Network your way through the downturn
9:54 AM PDT, May 15, 2009, updated at 5:44 AM PDT, June 11, 2009
More than ever, networking takes attention and follow up. It's cheaper to pay attention there than pay in other ways. The follow up is where the payoff occurs. Just recently I was at an incredible networking event put on by a wonderful woman named Rima. She is one of my role models for effective networking and leadership. She spends an enormous amount of time thinking about putting people together. Sitting at my table were two amazing women, Irene, a journalist and Rohini, a documentary film maker. After a spirited conversation at the dinner event put on by Rime, we followed up with a dinner last night in Washington, D.C. to discuss our passions, our mutual interests and our plans. With plans for more dinners and a women's salon in the autumn, we can continue our dialogue and learn together. Cultures across the world use salons to connect.
10:42 AM PDT, April 27, 2009
At a large dinner in Washington,D.C. this week, I was seated between a Lebanese woman who writes for a Beirut paper in French about the US and a Sri Lankan/Malay cinematographer woman who grew up in Kuala Lumpur. As we talked about salons their eyes lit up. In Kuala Lumpur in her childhood, there were salons on rugs outside every weekend with food and drink spread out. Getting friends together to talk, argue and break bread together was the pinnacle of every week for the KL family. For my Lebanese seatmate, the salon was the quintessential French model for intellectuals to meet. Find a topic like politics and the interaction was lively and stimulating. The three of us are getting together in May to discuss women leaders around the world. This salon will be one of many opportunities to talk with groups and do individual interviews for my next book. To your knowing the truth -
Cultural Differences Hit Everyone: Why Does He Have To Shout?
3:45 PM PDT, April 10, 2009
Queen Elizabeth II’s semi-serious rebuke of Silvio Berlusconi was a cross-cultural incident. New York Times Opinion Today: SCHOTT'S VOCAB: A Miscellany of Modern Words and Phrases “A minor diplomatic incident took place at the “family” photo call of G20 leaders, when the Queen of England became irritated at the Italian Prime Minister’s booming voice. After Berlusconi shouted ‘Mr. Obama!’ just a few feet behind her, the Queen turned round, raised her hands in exasperation, and asked ‘What is it? Why does he have to shout?" Somewhat inevitably Berlusconi was criticized for another gaffe, and the Queen was described as ‘not amused.’ But a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace played down the incident: ‘It was loud and jolly and very jovial, there were no gaffes and no offence taken. These are both cultural and preference issues: The Brits appreciate a modulated tone of voice. Additionally, based on my limited knowledge of her from the movie, The Queen, she learns best when moving (she talks with the Prime Minister while going for a walk), then she likes to see things (like scripts) and then hears. When hearing is your least favored way of taking in information it can be painful to hear loud voices. See video here. Creating a Community through Conversation: A weekly salon
3:30 PM PDT, April 10, 2009
A colleague of mine in Houston, Angela Blanchard, has a busy life. She found there was no time to see and interact with her family and friends and many acquaintances. She created a communal supper time every Sunday evening this year. It is not the supper but the conversation that draws people of all kinds to her comfy dining room near downtown. The most exciting thing on the weekly menu is the store-bought ice cream with chocolate sauce. What is exciting is the interchange of local, national and global political interchange. Since the guests are bi-partisan, all views show up. Even her grown son, Victor, can’t wait to join in. It’s that cool to be there. Of an evening there will be talk about the G20, the state of black America and the excitement of what’s happening in local political races. Since Angela’s partner is a member of City Council, she knows what’s up and who’s who. Ask Dr. Karen
6:32 AM PDT, March 30, 2009
Dear Dr. Karen,
Can a restaurant manager be popular and still effective? M Dear M,
It’s vital that a restaurant manager have some daily guidelines, or rules, that his staff must follow. Therefore, he can be friendly but not “friends” with the staff. A supervisory distance helps to enforce the rules consistently and fairly. Think of your self as a wise guide. Sample of the rules: 1- Show up to work on time. 2- Be polite, even under pressure. 3- Keep all work surfaces orderly and as clean as possible. Kind regards, Quick Coaching Keeps Your Team on Course
7:24 AM PST, March 6, 2009
In prizefights the trainers rush to their boxers’ corners after each round. Besides words of encouragement and a refreshing drink they’re giving some just-in-time coaching and useful guidance. The trainer’s job in those one-minute rest periods is to prime his boxer to keep moving and stay focused while avoiding jabs and direct hits. That’s what you want to do for your team members. Translate those sixty-second intervals into “coaching-in-action” minutes. These are brief coaching sessions with team members when they’re in the midst of what they do at work. What great timing to give them the shorthand sound bites they need to keep moving and stay out of harm’s way. You can energize them with your confidence and conviction just when they need it. This is not only the time for quick kudos to buck people up. You can also provide constructive course corrections. Anything with a long-term trajectory needs guidance and feedback to stay on course and avoid obstacles, whether it’s a guided missile or a strategy. Before major presentations about long-term projects the leader of one organization used to say, “This presentation could make or break your career. Don’t screw it up.” That was not very helpful since his team members would freeze up with fear. So he changed his coaching to give his team pointers like “This executive really cares about cost projections. Make sure to go through that part of your presentation carefully.” Or “Focus on the people resources.” Or “Stay away from Project X in your presentation; it’s a hot button.” What the executive learned was: a) Give team members rehearsal time with you before presentations to give them some quick coaching. b) Don’t correct unless it’s vital for your team member’s success. c) Focus on the one or two things that will make a difference immediately. d) Stay positive as you focus your team member on moving forward successfully. It only takes a minute to rev up someone with a coaching moment. Just a few seconds of your time will help them stay in shape for what they need to do. As their coach you need to do just that to develop winning players. To your knowing the truth -
What you Say As a Leader: Sound Bites Need to Sizzle
4:35 AM PST, February 11, 2009
Memorable sound bites can galvanize organizations, even countries. John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” reflected and inspired a generation, as did Thomas Paine’s warning 185 years earlier that “These are the times that try men’s souls,” and his admonition not to be a “summer soldier” and a “sunshine patriot.” The words and ideas mattered. The brevity made them memorable. Short and simple sentences or even single words can move masses in organizations, like Jack Welch’s “boundarylessness,” which reduced turf wars and the hoarding of talent in General Electric. Sound bites are just that; they’re not a full meal of ideas but tasty tidbits that are easily digestible. To give them pizzazz you need to add “punch and pause” so that they are given their due. Short sentences and sound bites can add sizzle to the language that you use at work. They show decisiveness and clarity, qualities that you want others in the workplace to associate with you. By contrast, long sentences can sound unsure, tentative and weak – not desirable leadership qualities at all. Your listeners don’t care for complexity or meandering when you speak. In fact, most people prefer short Anglo-Saxon words to Latin and Greek ones in spoken English. They’d much rather hear about your kids than your progeny. There is a sense of familiarity with short words and ideas while you get lost hearing long ones. What’s pause? You emphasize your important sound bites by pausing to a count of two after each phrase and to a count of three at the end of each sentence. If you listen to polished speakers, in almost every language, they have this rhythm to their speaking. It would be: “Ask not what your country can do for you (pause 1…2) ask what you can do for your country (pause 1…2…3…). When you pause, the words hang in the air so that your listeners can digest them properly. The rhythm of your speaking then supports your words the way keeping the beat supports a musical piece. In fact, a metronome, designed to keep the beat in music, will help you get better at keeping the beat in your talks. You “punch” when you add a bit of oomph to important words and ideas. So it would be: “Ask NOT (with punch) what your COUNTRY can do for you; ask what YOU can do for your country.” That punch will make people pay attention to the words that matter. In fact, in a presentation to a large audience you can accentuate your punch with gestures for extra oomph. Tone and volume are important too. Short sentences, punch and pause, and a low-pitched but clearly audible tone of voice that is easily heard make a powerful combination. Together they add up to the classic leader sound, known as “command tone.” Generals, principals, teachers and police all have it, and everyone knows that they are in charge. Craft your sound bites well and let them sizzle. As every restauranteur knows, people buy the sizzle and not the steak. They remember the excitement of the meal long after the taste is forgotten. And keep your sentences short with lots of pause and punch. Then they may love you or hate you but they’ll never forget what you said. To your knowing the truth - Writers and Team Building on the Net
10:47 AM PST, January 22, 2009
This blog entry is going to be different: It is co-authored by my colleague and co-writer, Sheryl Spanier, www.sherylspanier.com with whom I have just had the great pleasure of launching No Time 4 Theories/Executive Series www.notime4theories.com . We wanted to share with you some lessons learned and insights gained from our collaboration, as we realized that what we have just experienced is the way many of you all are now, or will be very soon, working. Sheryl and I have been collaborating and communicating around professional issues, insights and initiatives for around 5 years. During one of our many phone discussions, we realized that we shared a lot of views that were not currently written about. And so, it began as a casual comment, “you know, this could be a great book!” We began in July to collect our ideas, convert ramblings to outlines and maneuver our way through communication, technology, schedule and "day job" commitments. We found that we actually were living the changes we were writing about. Our intensity about this collaboration heated up as the economy melted and then froze. Our clients urgently needed our perspective and expertise to help them navigate the seismic disruption and change they are struggling to understand and manage. And so, we began in earnest in October to put our ideas into a format that would be attractive for our readers. From that awareness grew an agreement that we wanted to write and publish together in the most modern way: virtually, technologically and stylistically. Virtual teams, virtual networking, virtual newspapers, virtual everything led us to create a more-than-virtual writing team. Here are a few things we learned we wanted to share with you: Move beyond the traditional and tested ways to match the rhythm and format of your work with the market needs: We learned from a set of sample reader discussions that we needed to work quickly, efficiently, cost effectively and eliminate all the layers and processes that would hold up the end product. In addition, we focused on a series of guides which would appeal to our busy and diverse executive readers. Finally, we decided to self publish (which would bring the materials to market quickly) and offer our writing on-demand and in e-book format as well. Gather a team of enthusiastic experts who will work with as much energy and commitment as you do: We were fortunate in being able to gather together a virtual team that were excited about this new way of working, new media and the topics we were addressing. When we ended up working through the holidays, which we had tried to avoid, everyone just pitched in and did what needed to be done without complaint. Identify and work off strengths: We constantly checked in with each other to make sure that each team member had information or resources and the skills/experience to carry out unexpected assignments. Some of us were better at content, some at technology, some at process and project management. We laid out what the next step was and team members volunteered and teamed. Flow ruled! Marshall creativity and enthusiasm by clarifying roles based on strengths based on project needs, not ego: One of the biggest challenges of a virtual team is sorting out priorities, resolving senses of urgency, accommodating to different styles (content, timing, process) and being careful to always know who is on first to avoid things being duplicated or falling through the cracks. Emails work for facts, voice and face to face is better for feelings. Whenever we sensed a sensitivity, we made a call and worked things out. Communicate BEFORE there is conflict and clarify roles early and often: There were times we all jumped in and we had to step back to find out who was on first, who had the expertise, who had the time, who had the desire to take the lead. We took turns being in charge depending on the circumstances and content. At times, we got confused with emails flying and schedules slipping. So, we just helped each other move the project along by identifying the stuck moments with great sensitivity and compassion. It was great to apply our counseling skills with each other! Give feedback quickly, clearly and often: Sheryl and I both have spent our entire professional careers encouraging people, giving feedback with care and clarity. So, we were sensitive to and committed about constantly checking in, comparing notes, clearing any misunderstandings, pitching in when the others were busy, being honest about deadlines and accountabilities. We became adept at trading off and pitching in when our “day jobs” or personal lives required. We kept our eye on the motto: don’t explain, don’t complain…just do it or delegate it. And we had a lot of "Yeah Team" moments! Use technology wisely and where appropriate for your needs/styles: Since we’re both great talkers, initially, we tried using Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice recognition software) to record as we discussed our ideas. Frustrated with the pace of the technology, we moved into having one of us take the lead on a topic, develop a first pass and then used email and phone dialogue, Skype, three way meetings and even face to face time to organize, edit, polish, cut and finalize. Dr. Karen Otazo
Career tips for 2009
4:40 AM PST, December 30, 2008
1) Keeping your job a. Be a diplomat; make sure you get along with and are courteous to everyone. Stay cool under pressure. b. Good work is not enough; make sure you’re doing the right work. Check with others. c. Add value for the work of decision makers. 2) Succeeding on the job a. Connect with the top decision makers b. See an issue? Suggest ways of dealing with it? Write a “white paper’ to show your thinking. c. Float ideas and proposals in written format. Get feedback from others. If they give you ideas thank them in writing. 3) Changing careers a. Determine your skills and abilities apart from your job or title. What are you good at? b. Find new ways to use them in another context. Think of your skills as portable. c. Write up a “functional resume” with your skills. Dream a bit about what you might like to do. Wishing you a healthy and prosperous new year! Dr. Karen Otazo  Finding and Hiring the Right Assistant - Ask Dr. Karen
1:42 PM PST, December 10, 2008, updated at 3:28 PM PST, December 12, 2008
Dear Dr. Karen, We’re about to hire a department assistant and I need help. All of the temps we’ve had haven’t been quite right. How do I find someone terrific to work with us? Howard Dear Howard, Your search for the right assistant has to be tailored to your department’s needs. Skills are great. More important are work behaviors and attitudes. It’s a good idea to bring in the new person for a try-out day to observe them in action. The assistant is where “the rubber meets the road” in representing you to the world. Here are a few questions that you should consider asking yourself when assessing a new hire. 1 - Do they have a pleasant and patient voice and approach? Present problems that might occur when they meet your visitors in the future. The more someone spends time with the candidate you’ll see how they respond to calls and requests. The Up-Front Skills mean the most: Phone Skills are paramount: Have someone do telephone role plays with the prospective candidates. Watch how the candidate treats visitors. You want a gracious, personable person who doesn’t talk too much but just enough. 2 - Do department personnel travel a lot? Then you need to pose the problem of theoretical situations when there are requests while someone is traveling. 3 - Can this person take care of a situation with a “band-aid” for the moment until they get guidance? Can they handle uncertainty? Action: Get it done skills without moving too fast. Follow up: The assistant needs to know when they have to get back to you. There has to be follow up. Rules of the road: What does this person think is important in the way they represent you? How do they speak about you? Can they "think on their feet" and have the best interest of your department in mind when doing so? Department needs: Ask all the members of the department what they need and what they don’t want in the assistant. This is a team hire! Let me know if you have questions,
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Bio
After a business career spanning twenty years at ARCO Oil and Gas Company (now part of BP), Ashland Oil, famous for Valvoline, and wonderful experiences in high school and college teaching, I settled into a joyous experience as a free-lance global consultant specializing in executive coaching and assessment. Most recently I spent ten years living in Hong Kong, London and The Hague working with diverse companies and their executives.
With two degrees in Linguistics and a PhD in Human Resources Development I do enjoy research and study. To meet the needs of real people I make my writing and my work simple and accessible.
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