Agreements or Expectations by Winston Bersch

One of the lessons I have been taught in life, and continue to learn, is that I have caused myself a lot of the “issues” I have by expecting someone else to behave in a manner that “I” thought “they” should. Or stated differently, based on my perceived outcome, “they” should act and behave in a manner that “I” believe will achieve “my” defined results. And if they don’t … well … how dare them … they are 18 shades of … well … despicable. And furthermore … if you don’t believe me, just ask, and I will make sure you know my truth at that moment. Whew!!!

The result is that neither of us have now accomplished anything that is in the best interest of anyone, least of all ourselves, and we certainly have not built a foundation that will support what we want and desire.

Wouldn’t it be fun if we chose to forego creating expectations and created agreements?

Here’s a scenario – I have asked Bubba, a key employee or not, to help the company move in a direction that aligns with the vision that we believe we want and is in everyone’s best interest. If Bubba doesn’t really understand what that is, and he doesn’t, since at this point he is only doing the best he can from a different page, then at best we – that’s Bubba and me – can only create expectations. And the end of that story has already been written.

So, let’s have some fun! I choose to have a conversation with Bubba and first share with him, as best that I can, the what and why of our vision and the way I “currently” perceive his roll in that. I then open the conversation to what he sees and allow his innate creativity to bring forth solutions I had not even thought of and solve current and potential problems. We than reach an agreement as to how to proceed.

The result is, that as a leader, I have initiated a relationship we have both participated in, and supported him in execution of the agreement. We are now in a position as a team to handle anything that comes up, using a repeatable interaction that works.

The other unexplainable thing that happens in this journey is that somehow the original vision got bigger and changed as we moved toward it!

Think Differently … Create …

Winston Bersch has created every aspect of both successful and less successful businesses. He currently works with humans at all levels to have a richer more rewarding experience of life. Add to this his ability to help take any business or idea through the impossible and have some fun doing it!

Visit http://managingcommunications.com/blog-news/ to learn about our #UNSTUCK Workshops held in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

What will you be doing over the holidays for your employees or like in my case, contractors?

November 30, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Employee Communications 

What will you be doing over the holidays for your employees or like in my case, contractors? Remember to be flexible on other people’s ideas for decorations around the office. If it doesn’t impact budget or make some horrible impression of the company, keep a positive perspective or you may disengage employees. If you want to make changes in the way to you celebrate the season at work, get employee input. Try not to make too many changes at once. For example, don’t decide to switch from a bonus check to a turkey, do away with the White Elephant gifts, and change a traditional venue all in one year! Lastly, be sure to communicate effectively in advance. What’s in advance? During the season, people are already stressed so try to plan communications to begin at least two weeks out. Follow up frequently and give employees room to accept the changes.

What else should you do?

Avoid the negative talk about the economy. Try stressing experiences verses money. What could you do as a team that would be so much fun nobody will even notice that it didn’t cost as much as last year.

Sincere compliments go a long way. What can you say now that you have not said enough throughout the year? Everyone on the team has contributed in some way, whether they led the way or influenced others. Oh, and most people like recognition in front of their peers and management.

Surprise! On a slow day, unless you are in retail, how hard would it be to surprise everyone with an extra couple of hours to leave the office early? Another idea is to have a Festive Siesta! Tell everyone that from 11-2 for one day they can’t do anything but eat and rest. Encourage then to share how the rest of their day was–New Ideas? More productive?

None of this takes a lot of work or planning. And one of my favorites? Find a non-profit to help with and engage the whole team!

I would love for you to share appropriate office activities in regard to the holidays! Please visit our Facebook company page (Managing Communications Consulting) and like us? Send us a post, and we will share your company’s celebration of the holidays.

How to Communicate with Gen Y

By James Applebach, PR Associate

In our ever changing media landscape, the people who are on top of trends in communication are usually on the younger side (geeks are an exception). As Generation Y embraces each new social networking invention (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Skype, etc.) they are further alienated from the reach of traditional media. After all, any one person can only pay attention to one colorful box with flashing lights at a time.

We want to reach this audience, but how? You need to join the conversation. Start by learning about your social networking tool of choice, Facebook, for example. Run a Google search on it to get a feel for how it works. Then, visit the website for instructions on how to get started. If you are having trouble getting up and running, try asking your geek, or the nearest tech-savvy young person, to help get you established. 

Use your new-found online confidence to inform your audience about news in your organization, events and other interesting tidbits. You may even venture out even further and create an account for yourself on your chosen social network.

But remember: No matter how comfortable you get with Facebook or Twitter, there are just some things we’d rather not know and transparency – i.e. the truth – will build solid relationships.