Rational versus Emotional?

Psychologist and political scientist Herbert Simon in 1957 laid the groundwork on the limits of rationality when he attacked classical economics and game theory. Simon’s work made it clear that we must take the real world’s messiness and irrationality into account when making decisions.

“Research indicates that people are myopic in their decisions, may lack skill in predicting their future tastes, and can be led to erroneous choices by fallible memory and incorrect evaluations of past experiences,” wrote psychologist and Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman.

Neuroscientific research also proves that the brain is influenced by subconscious emotional reactions from its more primitive centers. We’re not in control of our reasoning capabilities as much as we’d like to think.

Scientists have identified several hidden currents and forces that affect our judgment.  They include:

Loss aversion – our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid possible losses

Commitment – our tendency to stick with the status quo

Value attribution - our inclination to imbue a person or thing with certain qualities based on initial perceived value

Diagnosis bias – our blindness to all evidence that contradicts our initial assessment of a person or situation

Certainty bias – where overconfidence leads us to discount inconvenient facts

Each of us is susceptible to irrational behavior’s irresistible pull. Only when we gain insight into our irrationality can we see the extent to which it affects our work and personal lives. Fascinating patterns emerge, and we can master our behaviors and decisions when we connect the dots.

Loss Aversion:  The pain associated with loss is stronger than the joy of a gain.

For example, if egg prices go down, sales go up. But if egg prices rise proportionately, sales dip by 250 percent. This response contradicts economic theory, which dictates that consumers should react to price fluctuations with equal intensity, regardless of whether price rises or falls. In reality, we illogically overreact to perceived losses.

This also explains why people are much more likely to buy meat when it’s labeled 85 percent lean instead of 15 percent fat. Similarly, twice as many patients opt for surgery when told there’s an 80 percent chance of survival, as opposed to a 20 percent chance of dying.

Commitment:  Wanting to stick with the status quo.

When we’ve invested our time and money in a project, it’s difficult to let go–even when things clearly aren’t working.

History shows us how hard it was for Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush to find solutions to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, respectively. They were strongly influenced by the forces of commitment and aversion to loss.

When CEOs and boards of directors are charged with making critical strategy decisions, determining the best outcomes often proves challenging when strong egos and competitive personalities are added to the mix.

Value Attribution: The brain looks for shortcuts.

It takes enormous energy to consciously work through all possibilities and risks when weighing important decisions, so the brain looks for shortcuts. But these shortcuts also present traps because they largely occur without our awareness.

Value attribution serves as a quick mental shortcut to determine what’s worthy of our attention. When we encounter new objects, people or situations, the value we assign to them shapes our future perceptions of them.

For example, when Joshua Bell, one of today’s finest violinists, participated in a field study for the Washington Post, people assumed he was an average street performer.  While Bell, dressed in jeans and a baseball cap, played a $3.5 million Stradivarius, subway travelers rushed by without paying attention. Bell certainly sounded far from mediocre, but commuters attributed a value of lesser performance quality based on his appearance and that he was playing in a subway station.

The Bell experiment illustrates why we may turn down a pitch or idea based on appearances, rumors or any other peripheral value. It also explains why we may blindly follow the advice of someone who has been highly recommended.

Becoming aware of our brain’s tendency to make assumptions can help us prevent disastrous mistakes and missed opportunities.

Diagnosis Bias:  The misguided first impression.

When we encounter new people at a party, we quickly diagnose them by placing tags on them, such as “approachable” or “standoffish.” This helps us quickly decide if we want to engage them in conversation.

By employing this mental shortcut, we can fail to see a person’s good qualities. Nowhere is this clearer than in job interviews.

Managers value their intuition and think they have a refined ability to truly see and understand an applicant. They overestimate their ability to form objective opinions and underestimate their subconscious biases.

The Certainty Bias:  Overconfidence and certainty can create blinders.

After gathering as much information as possible and weighing all of the arguments, leaders must make decisions and embrace an attitude of certainty and confidence. Persuading others to execute the plans is the next step.

Certainty, however, can lead to other errors, such as failure to adjust plans, when required, and shutting out conflicting information. The only way to counteract the certainty bias is to encourage dissonance.

Perhaps Alfred P. Sloan, president of General Motors in its prime, said it best. After adjourning a meeting shortly after it began, he announced:

“Gentlemen, I take it we are all in complete agreement on the decision here… Then I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about.”

Making More Effective Decisions

A recent Harvard Business Review article recommends a decision audit to identify key organizational needs, using the following short survey:¹

How do your organization’s decision abilities stack up against the competition?

Quality: When looking back on critical decisions, how often have you chosen the right course of action?

Speed: How do you rate the speed of your critical decisions in comparison to your competitors’?

Yield: How often do you execute critical decisions as intended?

Effort: How much effort does your company put into making and executing critical decisions?

Reference

Blenko, M., Mankins, M., Rogers, P., “The Decision-Driven Organization,” Harvard Business Review, June, 2010.

In today’s emerging right-brain economy, the hard skills taught in schools provide only the baseline of what is required in most professions. Professionals who have the edge — those singled out for high-potential programs — are also skilled at forging meaningful relationships.

The adage “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care” has never been more relevant.

While a good education is important, it’s no longer enough. Today’s leaders need to add the development of emotional competencies to their professional learning agenda.

Leadership Skills for the 21st Century

The ability to engage in meaningful dialogue, to interact with other people effectively, and to be emotionally savvy are, in fact, the leadership abilities that will be more and more highly valued in the future.

The good news is that these skills can be developed.

Smart and engaged leaders who pay attention to improving these human connection skills are the candidates most likely to be hired or promoted. Regardless of what sector you work in – for profit, nonprofit, government, or education, the ability to connect and communicate is an important leadership capacity of the future.

Several research studies now bear out the added value of emotional competence:

• In one study, researchers measured whether a master’s degree made a difference in the quality of a teacher’s classroom performance, as measured by children’s achievements. The results: Neither a teaching certificate nor advanced degree separated the best educators from the average teachers.

• In another study, Dr. Wendy Levinson, an international expert in the field of physician-patient relationships, examined why some doctors who made mistakes got sued and others didn’t. She found that patients filed lawsuits against doctors they didn’t like, while well-liked physicians were not sued.
• Numerous studies confirm that physicians who avoid lawsuits take a little more time to talk with their patients — about three minutes more — than physicians who do get sued. Further, the quality of doctor-patient interactions has a tremendous impact on potential litigation.
• When researchers reviewed surgeons’ conversations with patients solely on the basic of tone of voice, the doctors whose voices sounded more concerned and less dominant were less likely to be sued. Conversely, when surgeons’ voices were perceived as dominant, they were more likely to be sued.
• In the end, the outcome seems to depend on respect, which in its simplest form is communicated through tone of voice. And by adding a few minutes of conversation, doctors strengthen the value of their interactions — an outcome that professionals in all industries should strive to achieve.

Training Leaders for Future Complexities

Many professional development programs focus on the individual and self-improvement, or on managing teams and influencing groups of people. Thousands of managers receive training each year, with an emphasis on leading others. When you have these opportunities, make sure that an important component of your study, training, and coaching includes a focus on how to develop interpersonal relationships and dialogue skills.

The best managers in the world are not only experts in systems, processes and technical competencies; they’re also proficient at managing emotions – their own and others’.

“As a leader moves up in an organization, up to 90 percent of their success lies in emotional intelligence,” notes Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence (2006).

In other words, nine out of ten executives who fail lack emotional competencies. A leader’s most valuable currency is relationships, emotional capital and the ability to connect with others.

The Boss Is Last

Sadly, most people’s experience with bosses falls short.

A Princeton University study explored how individuals felt about spending time with associates. Interactions with clients and customers topped the list, followed by interchanges with coworkers. Interactions with the boss came in last — rated, on average, as less enjoyable than cleaning the house.

The Gallup Organization conducted a famous study of workplace attitudes, asking 8 million people to respond to the following statement: “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.”

The results show that people who agree with this statement:

1. Are more likely to stay with an organization
2. Have more engaged customers
3. Are more productive

Perhaps you’ve had a similar experience. When a boss treats you with respect and cares about your life, you feel more enthusiastic and committed to your work.

We spend 50 percent more time with our customers, coworkers and bosses than we do with our friends, significant others, children and other relatives combined. To be sure, finding a few strong office relationships will help anyone become more engaged and productive.

Combining Smarts with Heart

Human connectivity requires the right combination of IQ (intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence). Unless you can connect with colleagues and clients at a deep level, bringing both your professional expertise and emotional commitment to relationships, you will not advance in your career as quickly or as far as you desire.

IQ can help people get hired, but EQ is often referenced when people get promoted. Leaders who are rewarded with promotions demonstrate both smarts and heart.

To improve your leadership potential, start talking. Have meaningful, authentic, and real conversations. Develop your personal relationships with colleagues and customers. Show your expertise, but show you care even more. If necessary, work with a professional coach to develop and improve your conversational and interpersonal skills.

Should you gain diverse experience? Specialize? Go back to school for an advanced degree? Attend workshops? Get a coach? Yes, those can all be good ideas, but through all your skill building and experience gaining, make sure you are also developing those relationship muscles – authentic dialogue and understanding and caring about those around you.

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Yes! You may use this article by TheCoachingAssociation.com Executive Director Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses.  You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

]]> http://www.barbarademarest.com/relationshps-are-the-key-to-career-strength/feed/ 0 http://www.barbarademarest.com/always-be-networking-passport2success/ http://www.barbarademarest.com/always-be-networking-passport2success/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 02:48:11 +0000 Barbara Demarest http://www.barbarademarest.com/?p=599 Another run of the speed consulting program for job seekers was sponsored and coordinated by WFMY-TV on May 5, 2010.  Many career coaches in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina volunteered their time.  Here’s a little snippet of video that I contributed between one on one sessions with people looking for advice on their career transitions.

In times such as these, it helps to be reminded that active listening – when you mirror and reflect back to people what you hear – offers the best chance of reaching someone.

Mark Goulston’s Persuasion Cycle

In Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, psychiatrist Mark Goulston explains that persuasion moves through a cycle:

1. From resisting to listening
2. From listening to considering
3. From considering to willing to do
4. From willing to do to doing
5. From doing to glad they did and continuing to do

Buy-in begins when people move from resisting to listening to considering what you’re saying. How do you get a person to go from the critical stage of resisting to listening? First, you listen to them.

The Three-Part Brain

Our brains evolved from lower animals:

• Our primitive reptilian brain remains responsible for split-second survival reactions (i.e., the “freeze, fight or flight” response).  Early in my career, I remember a mentor pointing out to me that there was a certain work situation that consistently sent me back to my reptilian brain.  Wow, that was tough to hear, but I knew exactly what he meant when he said it – stimulus and response and nothing else.
• The middle mammalian brain is the seat of emotions, where the inner drama queen reigns.  This brain can be overwhelming sometimes.  Completely taking over.
• The upper primate/human brain weighs a situation logically and generates a conscious plan of action. It collects data from the reptile and mammal brains, analyzes it, and makes practical, ethical decisions.

To a small extent, these three brains work together, but they also function independently, especially under stress. This is what happens when people shift, becoming difficult and hard to reach.

The Amygdala Hijack

The amygdala is a part of the brain that processes memory and emotional reactions (especially fear and anger).

When it takes over, the primitive reptile brain runs the show, and surges of adrenaline keep us from thinking clearly over the next few minutes — an effect that may take hours to fade.

The term “amygdala hijack,” first coined by psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of the 1995 best seller, Emotional Intelligence, refers to what happens under acute stress.

When you try to reason with someone in a full amygdala hijack, you’re wasting your time. You must speak to him before the hijack occurs — or talk him down from it using empathy.

Mirror Neurons

Years ago, when scientists were studying Macaque monkeys’ brains, they found that specific nerve cells fired when the monkeys threw a ball or ate a banana. To their surprise, these same cells fired when one monkey watched another perform these acts.

When the brain’s “mirror neurons” fire, we have the ability to feel what the other person is experiencing. These cells are nature’s way of teaching us to care about other people.

Goulston suggests that many of us suffer a “mirror neuron receptor deficit.” CEOs and managers feel they give their best, only to be met day after day with apathy, hostility, or worse, no response at all. Their brains don’t get enough mirror neuron receptor activity. In other words, there’s not enough empathy going around the office.

Move from “Uh-oh” to “OK”

In a stressful encounter, you may have less than two minutes to gain control and salvage the situation.

Goulston recommends a five-step mental process, whether you’re dealing with a fender-bender, enraged teenager or work situation:

1. “Uh-Oh!” (Reaction Phase): “This is a disaster. I’m in trouble. It’s all over.”
2. “Oh, No!” (Release Phase): “This is a huge mess. I’m stuck with it. Why me?”
3. “Oh, Jeez!” (Re-Center Phase): “I can fix this, but it’s not going to be fun.”
4. “Oh, Well…” (Refocus Stage): “I’m not going to let this ruin my career/day/relationship. Here’s what I need to do right now to make it better.”
5. “OK.” (Reengage Phase): “OK, I’m ready to fix this. Let’s go.”

Rewire Yourself to Listen

Many of us don’t listen well, especially when it comes to the people we deal with regularly. We’ve gotten used to their patterns and their perspectives and we think we already know what they’re going to say.

When we size people up instantly, we form some pretty good first impressions. The problem is, these impressions last forever, and many are a jumbled mix of fact, fiction, prejudice and unconscious intuitions.

We use filters to put people in mental boxes before we really know them based on things like: gender, age, ethnicity, education level, accent, appearance, mannerisms, etc.  Really listening means checking those filters to make room for what someone is saying.

Make the Other Person Feel “Felt”

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes so you can change the dynamics of a relationship. In that instant, you “get” each other, and this breakthrough leads to cooperation, collaboration and effective communication.

When you mirror what another person feels, she’s hardwired to mirror you in return. When you say, “I understand what you’re feeling” — and you mean it — she will feel grateful and, in return, express her appreciation with a desire to understand you. It’s an irresistible biological urge that pulls another person toward you.

Phrases for Difficult Conversations

Here are some suggested phrases to help someone feel “felt”:

“I’m trying to get a sense of what you’re feeling.  I think it’s (fill in an emotion). Is that what you’re feeling?” Listen without judgment or comment.

“What are you feeling?”

“How frustrated (angry, upset, etc.) are you?” Allow the person to vent.

“And the reason you’re so frustrated (angry, upset) is because (repeat back to them what they’ve told you).” Again, let the person vent.

“Tell me, what needs to happen for that feeling to be better?” Listen without judgment or argument.

“What part can I play in making this happen? What part are you willing to play?”

These are just some common ideas about listening.  The point is to use these phrases as a way to practice and as a guide.  To take our listening skills beyond the intuitive takes focus and practice – just like any other skill you want to improve.

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Yes! You may use this article by TheCoachingAssociation.com Executive Director Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses.  You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Guest Author: Jessica Swanson

As a small business owner, you’ve undoubtedly heard that your business needs to have a strong Twitter presence. So, you have dutifully signed up for a Twitter account, have a some followers and have even sent out a few Tweets. Now, you’re wondering how in the world Twitter will actually help your business.

Here are 12 reasons why your small business needs to be on Twitter:

1) Build Authenticate Relationships. Twitter allows you to begin building authentic relationships with your prospects, clients and customers. As a small business owner, strong customer relationships are one of your greatest assets.

2) Share Your Expertise. If you provide valuable, interesting and compelling Tweets, you will begin positioning yourself as an expert in your particular field and industry.

3) Generate Traffic To Your Website. As you build a strong presence on Twitter and offer valuable Tweets, your followers will begin to take notice of you. Consequently, they’ll naturally want to visit your profile to learn more about you and your small business.

4) Obtain Qualified Leads For Your Business. If your Twitter profile gives your followers a compelling reason to visit your landing page or website, they will take action. Make sure that your landing page is set up to collect their name and email address (in exchange for a free downloadable offer) to begin building your list.

5) Allow Others To Spread Your Ideas. As others retweet your quotes, ideas and strategies, your ideas are spread to hundreds, even thousands, of fresh, new eyes around the world.

6) Extend The Reach Of Your Brand. If your Tweets are filled with expert tips, advice and strategies, Twitter becomes an amazing tool for establishing a strong presence for your brand.

7) Discover The Latest “Buzz” About Your Company. What’s the buzz about you and your company? If you subscribe to www.TweetBuzzer.com you can keep abreast of everything that is said about you in the Twitter world.

8) Get In Front Of High Profile Individuals. There is simply no better way than Twitter to connect with high-profile individuals. As long as a high-profile individual follows you back, they have access to your Tweets. Think of all the possibilities!

9) Track Your Competition. Twitter is a wonderful way to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. As a marketer, it’s imperative to understand what is happening in your industry, and your competitors are a great place to start.

10) Conduct Market Research. Big companies pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to perform market research. But, through Twitter, you can perform market research for free! Through the use of quizzes, polls and surveys, you can discover, first-hand anything that you want to know about your target market.

11) Keep Current Within Your Industry. As a small business owner, it’s essential to keep current with the latest trends in your industry. You can subscribe to the Tweets of bloggers, PR professionals and others Twitterers connected to your industry to stay fresh and updated.

12) It’s FREE. As a Shoestring Marketer, there’s nothing better than tapping into a low-cost, high-impact marketing tool to help build your small business.

So, take the time to build your Twitter presence, tap into its power and build your small business on a shoestring marketing budget!

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Jessica Swanson, “The Shoestring Marketer,” has helped entrepreneurs, all over the world, explode their businesses using cutting-edge, proven and completely free marketing strategies. To receive your FREE Shoestring Marketing Kit, which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, just like you, learn the exact techniques for marketing their businesses for no-cost, visit: www.ShoestringMarketingKit.com

Guest Author: Sherri Garrity on Building a Business to Fit Your Life

There’s a reason the first question I ask a client is “what do you want your life to be like?” It’s because without a clear and vivid vision of what YOU want, you won’t be very likely to get it.

This sounds trite and flippant, but I assure you, it’s by far the most important question you need to ask yourself as you build a business.

Who you are, what you love, what you hate, how you like to work, how you like to play, and how much money you desire and need are all important ingredients that will allow you to create the business that really fits you best. Doesn’t this sound better than if I were to ask you what business model is right for you?

Here are two scenarios of people in the same kind of business, yet set up completely different:

Peggy absolutely loves to nurture and care for her clients and enjoys lots of interaction with them. Her passion is taking care of her clients’ needs and making their lives easier.  In her career she was a high level executive assistant in the corporate world. She left her job in her early 50s to care for her husband who became unable to work. She also has a daughter in university. She needs to have a consistent income, and a predictable daytime schedule. She needs to be at home. What works for Peggy’s virtual assistant practice is to work very closely with mainly local clients, from her home office. She does administrative work for a small number of ongoing clients in a particular industry. She can be available to them during their business day. She takes on a small number of virtual clients outside of her geographic area for task-oriented, as needed projects to diversify her income.

Sandra has a pre-school child and gave her letter of resignation soon after going back to work so that she could be home with her young child. Her income from her job was not enough for her to make working for someone else worth it financially and emotionally. Her schedule is completely erratic and she requires absolute flexibility. Her income needs are not high, and is a second income for her family. She loves variety and the satisfaction of turning projects around quickly and moving on to the next one. She tends to get bored quickly, just likes to get the work done and move on. She dislikes the day-to-day administration and works best when she has a clear direction and a definite project end.  Her passion leans toward technical problem solving and creativity. What works for Sandra’s virtual assistance practice is a specialty in online marketing software. She sets up electronic newsletters, and manages the back end of her clients’ shopping cart systems and email marketing. Because she is so specialized, she often is not the sole virtual assistant for her clients and frequently is a member of a project team. She likes this because she doesn’t want to be the point person and also due to her schedule, she isn’t suited for customer service and regular interaction with her clients and their clients. She can handle a higher number of clients and most of the work she does can be done at any time of day or night as long as she meets her deadlines.

As you can see from the above examples, Peggy and Sandra have entirely different needs. Had either of them chosen each other’s model to follow, they’d be miserable. Their businesses would soon feel like a job, and you can bet their relationships with their clients would be less than effective.

So, how do you avoid this in your life and business? Take the time to figure out what you truly want, and custom fit your business to your life plan.

Here are some tips to get you thinking:

1. What’s your “sweet spot”?

Jim Collins, the author of the Good to Great leadership books, says it is where all of these three things intersect:

• Something that people will pay you for – these are your marketable skills that you have
• Something you’re passionate about
• Something that you’re put on this earth to do – the elusive “purpose” many of us seek

2. What kind of lifestyle do you want?

Explore and carefully consider how you want your life to be, now and in the future. Look at each of these areas:

Personal and family responsibilities

Financial obligations and desires

Amount of time you want to spend “doing” client work

Degree of flexibility in your schedule

Willingness to travel, or need to work from local base

How you prefer to work (degree of autonomy and interaction, short turnaround or long haul)

Energy level (prefer steady and predictable, or adrenaline junkie)

Risk tolerance (lots of security and stability, or open to uncertainty)

3. Who needs you?

There’s a client out there right now, just waiting for someone like you who understands their needs and is ideally matched for you.

If you “do the work”, you’ll reap the rewards. These guidelines will help you to identify what you really want and what is ideally suited to you, so that you can build the business that is your best fit.

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Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

Guest Author:  Sherri Garrity on Value Pricing

If I were to ask you, are you committed to doing things the hard way? I’m sure you’d say no. But every day I see examples of business owners making what could be simple, instead very complex. What they don’t realize is that it’s costing them a ton of money in lost profits and sales.

Of course, we don’t do this consciously. The fact is, it’s something that we’ve grown up believing. We’ve learned to equate success with sacrifice, and high value with more. If you’re committed to doing what it takes and are prepared to work really hard until it pays off I’d like to play Dr. Phil for a moment and ask: How’s that working for you?

Yes, you need to have faith, develop a strong strategy, and be consistently committed to sticking to it. You also need to be willing to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone, and learn the technical skills needed to run a business. But muscling your way through and doing more is not the answer.

Here are two examples of how this backfires on you.

One: Under-pricing and devaluing your worth

I see this often with entrepreneurs who feel the need to work their way up. They’re inclined to start low and aim high, when they are far better off going for the gold right from the beginning. They price extremely low, and feel the need to prove themselves by discounting, giving a lot away for free, take work that doesn’t fit them, and limit themselves in many other ways.
As a result of charging low fees, they often get clients, and lots of them. The problem soon becomes getting the work done. They can’t keep up. They are afraid to market more because they can’t take on new clients. They’re becoming known for the work they don’t really want to do for clients who are not their ideal. They’re afraid to raise their fees because they’re worried they’ll lose the clients they have. And guess what? Clients who buy the cheapest solution are often the most difficult to work with. Does that sound like fun?

Two: Setting high fees and defending your worth

Other entrepreneurs who understand the need to set their prices higher often still give too much away because they feel they need to prove their worth. Demonstrating value is fine, but doing too much out of feeling the need to defend high prices, is not. Entrepreneurs who bend over backwards and stuff their packages with so many extras often don’t realize that although they might be charging and getting a premium fee, they’re chipping away at their profitability by going overboard. And the sad thing is that most of the time, their clients actually don’t want all of the extra stuff. They’re often overwhelmed by it! Or they draw out a process longer because they’re afraid letting the clients know how quickly they did it, will make it seem less valuable. In either case, it takes away from the elegant, efficient solution the clients are more than willing to pay a higher price for. And it becomes unsustainable.

If you watched the popular 1980s sitcom Murphy Brown, you’ll remember Eldin. He was practically a live-in at Murphy’s home. What started as a simple project grew more and more ambitious but never was completed. You may have hired contractors like this.

When it came time for us to repaint our house a few years ago, I knew it was something we couldn’t take on. I was busy with my working and having a young child at home. In the past I had tried various painters and was really frustrated. While they were not around quite as long as Eldin, each job took far longer and became more complicated (and more expensive) as it progressed. They were sure to tell me how much work it was for them, how many steps there were to take, and why it was costing more and taking longer.

I decided to try someone else I found through a referral. He quoted me a higher fee than the others. But he sold me on efficiency and guarantee. He let me know what to expect and made it very easy for me to say yes. The morning of the appointed day, he arrived at 7:30 a.m. as promised. All I had to do the night before was move furniture a few feet away from the walls and take down hanging items.

By the time I arrived home around 5 p.m. that day, he was gone. I had a beautiful, professional quality paint job in our family room, hallway and bathroom, and it was completely done. No mess, no fuss, and delivered as promised. I felt it was almost magical. This was not something I could ever do myself. Was I willing to pay more for that? You bet I was. And I’ve referred him thousands of dollars in new clients since.

So what does this have to do with doing things the hard way?

I encourage you to look at the two examples of business owners. If you see yourself in either description, think about what your value is to your clients. Most of the time, they are paying you to solve a problem, and the faster, more gracefully and expertly you can do so, with the least amount of work and inconvenience for them, the higher the value is of what you offer. Think of ways you can make it easy and effortless for your clients to say yes, and to work with you, instead of ways to prove you’re worth it.

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Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success SystemTM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and live outside of the ordinary. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful and extraordinary business. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for information and step-by-step resources to take you from overwhelmed employee to extraordinary entrepreneur.

Know your audience:

Whether you are promoting yourself in a job search, as a freelancer or as an expert, learn as much as you can about your target audience and make sure you are communicating in their comfort zone.  In this case, Thomas is a talented artist with a growing portfolio he wants employers to know about.  Choosing to use Google Maps to showcase his talents and experience is a good judgment call – his audience, the people who might hire him – are most likely looking for creative people who not only have artistic talent, but who can learn new media tools quickly and who can see innovative ways to share information visually.

Cover Your Bases:

When you try to stand out from the crowd, you don’t want to stand so far out that an employer doesn’t know where you fit in.  A good part of the hiring decision is not just whether a candidate has the skills and experience to do the job, but will the person fit in the organization and with their team.  No employer looks to hire a high maintenance employee who is going to require a lot of hand holding to get the job done.  When an applicant chooses to do something different to get attention, they may get the initial look they had hoped for, but with that look will come further questions about why the applicant chose the creative route.  I think the best thing to do is cover your bases.  Make sure you are providing what is traditionally needed in a resume and have your creative flair be the extra added value.  As I said in the clip, you don’t want to make an employer have to work too hard to get the information they need to consider you as an applicant.  Your goal isn’t to have an employer talking about your creative resume, your goal is to get hired.  So, make sure the tool you are using serves your core purpose, but then have fun with the rest of it.

Leverage Multiple Messages:

I think what is clever about what Thomas Roan did is that he leveraged multiple messages which means he is speaking to a variety of people at the same time.  There are so many different ways that adults take in information.  If you can provide multiple ways to have your message be received, you are reaching more people and acknowledging that there are different communication and learning styles.  In this case:

1. Thomas found a way to present his portfolio, education, artistic influences, life choices visually.
2. He used an online tool that is familiar to people, so it isn’t off-putting or overwhelming, but in a new and different way.  This showcases his critical thinking skills and creativity in addition to the content that is highlighted in the actual piece.
3. He shows that he can adapt technology to multiple purposes.  This is not a skill that every artist has.  So he has shown a value-add or an unexpected bonus that an employer gets when working with him.
4. He presented his work in such a way that WFMY-TV was interested in covering it.  Again this means that he was within the comfort zone of his audience, presenting something different, but not so much on the periphery that a lot of people couldn’t appreciate it and be interested in learning more about it.
5. He was effective in explaining himself and his work verbally and on-camera in addition to his skills as a visual artist.  Again, these are not things that everyone is adept at doing.

All in all, I should thank Thomas Roan.  I’ve never met him, but since our paths crossed on this interview, I had a chance to further expand my thoughts beyond what was picked to include in the video clip and to use his work as a mini-case study!  So thanks Thomas, this was a fun concept to think more about.

The video clip is below and if you would like to visit the WFMY-TV online article, it is titled Local Man Google Maps His Resume and is on the DigTriad.com site. By the way, if you go to the link, the video clip is often to the right below some advertising and can sometimes be hard to find.

Here’s the clip if you want to watch it here:

Small and Do-able Ideas

Great, you’re thinking, lots of people are writing about that topic with big ideas and plenty of criticism to go around.  Not Professor Kanter, her ideas are small and do-able, and instead of criticism, helpful observation and positive, applicable ideas.  Granted, she still doesn’t share how someone without an income can make it while they work to find work, but I at least appreciate the attitude!

Advice for the Jobless Middle Manager

Here’s Kanter’s advice for the well-educated manager whose job has disappeared and is no longer even counted in the unemployment statistics because they’ve given up.

“What do I tell these jobless professionals who are holding their lives together with duct tape? I can say: Hang in there. Don’t give up hope. Develop a big idea to use later. Start your venture. Volunteer at a community organization. Find partners. Think internationally. Befriend immigrants with ties to an emerging market. Restore your sense of purpose. Remember what truly matters”

In the meantime, I think that there is other good advice out there for those in the well-educated middle:

• Now is a time to try that thing you never thought you would try.  What do you have to lose?
• Focus on some other aspects of your life.  Are you using this down time to exercise, eat right, learn a new skill, language, or perspective?
• Remember when you dreamed of working a shorter week or part-time?  What were you going to do with those hours?  Can you do that now while you keep working your “job” of finding a job?
• Take advantage of what your community has to offer – use the library, visit local sites, go to a park, find a new local diner, get to know the world that is right around you that you’ve never had time to experience before.
• Meet people – reach outside your first circle to your second or third.  Have a cup of coffee and broaden that network.  It may be more and more tangential to your job search, but sometimes the innovative idea is on the periphery, not in the core.

Asset Maps for Middlers

And another idea for “middlers” — I don’t mean those related to Bette, but those in the middle of their job transition and maybe even tired enough to be approaching things now in a bit of a middling way — draw your “asset map.”  You’ve probably already thought about the assets you are bringing to your job search, but what about the assets you have to offer to others?

Kanter mentions small ideas that collectively could build jobs.  She’s calling for a movement of small ideas based on all our assets – what do you have that you can offer to the solution of job growth in America?  “Imaginative small actions could aggregate to bigger impact. Underutilized office space can become an incubator for others starting a business. Shared work and living spaces are becoming more common for recent graduates working on new ventures; communities should encourage and facilitate this. Those with international business ties can encourage business partners to invest in the U.S.; good people and cost-reducing incentives are available now.”

I like Kanter’s small ideas and I hope more individuals and organizations will embrace them.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could see a movement across the United States, a movement of both workers and the organizations who hire them?  I am hoping that organizations — companies, foundations, associations, universities, government, nonprofits — will get creative and think about different ways to do things.  It would be a wonderful thing to see a boom of creativity and diversity in how we do things – our work, our products, our services, our decision-making, our politics, our day-to-day lives and our perspectives.  Thanks Professor Kanter.

Yes! You may use this article by Barbara Demarest in your company newsletter, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a strategy consulting practice focusing on people leading change in associations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and knowledge businesses.  You can find Barbara’s executive coaching profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.

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