situations that might affect the negotiations. Know the must-haves (non-negotiable items) and nice-to-haves (negotiable items). Determine the best resolution, a fair and reasonable compromise, and a minimally acceptable deal.

5) Take an honest inventory of yourself.

Determine your level of trust in the other person and the process. Be conscious of aspects of your personality that can help or hinder the process.

6) Look for shared interests.

Get on the same side by finding and establishing similarities. Since conflict tends to magnify perceived differences and minimize similarities, look for common goals, objectives, or even gripes that can illustrate that you are in this together. Focus on the future, talk about what needs to be done, and tackle the problem jointly.

7) Deal with facts, not emotions.

Address problems, not personalities. Avoid any tendency to attack the other person or to pass judgment on his or her ideas and opinions. Avoid focusing on the past or blaming the other person. Maintain a rational, goal-oriented frame of mind. This will depersonalize the conflict, separate the issues from the people involved, and avoid defensiveness.

8) Be honest.

Don't play games. Be honest and clear about what is important to you and communicate why your goals, issues, and objectives are important to you.

9) Present alternatives and provide evidence.

Create options and alternatives that demonstrate willingness to compromise. Consider conceding in areas that might have high value to the other person but are not that important to you. Frame options in terms of the other person's interests and provide evidence for your point of view.

10) Be an expert communicator.

Nothing shows determination to find a mutually satisfactory resolution to conflict more than applying excellent communication skills. Ask questions, listen, rephrase what you heard to check for understanding, and take a genuine interest in the other side's concerns. Reduce tension through humor, let others vent their concerns, and acknowledge their views. Focus less on your position and more on ways in which you can move toward a resolution or compromise.

11) End on a good note.

Make an all-win proposal and check to make sure that everyone involved leaves the situation feeling they have won. Shake on it and agree on the action steps: who is responsible for each step, how success will be measured, and how and when the decision will be evaluated. Be open to accepting an impasse for noncritical issues; agree to disagree.

12) Enjoy the process.

Look at the benefits of learning other people's point of view. People report that after overcoming conflict and reaching an agreement, the relationship grew even stronger. Reflect and learn from each negotiation. Determine the criteria to evaluate the process and the solution.

How to Tweet Like Dale Carnegie

From US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT. November 1 2011

Dale Carnegie, the esteemed self-improvement guru of the last century, might never have sent a Tweet or started a Facebook page. But in the updated version of his bestseller, How to Win Friends & Influence People, he (and his co-writers) explain how he would do so, were he alive today.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/alpha-consumer/2011/11/01/how-to-tweet-like-dale-carnegie

The Change Process

Engaging in workplace change can be an unpredictable experience because processes and people evolve in diverse ways as they undergo change. No two individuals will respond in exactly the same way to workplace changes. In the same way, identical changes implemented in multiple areas of an organization produce distinctly different outcomes.

This Change Model shows how we can stay on top of the change engagement process by thoroughly preparing for it while allowing for various outcomes. This model allows us to take a structured approach to organizational change and still maintain flexibility.

1. Locate the Motivation for Change

The Change Model begins at the point where the organization finds a motivation for change. Sometimes external issues drive the change, like reorganizations, management changes, relocation's, or acquisitions/mergers. Other times, internal forces drive the change, such as upgraded technology, expansions and growth, or continuous improvement.

2. Analyze the Situation

As the organization becomes progressively more motivated to change, leadership undertakes a thorough analysis of the risks and opportunities associated with the proposed change.

• What are the potential gains in undertaking the change?
• What are the costs?
• What are the risks of making the change?
• What are the risks of not making the change?

3. Plan the Direction

Once the leadership determines that opportunities outweigh the risks of making the change, a plan is developed for change implementation. Many organizational change initiatives fail because of lack of careful, thorough planning. In this step of the model, the stage is set for the change's ultimate success or failure. Key elements of the plan must include:

• Planning for the impact of the change on individuals who will be most affected.
• Planning for the impact of the change on the systems within the organization that will be most affected.
• A step-by-step plan for integrating the change into the organization.
• A review plan to measure the success of the proposed change.

4. Implement the Change

Depending on the type and scope of the change, implementation within the organization may be gradual or abrupt. Changes such as layoffs or acquisitions often are implemented with little prior warning, while staffing, reorganization, or technology changes may be phased in over a period of time. The team's most critical role in this step of the change process is to maintain open, honest lines of communication with each other.

• Define individual responsibilities.
• Announce and launch the change.
• Adhere to timetables.
• Promote the anticipated benefits of the change. 

5. Review the Direction

Once change has been implemented, monitor the outcomes of the new structure and system. As team members in a changing work environment, you can't assume that the change will evolve exactly as planned or that every individual affected by the change will react as anticipated. Your role is to observe review checkpoints that will reveal if the change is working as anticipated and is producing the desired results.

• Establish ways of measuring results.
• Communicate criteria for successful change outcomes.
• Coordinate the gathering and measuring of change effects.
• Inform key team members consistently during the review process. 

6. Adopt the Change

When you review the change implementation and find it to be succeeding as planned, the change is adopted and becomes part of the new organizational norm. The review process is not terminated; instead, it transitions into ongoing monitoring of the changed systems and relationships within the organization.

• How well is the change meeting planned outcomes?
• How well have I adjusted to the new status quo?
• What aspects of the change have not met expectations?
• What is my role in making those aspects more successful? 

7. Adjust the Change Plan

If the review process concludes that the change is not working as planned, adjustments need to be made to the change implementation. Assuming that your change analysis and plan have been executed accurately, you ought to be able to adjust the implementation of the organizational change to achieve your desired results.

• Determine where the outcomes are falling short of your plan.
• Engage key individuals in determining adjustments that need to be made.
• Keep the lines of communication open with everyone involved.
• Adjust the review process and the change implementation.

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Challenges of Change Engagement

There are challenges in an organization every time something significant changes. Some of the challenges are personal, some evolve within work teams, and some challenges emerge across the organization. To successfully engage in organizational change, you need to be aware of the challenges and be prepared to deal with them professionally and confidentially.

Breaking Down Resistance

Change typically generates at least some resistance. Individuals often feel that they are losing power, autonomy, or resources due to a changing work environment. As a result, they cling to the status quo. As team members engaging in change, your role is to challenge yourselves, persuade others to lower their resistance, and focus on positive outcomes.

Gaining Buy-In

One of the biggest challenges of change engagement is simply getting people to take change seriously. During periods of change, individuals often take a "wait and see" attitude, neither embracing nor resisting the change. Your challenge is to inspire yourselves and others to embrace change, support it, and even become champions for it.

Minimizing Anxiety

Change often generates anxiety. Individuals are more likely to embrace change and teams function more successfully when anxiety is at a minimum. Your challenge in minimizing anxiety is to understand the plan for change, to express your level of commitment to the plan, and to recognize that the plan and your role in it will evolve during the change.

Gaining Cooperation

Organizational change may breakdown cooperation. During change, organizations often observe the "silo effect" between departments, functions, and work teams when groups begin to function independently of departments or teams whose responsibilities overlap with theirs. Cooperation and communication during this time are at a minimum. As participants in organizational change, you are challenged to break down those walls and build bridges of cooperation between organizational functions.

Establishing Correct Priorities

When the work environment is changing, there is typically confusion over priorities. If you are getting a new manager, for instance, you may wonder what will he or she thinks is the most important priority or what you should focus on to emerge from the change successfully. The best way to meet the challenge of organizational change is to plan for it carefully.

8 Tips to Attitude Control in Tough Service Situations

Here are 8 tips you can use to help you and your team control stress and worry in tough situations:

1. Live in a compartment of the present. The professional with a commitment to service seals off each interaction with a customer so that negative experiences don't poison future interactions. Don't allow past successes or failures or future anticipated success or difficulties influence your current performance. When it comes to customer service, live in the moment.

2. Don't fuss about trifles. A "trifle" is something that is insignificant in comparison to other things in your life. When you focus on trifles, you lose perspective. Keep the big picture in mind. Doing so will help you objectively sort out the small stuff from the important issues.

3. Cooperate with the inevitable. Realize when your situation is inevitable. If you can learn to recognize situations where you have no control, you can gain some control over the emotional aspects of the situation. By cooperating with the outcome, you are making a conscious choice about how to respond to an inevitable situation.

4. Decide just how much anxiety a situation is worth and refuse to give it any more of your energy. Once you make it this decision, it is easier to find ways you can improve on the situation or let it go and move on.

5. Create happiness for others. This principle appeals to your nobler motives. It is difficult to sustain a negative attitude when you are doing something good or helpful for someone else. Simply put: Doing good for others makes you feel better.

6. Expect ingratitude. In your job, you provide many diverse services. When you do so, you probably expect in return some signal of gratitude for your assistance. This expectation is rarely met. If you do receive heartfelt thanks from someone, you should count yourself lucky you are dealing with a grateful person. Most people are simply not accustomed to being grateful, even when you provide them with excellent service. You shouldn't let ingratitude deter you from providing top-quality service.

7. Put enthusiasm into your work. Enthusiasm is the positive energy and sustained effort that keeps you driving toward your goals. Making a decision to have a positive outlook can be critical in enjoying your job and working with your internal and external customers.

8. Do the very best you can. It can be difficult to deal with criticism, especially if you feel it is undeserved or if it hurts your self-esteem. One way to put criticism in perspective is to ask yourself if you are doing the very best you can with what you know and are able to do. If you are, then you can avoid taking the criticism personally. If there is room for improvement in your performance, you can look at the criticism objectively and take responsibility for improving your performance.

Seven Types of Listeners and Tips to Better Listening Skills

Exceptional listening skills and the ability to persuade others to your way of thinking make the difference between good and great teams.  Pure listening builds trust, credibility and respect.  One reason is because when you fully listen, instead of trying to compose your response, the result is a relevant and on-target response.  What you say is proof of how well you listen.

The “Preoccupieds”

These people come across as rushed and are constantly looking around or doing something else.  Also know as multi-taskers, these people cannot sit still and listen.

Tips

If you are a “Preoccupied” listener, make a point to set aside what you are doing when someone is speaking to you.

If you are speaking to a “Preoccupied” listener, you might ask, “Is this a good time?” or say, “I nned your undivided attention for just a moment.”  Begin with a statement that will get their attention, be brief, and get to the bottom line quickly because their attention span is short.

The “Out-to-Lunchers”

These people are physically there for you, but mentally they are not.  You can tell this by the blank look on their faces.  They are either daydreaming or thinking about everything and anything else but what you are saying.

Tips

If you are an “Out-to-Luncher”, act like a good listener.  Be alert, maintain eye contact, lean forward, and show interest by asking questions.

If you are speaking to an “Out-to-Luncher”, check in with them every now and again and ask if they understood what you were saying.  As with the “Preoccupieds,” begin with a statement that will catch their attention, and be concise and to the point because their attention span is short.

The “Interrupters”

These people are ready to chime in at any given time.  They are perched and ready for a break to complete your sentence for you.  They are not listening to you but focused instead on what they want to say.

Tips

If you are a “Interrupter”, make a point to apologize every time you catch yourself interrupting.  This will make you more conscious of it.

If you are speaking to an “Interrupter”, when they chime in, stop immediately and let them talk, or they will never listen to you.  When they are done, you might say, “As I was saying before…” to bring their interruption to their attention.

The “Whatevers”

These people remain aloof and show little emotion when listening.  They give off the impression that they could not care less what you are talking about.

Tips

If you are a “Whatever”, concentrate on the full message, not just the verbal message.  Make a point to listen with your eyes, ears, and heart.

If you are speaking to a “Whatever”, dramatize your ideas and ask questions of the person to get his or her involvement.

The “Combatives”

These people are armed and ready for war.  They enjoy disagreeing and blaming others.

Tips

If you are a “Combative”, make an effort to put yourself in the speaker’s shoes and understand, accept, and find merit in his or her point of view.

If you are speaking to a “Combative”, when he or she disagrees or points the blame, look forward instead of back.  Talk about how you might agree to disagree, or what can be done differently next time.

The “Analysts”

These people are constantly in the role of counselor or therapist and they are ready to provide you with answers even when you have not asked.  They think they are great listeners and love to help.  They are constantly in an analyze-what-you-are-saying-and-fix-it mode.

Tips

If you are an “Analyst”, relax and understand that not everyone is looking for an answer, solution, or advice.  Some people just like bouncing ideas off other to help them see the answers more clearly themselves.

If you are speaking to an “Analyst”, you might begin by saying “I just need to run something by you.  I’m not looking for any advice.”

The “Engagers”

These are the consciously aware listeners.  They listen with their eyes, ears, and hearts, and try to put themselves in the speaker’s shoes.  This is listening at the highest level.  Their listening skills encourage you to continue talking and give you the opportunity to discover your own solutions and let your ideas unfold.

Tips

If you are an “Engager” keep it up.  People truly appreciate this about you. 

If you are speaking to an “Engager” take the time to acknowledge their attentiveness.  Thank them for their interest in you and your topic

Dale Carnegie - Principle 7 Be a good listener. Encourage other to talk about themselves.