Tag: Improving communication

The Value of Facetime!

FacetimeCommunication, in itself, is a form of expression… communication between two people – well, that is an art!  I think people tend to underestimate how important effective communication is, regardless of the topic, in ensuring understanding between all those involved.

At times, speaking to people can be challenging for a myriad of reasons. Layer on a topic sensitive in nature or frame the conversation around a tense situation, and suddenly your intent of that straightforward talk doesn’t play out as you originally thought.

So, what’s the best way to have this “type” conversation?

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Outsource Your Decision Making!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you have heard of the term “outsourcing” or some variation thereof (e.g. near sourcing, co-sourcing, off-shoring, etc.).  Fundamentally, they all mean the same thing – basically, it’s “viewed as involving the contracting out of a business function – commonly one performed in house – to an external provider”.

Outsourcing, when used correctly, can yield tremendous benefits – some financial and sometimes more importantly, some intangible benefits, such as peace of mind.

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10 Tough Interview Questions

“Why are manhole covers round? How do you measure 4 gallons of water using only a 3 and 5 gallon jug? How many gas stations/dogs/windowpanes are there in the United States?”

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Which Plane Should I Catch?

Okay, I confess – this post technically has nothing to do with air travel, but the concept of hopping on a plane, does serve as an important symbol for communication.

So let’s get started – referencing the airplane images provided in this post, I’d like for you to answer the following questions.  And, for the record, they are not trick questions.

First, how high do you think the commercial airliner is flying?  Answer = Very high.

Second, how high do you think the combat plane is flying?  Answer = Not high at all.  In fact, it’s very low near the ground.

Let these images resonate with you for a bit because in a moment, I’m going to illustrate to you one of the most common communication mistakes people make… specifically at the office, where the impact of the mistake, could prove detrimental.

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Board of Directors – Top 12!

It’s no secret that I believe having a board (of directors / advisers), formal or not, is critical to a company’s success.  As in life and in business, perspective is key when making important decisions and having someone who has your (or your company’s) best interest in mind, is a valuable resource.

As I was reading yesterday, I came across some great information about questions that a board must ask to really gauge the state of a company.  If you are a CEO who has a board and they are not asking these questions, maybe you need to augment your board (or, find new members all together).  If you are currently a board member and not asking these questions, you need to start.

Regardless on which side of the table you sit, these are critical questions that require considerable thought.  Granted – some questions may not apply to all businesses but, if nothing else, maybe asking some of these questions today will position the company on a successful track thereby allowing you to ask the remaining question later?

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How to E-mail Busy People…

It’s no secret that today’s world is highly interconnected and more interdependent than ever before.  And, in order to succeed in this world, obtaining the right guidance is more important than ever before.  The challenge, however, is that many times, the people you seek guidance from are not directly connected to you – so, how do you ask for help?  In many cases, we do what we feel most comfortable with – e-mail.  It provides us the ability to reach out while still remaining in our comfort zone.

The challenge with e-mail, as with many initial communication methods, is that there is an art behind getting what you want without burdening the other person.  All too often, we’re a mixed bag of information and rarely communicate all that we want to on the first attempt.  In fact, many times we find ourselves reflecting back on the conversation either regretting something we said, or worse, didn’t say.

I came across a great post by Jason Freedman who outlined some tips on how to e-mail busy people… below are the key points.  Valuable stuff.

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Hosting Effective Meetings…

“Let’s have a meeting about that meeting… need to clarify some stuff.  Yeah?”

Ever heard that one before?  If you’re like me, then the answer’s probably yes.  Today, meetings seem to be the abundant theme and while there’s a lot going on, it’s important to remember that meetings are only valuable when they are effective.  So, how do you execute a successful meeting?  Well, for me – it has everything to do with golf.

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Does my company need a Board of Directors?

Board of DirectorsOkay – so let’s be clear on what a “board of directors” is.  According to Wikipedia, “A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. The body sometimes has a different name, such as board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, board of visitors, or executive board. It is often simply referred to as “the board.”

All right – that’s done… so, let’s try to answer the question: Does a startup need a board of directors?  The answer is… it depends.  To be more clear – it depends on what stage the “company” is in specifically relating to its idea or product.
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The Power of Enchantment!

Recently, I was fortunate enough to hear Guy Kawasaki speak about his new book, Enchantment.  For those of you who don’t know who Guy Kawasaki is, he’s a local Silicon Valley guy who’s done many things including having written 10 great books.  His un-official bio reads as VC, start-up, and author.

It was a pleasure for me to hear Guy talk about his new venture and trust you too will enjoy it.

Enchantment
62:20
Guy Kawasaki at Stanford

What Are Your Rules?

I’ve always found it interesting when a successful executive takes the time to write down what they believe have been their core success principles.  Given the vast majority of topics available, it’s not that easy to narrow down to a select few.  More importantly,  those that have been identified as consistent and repeatable – this ability is, in many cases, equally if not more important, than the principle itself.

I came across an article yesterday where Pepsi’s CMO, Salman Amin, defined what his six principles of success have been and I’ve shared them below.

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