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What if Someone Steals Your Idea?

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By Kathleen Reardon

Professor, University of Southern California Marshall School and
Author, Comebacks at Work: Using Conversation to Master Confrontation. (see link below)
http://www.comebacksatwork.com

This happens often in business, and in politics. It is also facilitated now in the media where phrases like “some people say” and a general disregard for the source of an idea is making it nearly impossible to judge its worth. ”Some people” can say anything. It’s not only lazy by any respectable journalistic standard to use this kind of phrase, it enables the lifting of ideas without having to give credit. In short, we live in an era where connecting an idea to its source is a responsibility far too often bypassed.

If you let the stealing of your ideas pass, you invite people to do it whenever they please. There may be times when retrieving stolen ideas is not worth the effort. But when big stakes are involved or letting it pass makes you look weak, it’s important to know what to say. If, for example, you bring up an idea in a meeting and ten minutes later another person introduces it as if you never said a word, here are a few possible responses:

“Hey, Tom. That was my idea. What you added was good, but I’m taking it back to elaborate further.”

“When I proposed that plan, I had something different in mind. So let me just say ….”

“I’m taking that idea back. You guys are butchering it.”

“I’m delighted that you’re so enthused about that idea. When I mentioned it ten minutes ago, I wasn’t of your view. This is great.”

“Why does that idea seem so familiar?”

These responses are not making a scene or credit grabbing. But if you can’t bring yourself to directly deal with the lifting of your idea you might say, “Credit grabbing aside, when I introduced that idea I was going in a somewhat different direction with it. I’ll explain.” Or, “Not to dismiss your obvious contribution, but that idea is exactly what I was talking about ten minutes ago. So, obviously I’m sold.”

Play with these responses. Consider which ones like them work best for you and in the culture of your office. Don’t do this too often. But do so when it counts. It’s better to get someone’s back up a bit than to send the message that any good idea you have is up for grabs.

Amazon.com: Comebacks at Work: Using Conversation to Master Confrontation: Kathleen Kelley Reardon, Christopher T. Noblet: Books

Why Nobody Likes You

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By Jeannette Paladino

http://writespeaksell.com originally appeared in WSS

It’s frustrating when you work so hard to write interesting blogs and updates to your social media sites and no one responds by “liking” your Facebook page or retweeting your posts.

Why don’t people like you?

The content that you thought should get a bunch of comments and “likes” land with a thud.

Possibly you expected the search engines to send you a bunch of traffic because you optimized the post with all the right key words and it’s a subject that’s been in the news.

So maybe you should ask yourself this question.

Do You Like Other People?

Be honest and ask yourself: “Have I thanked the people who have commented on my posts?” Only you know the answer to that question. How often do you “like” other people’s posts and retweet their content?

In other words, have you built relationships with other bloggers and influencers in your niche? Do you thank people who comment on your posts and respond to each one?

Surprisingly, many bloggers don’t respond to comments. Nor do they think to reciprocate by visiting someone who comments on their blog and leaving a comment on one of their posts.

Eventually, people who subscribe to your blog or visitors who have left comments that went unanswered will soon drop off your radar screen. They won’t “like” you or spread your content. If they’ve bought from you once, they are not likely to buy from you again.

Building Relationships

Danny Iny co-founder of Firepole Marketing, in his new Naked Marketing Manifesto, says, “… marketing is about creating long-term relationships that satisfy both parties over and over again.” He’s right, of course.

Every relationship begins with the first transaction. Let me give you two personal examples.

I recently received an email from a blogger who proposed a guest post for my site. He didn’t say what he would be writing about so I asked him to drop me another note with his ideas.

Instead, a few days later I received a poorly written complete blog post. He ended his cover note with these words, “Expect a response from you.” Huh! Is this how to start a relationship? I think you can guess how I answered.

Loving My Business Cards

Here is an example of how the company that printed my new business cards provided me with exemplary service. My designer recommended that I use printingforless.com. He had used them before and they do excellent work at reasonable prices.  printingforless.com customer service rep

The company is located in Montana and I had a couple of questions about uploading my file so I gave them a call. The phone rep couldn’t have been nicer. She took me through the process and assured me they had received my order.

The next day I received a phone call from the printing department to tell me that the colors I was seeing on my computer screen would not exactly match the cards. They are two different media.

Instead, my cards would print slightly darker and if that wasn’t acceptable I could ask my designer to lighten the color palette. I actually liked the idea of slightly darker cards and told him to go ahead.

Within a couple of days I received my business cards and couldn’t have been happier. The next day, I received a phone call from the company’s customer service rep. How did I like my cards? Was everything OK? That was impressive.

Then, the following week, I received a coffee mug in the mail with a thanks for my business. As you might expect, I’ve recommended the company to a number of colleagues.

Lessons Learned

My experience with the printing company was a tangible demonstration of the power of customer service and a “thank you.” We can all learn from it and apply it to our own businesses. Let’s examine why I had such a good experience:

  • You can find what you need. The landing page of their website lists every conceivable printing job you might want to order, alphabetically, on the bottom of the page.
  • You can call them. The phone number with an image of a friendly telephone rep is prominently displayed above the fold. The number is repeated in their rotating header. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is on many websites to find a number to call when you want to order something or have a complaint? Too many companies send you to their customer forum, which is like visiting a black hole.
  • They discuss your needs. Printingforless.com didn’t simply print my cards, ship them, and then tell me it was my problem the cards printed darker. They called me to discuss what I really wanted.
  • They follow up. Within a day of receiving my order, I received a call to be sure I was satisfied and to ask if I had any other printing needs. Good customer service combined with a gentle sales call.
  • They say “thank you.” The customer service rep thanked me on the phone but then I received a tangible thank-you when the coffee mug arrived. All this for an order totaling under $100.

The key to being liked is to give more than is expected of you. Another way of saying it is that you have to give to get. This leads to mutually beneficial relationships.

Steps you can take:

  • Comment on other bloggers’ posts. Spread the content of your customers, prospects and influencers in your niche. Let them know you have, in case they’re too busy to notice.
  • Invite guest posts. Ask your clients to write a post for your blog that will showcase them and their company.
  • Make introductions. Connect your clients and friends to people they want to meet and don’t already know. Don’t expect anything in return, although it’s likely they will try to reciprocate.
  • Provide extra service. When you’re finished with a client project, give them some extras. Send them tips from time to time to improve their business and don’t charge for it. It will make you feel good and you never know when they might have another project for you.

The overarching point of this post is that you need to “like” people first. That is, you need to “pay it forward” by giving more than is expected of you – on social media, for friends, and serving clients.

Leaders Who Know When to Hold and When to Fold.

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By Mary Lippitt ,
Enterprise Management Ltd.  www.enterprisemgt.com

 

If leaders keep on doing what they have always done, they will get the same results, which is a recipe for disaster. Both leaders and poker players need to know when to “hold to and when to fold.” They need to decipher the internal and external environment and adjusting plans to actual reality and opportunities.

US Airways’ Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s success in dealing with total engine power loss with a clear decision to land in the Hudson River stemmed from his ability to prioritize goals. In his biography, Sully talks about “goal sacrificing” when you have to select which goal is the most critical to act on. He accepted the loss of a multi-million dollar plane to save lives. He was able to make that decision only because he was clear about his priorities and the situation.

Concentrating on results, or leading with the “end in mind,” is one of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He stresses the importance of starting with the “end in mind.” But what happens when the start, middle or end changes?  Staying the course or achieving what is no longer desirable should not be seen as an accomplishment. In fact, it can threaten an organization’s survival. Leaders who know how to keep their “eye on today’s key prize” based on current circumstances are those who succeed.

A solid understanding of the six business priorities helps leaders adjust to critical priorities and avoids being blindsided by “unanticipated” events. It is not just in hindsight that financial executives should have recognized that giving 90 to 95% mortgages was too risky. Experts were warning about a real estate bubble, and yet leaders continued to make mortgages. One bank executive summarized his decision making process by saying that “I know this thing will blow up but as long as the music is playing, I have to dance.”

As Peter Drucker observed “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” Can you leaders deliver the right results are at the right time in the right way and at the right cost? We cannot expect leaders to control events, but we can expect them to act wisely.

Effective leadership requires not only personal awareness and skills, but also business insight and judgment. Captain Sully knew how to prioritize his goals. He did not try to save the plane, and he did not try to make it to an alternative airport. He understood his resources, his situation, his team, and his key goal, resulting in life saving landing. Are you doing all you can to help your leaders understand the critical goals and what it will take to achieve them? It could be your critical priority right now.

Strategies for Leading in a Changing World

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by Bea Fields, Executive Coach, Speaker, Author and the President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc.

As we move into future, we are going to be experiencing both changes and opportunities in the business world that are going to challenge us in ways we have never experienced in the past. As business, community and political leaders, we are going to be called to step up to the plate and embrace our employees, constituents and customers as our most valuable assets, because more than ever before, they are going to hold the secret to our success. I know that we hear this every day, yet many people honestly don’t know how to build a sustainable company through people. In this article, I share five of the most important skills leaders and teams will need to embrace in order to thrive in tomorrow’s world.

1. Radical Innovation

Is your business or organization really designed for innovation? Are you sure? Every day I speak to leaders who swear that their businesses are designed for innovation, but in my opinion, this is usually not the case. Why? Because they are stifling open debate, shooting the messenger and making it unsafe for people to voice their opinions.

If your business or company is truly an innovative one, your doors will be open for debate, and your culture will be designed to make it psychologically safe for both employees and customers to voice not only their suggestions, dreams and goals but their concerns, complaints and frustrations. A recent article in Harvard Business Review: The Customer-Centered Innovation Map is a must read for any business that wants to thrive in the future. The article comes from the perspective that when a customer buys a product or service from your company, they are actually hiring you to get a job done. This “job to be done” could be to make more money, look more beautiful, live a more healthy life, move into a dream home, become more credible or build a better relationship. At each step of the process of the job getting done, both your employees and customers are going to experience both successes and struggle points (and some people will struggle more than others.) By carefully mapping the job a customer is trying to get done, you can find golden opportunities to innovate as you help the customer through your process. Along the way, you will want to ask questions such as “How can we do this much more efficiently?” and “What struggles and inconveniences are our customers experiencing?” and “How are trends affecting the way the job gets done?” and “What causes execution to go off track?” As you move through the life cycle of working with a client, looking at each and every compliment, complaint and challenge can open the door for your company to provide a new product, offering or level of customer service that will set you apart from your competition.

2. Intellectual Horsepower

It is going to become more and more difficult in the future to stay ahead of your competition if your team is not the best and the brightest in your industry. Intellectual horsepower includes not only IQ (many people believe that an IQ of 130 is needed today to be a top player) but includes transferable skills, the ability to understand and break a complex situation into logical steps and being super sharp, agile and a quick study. Intellectual horsepower also includes being able to embrace paradox and ambiguity and being adept at functioning effectively in the midst of opposing ideas or forces.

If you go back and consider the above topic about mapping the job the customer needs to get done, you will be able to identify the skill deficits in your organization. Each time a customer voices a success, ask yourself “Who worked with this client, and what skills were at play to make this customer experience outstanding?” On the same note, if a customer’s job is not getting done, it’s time to step back and ask “What skills are missing from this process that we need in place?” From there, you can provide your team with the training and development needed to create outstanding customer experiences. Once you have trained your employees, if you have someone on your team who just doesn’t “get it”, then it’s time to replace that player with someone who can “get it” and get it quickly.

3. Employee Development

There are two scenarios that I often see in the work I do as a leadership coach:

  1. The company relies on the heroism of a few employees to keep customers happy or
  2. Customers constantly run to the owner of the company, who seems to be the only person who can clean up a mess

Both of these scenarios probably mean that your company is failing, that your service is lousy and it’s time for some rigorous employee development, and I don’t mean putting your team in a training room hoping they will get what they need in order to do a great job. As a leader, your job is to build a true learning organization, one which provides your employees with ongoing customized training and coaching so that they can step in and run your company at a moment’s notice. This process begins with a very thorough examination of what’s really going on in your company (this is time for you to become your biggest critic), making a list of every asset and shortcoming and each employee’s key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Your next steps will be to design and implement a customized program which includes an on-the-job training and development program for each employee in the company.

After six months (12 months max) of on-the-job training, if someone in your company cannot be “trained to move up”, then as harsh as it may sound, that person will more than likely become obsolete in the next few years. As technology advances and our global economy become more and more competitive, it is going to be critical to have a rock solid employee development system in place, and that development program should be designed so that an employee can advance in your company. If an employee cannot develop the skills needed to move up in your company, that position will become a financial and productivity strain on your company. Simply because you are not addressing training and development does not mean that your competitors aren’t, and those that do will have one leg up in the future. It’s that simple.

4. Strategic Agility

In today’s world, your customers may know what they want, but in most cases, they don’t have a clue what’s possible and what creative offerings you can bring to the table. One of the reasons Apple is so successful is because Steve Jobs has an uncanny ability to know what customers need and want before they request it. None of us knew that we wanted a white ear bud and 10,000 songs in a tiny device that could easily slip in a shirt pocket or the palm of a hand, but boy did we ever eat it up! By fine tuning your strategic thinking, you will be able to anticipate future consequences and trends, create competitive breakthroughs a

 

This article was authored by Bea Fields. Fields is an Executive Coach, Speaker and Author and the President of Bea Fields Companies, Inc.. She specializes in Leadership and Team Coaching for high growth companies, non-profit organizations and medium-sized businesses. Fields is the co-author of Millennial Leaders: Success Stories From Today’s Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders and EDGE: A Leadership Story.

Brand Yourself: Your Billboard

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Brand Yourself: Your Billboard

By Nancy Ancowitz, Business Communication Coach and Author of Self-Promotion for Introverts®

Imagine driving along the NJ-495 roadway, which dramatically scoops around and dips down the cliffs of Weehawken, New Jersey, into a huge industrial no-man’s land before you enter the Lincoln Tunnel to the legendary city of Broadway, big business, and billionaire dreams. As you navigate your way through this sea of gray, peppered with smokestacks and billboards, your eyes jump from ads for SmartWater to iPhones to one about you.

Now imagine what your billboard would say, how it would look, and what image it would convey. How do you want to be seen by the outside world? Which of your magnificent qualities could you display? How can you summarize your offerings in a snapshot that will grab drivers going 60 miles per hour and hold the attention of commuters stuck in traffic as well?

There’s no room for lots of words or complicated images. And there’s no room for anything that’s less than sparkling about you. While, of course, I’m not suggesting that you actually buy a billboard ad (although it might be a novel approach), this mental excursion will remind you to make your message quick and clear—whether you’re applying for a job or building your business—or else you’ll pay more than the toll!

If you’re an introvert, the thought of your personal brand plastered on a billboard might seem overwhelming. However, it can also be liberating to take the time to think of a message that would matter to the people you want to target—rather than dreaming it up on the spot at a social event or important meeting. Focus on spreading the word to those who can benefit from whatever you’ve got instead of foisting your offerings on those who aren’t interested.

My client Madeline Abel-Kerns, who is an opera singer, actress, and voice teacher, shares what her billboard would look like: “White, puffy clouds with a beautiful sky—the type of clouds you would want to sit and watch drift by, changing shapes. In black letters there would be two words: ‘Be moved.’ And my name and the date of my next performance.”

Now it’s your turn. If you’re inspired to do so, take out a blank sheet of paper and write down a concise headline for your billboard and draft an image (or find one from a magazine). Also write any other brief message you’d like to add, possibly to get members of your target audience who are driving by to take a desired action. Here is a recap of the information you’ll need to capture:

 

What Does Your Billboard Say?

Headline:

Image:

Brief message and/or action:

Once you’ve mocked up your billboard, consider how you can apply the concept you’ve created consistently across your self-promotional activities—whether you’re writing a cover letter for a job, designing a Web site for your business, or presenting yourself at a sales meeting.

I’ve adapted this billboard exercise from my book, Self-Promotion for Introverts®: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. The book also includes many other exercises and offers gentle guidance to help you get the recognition you seek to get where you want to go in your career.

REFERENCE:
Adapted from Nancy Ancowitz, Self-Promotion for Introverts®, McGraw-Hill, 2009, pp. 37, 51-52.

©Copyright 2010 Nancy Ancowitz

The Laws of Likability

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Let Your True Self Shine!—Creating relationships based on authenticity

By Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of The 11 Laws of Likability

People of all ages want to be liked, whether you are 12 or 72. Likewise, people of all ages want to be happy. When you build the relationships you want, based on simply being yourself and liking them, you will enjoy your connections and be happier in your interactions.  The foundation of likability is authenticity which is the subject of the first chapter of The11Laws of Likability.

We need authenticity in our lives, our relationships and in our jobs. Just as we often don’t work to our fullest potential when a job isn’t the right fit, our relationships don’t develop when we don’t feel a real connection.

Ensuring authenticity in all aspects of your relationships helps to forge stronger, more substantial relationships then those that are based on falsity. Think of it this way: If you are not yourself from the very start of a relationship, you will constantly tiptoe around and try to act as you “should.” After a while, putting on a mask becomes very uncomfortable and exhausting. If you begin a relationship by showing your true self, you are able to relax and enjoy the friendship.

Ensure authenticity in your relationships:

1.      Be true to yourself. It is important not to force yourself into situations that you don’t want to be in. If you are exhausted and cranky at a meeting with a friend, your crankiness automatically sets a negative tone. Sometimes when you are not feeling like your best self it is okay to opt out and reschedule.

Don’t let yourself completely off the hook, however. It is important to stretch yourself and gain comfort with things that may not come naturally. You may not like going to networking events for your company but you certainly can’t avoid all of them. Ease yourself into uncomfortable situations. You’ll find that you become better and better at handling them.

2.      Make the connections you want to make. Networking is so much easier when the connections are genuine and when both people enjoy the relationship. Ignore your instinct to befriend who you “should” network with. Developing friendships with people that you enjoy allows for friendships that will sustain you in life and business.
On the other hand, don’t rule out people that you don’t have an immediate connection with. Let the relationship develop gradually. Sometimes you find yourself in a close friendship with someone that you seemed to have nothing in common with at first. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are friendships.

3.      Don’t force it. There is no one correct way to be. Although you may feel like you “should” act a certain way, any actions out of the ordinary for your personality will come across as forced. You will feel uncomfortable and so will the people around you. If you are usually serious and reserved, don’t try to make everyone laugh. If you are usually a jokester, don’t try to stay quiet. Simply be yourself. The real you is the best you.

If you are interested in learning more about how to make business connections that stick, check out my book The 11 Laws of Likability and visit my Facebook page.