What are you selling?

If nothing, then you are not in business. If only commodities, then you won’t be in business for long.

“But wait,” you say “I am a service provider. I don’t sell commodities. So I guess I’m safe.”

Sorry. A service alone is still a commodity. In the brave new world of social business, anything is a commodity to the extent to which it is a) a transaction that consists only of the exchange of a good or service for money, and b) reproducible in every important way.

So a service which is repeated over . . . → Read More: The Social Market: Relationships, Stories, and Desire]]> Share/Bookmark

What are you selling?

If nothing, then you are not in business. If only commodities, then you won’t be in business for long.

“But wait,” you say “I am a service provider. I don’t sell commodities. So I guess I’m safe.”

Sorry. A service alone is still a commodity. In the brave new world of social business, anything is a commodity to the extent to which it is a) a transaction that consists only of the exchange of a good or service for money, and b) reproducible in every important way.

So a service which is repeated over and over again, where the narrative arc ends completely when money changes hands, and which can be replicated by any competent professional the world over, is a commodity. And commodities have no place in the social marketplace.

The antonym of ‘commodity’ in this paradigm, is ‘experience’.

An experience in the context of social business, begins before the customer comes into direct contact with the business, and lasts long after the core transaction has taken place. And each experience is unique.

An experience is the product of a unique interaction between equal players. In the social market, the focus is on the unique relationship between the buyer, the seller, and the environment. That particular relationship cannot be reproduced and is becoming the new USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Social tools, especially those focusing on place (like FourSquare or Facebook Places) create the opportunity to customize interactions for both the buyer and the seller.

An experience is a story. The traditional models of acquisition and retention are losing their definition. Through digital social channels, we become aware of brands long before we click a link or walk through their doors. We are made aware of them through the conversations of those we trust, through targeted ads, and through the directed stream of data that flows around us. Sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and the shaped offerings and reviews from sites like Amazon provide a near-global conversation about brands, which those brands can participate in, but not control. At mid-transaction, the story continues as business and consumer exchange information, and successful businesses attempt to create a remarkable experience with each visit or purchase. Then after the sale, the digital threads connecting consumer and business remain sticky and elastic. Follow-up, follow-through, return-incentives, and CRM all lose their distinct post-purchase roles and flow backwards and forwards to sustain the relationship and the experience of the brand for as long as possible.

In the social market, desire becomes more nuanced. In 20th century marketing, brands would try to speak to our desires for acceptance, status, fulfillment. But the whole experience had a tawdry one-night-stand feel to it. As soon as you purchased that object of desire: the house, the nicer car, the bigger TV, something akin to post-coital depression set in until the credit-fueled dance of desire started again, focused on a new fetish. In the social market, the seductions still continue, but there is nuance and a deeper commitment. Apple probably understands this better than any other brand. The combination of beautiful objects and a tribal-cliquey sense of being part of a special community is masterfully handled by Apple. Our desires remain, and brands will still seek to fulfill them, but the pace must be slower. The nature of the fulfillment must be richer. As Apple knows, it can’t just be about stuff any more. And I think it is just the beginning. There are deeper and more subtle desires that brands can connect with and act as partners in fulfilling: the sense of belonging, the sense of making a real difference in our communities and globally, a spiritual dimension… In my memory, the Body Shop perhaps best understood and exploited (not necessarily in a bad sense) this. But they were before their time. Lululemon is close. But there will be many more: successful businesses will find ways to act as partners in shared stories that address our needs and desires, and weave together the social, the commercial, the emotional and spiritual into extended, and profitable, shared experiences.

The experience must be truthful. If there is one thing for which tolerance is evaporating rapidly, it is deception in the market. And sustainable relationships and real experiences cannot be built on lies. It will be interesting to watch as the marketing, PR, and branding universe adjusts to the truth that whatever else consumers will demand, it is… the truth. Punishment for deception will be swift and many times fatal, as the social networks (including many of the consumer rating sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp mentioned above) spread bad news at a speed with a reach we have not seen before.

I help organizations improve communication through leadership & management-level workshops & coaching. Check out my website to learn about the different ways I can support your organization.

There’s more! Looking for success in your small business? Read my Small Business blog at Small Business Fundamentals (www.smbfundamentals.com).

Too shy to leave a comment? That’s cool. +1′s and tweets are appreciated too!

Xobni is add-on software for Microsoft Outlook (and other platforms). After installing Xobni, connecting it with your various social accounts, and letting it do its data-gathering thing, it sits to the side of your Outlook window.

Xobni can store all of your data in the cloud where you have syncing capability with almost every device and platform you use (Pro version). It puts any other form of contact data syncing to shame.

When you click on an email in your inbox, in a sidebar Xobni shows you:

We’ve all heard the stories so many times we’ve kind of come to expect them: the stories of celebrities who seem to have everything until the mask slips. Then they seem to have nothing.

Alcoholism, addictions, emptiness, abuse, loneliness, issues with debt, self-esteem, shattered families.

Yet even though we know all that, we still too often find ourselves in a new environment, surrounded by seemingly successful people, feeling a serious case of ‘imposter syndrome’ coming on. Why do we do that? Why do we understand the pains and struggles of our own journeys, and the repeated . . . → Read More: It’s Not What it Seems – Finding Your Confidence]]> Share/Bookmark

It’s never what it seems…

We’ve all heard the stories so many times we’ve kind of come to expect them: the stories of celebrities who seem to have everything until the mask slips. Then they seem to have nothing.

Alcoholism, addictions, emptiness, abuse, loneliness, issues with debt, self-esteem, shattered families.

Yet even though we know all that, we still too often find ourselves in a new environment, surrounded by seemingly successful people, feeling a serious case of ‘imposter syndrome’ coming on. Why do we do that? Why do we understand the pains and struggles of our own journeys, and the repeated paparazzi-fueled defrocking of one celebrity emperor after another, and still continue to assume the charismatic, confident looking person in front of us at the networking lunch must really have it all?

We don’t. The celebrities don’t. Why do we assume the person standing in front of us does?

Finding your confidence…

I don’t know why those beliefs in the success of others are so persistent, or why we feel our worth threatened in that way. But I do have 5 things to think about that will help you find that confidence:

1. Show up as yourself. There isn’t anyone else like you. You know what you know. You have seen what you have seen. And unless you have been sleepwalking through the last few decades you have stories and perspectives to share that will always add value to a real conversation. Even your ignorance, when kept in an honest perspective, adds value: you are willing to learn, and others are always willing to teach.
2. Assume nothing. Including the success or confidence of others. Before you walk into the room, or open your mouth, empty your mind of whatever assumptions you have about everyone else and start with a deliberate blank slate. You will be stunned to discover that almost no one is who they appear to be, and as Jeff Hadden wrote in the article that inspired this one: “The playing field is always more level than it seems.”
3. Questions, then silence. We are afraid that if we don’t contribute something we will be seen as uninteresting or of little value in the conversation. The opposite is true. People love being asked intelligent questions, and a good listener is worth 10 great speakers. As I teach in my Improv classes: “Always make the other person look good.” And if that doesn’t work, silence does. Truly confident people don’t feel the need to go on and on. They know what they know and the know who they are. There’s no need to prove anything.
4. Know what you know. This one is a bit of work, but powerful. Lots of us walk around with attitudes, experiences, opinions, and passionate beliefs floating around half-formed or partially articulated in our heads. Having those clearly articulated within ourselves is one of the foundations of confidence. The best way to build that foundation is by writing. Whether it is papers, articles, blogs, or journals and diaries, taking the time to revisit themes that matter to us over and over again frames them and deepens them. Then in conversation, don’t be afraid to weave those ideas and beliefs in wherever appropriate. You don’t have to go on about it (see #3) but you do have to speak those words many times to help them acquire that ring of confidence.
5. The trump card: gratitude. Negativity, sarcasm, and irony are the armour of the insecure. Like listening, gratitude is the sign of someone who has the quiet confidence to pay attention to their surroundings and to make others feel good. You’ve seen it: they may not have said the most at dinner, but they always seemed to have someone speaking to them, and then they were the first with a few warm words of genuine gratitude for their hosts.That warmth and gratitude are always the most attractive thing in the room.

What are the traits you have observed in those you think of as confident? Where are the places you find your own confidence?

Want to improve your communication with employees, partners,and customers? I help organizations improve communication through leadership & management-level workshops & coaching. Check out my website to learn about the different ways I can support your organization.

In my world, digital largely rules. My business, and a good chunk of my social life, are to be found in my Blackberry, my laptop, and an endless assortment of software. But one of my favourite things is my notebook. This goes with me everywhere, and is the primary repository for my client and meeting notes. And even with the growing avalanche of the next wave, tablet computers, I don’t see that changing any time soon. I love my paper notebook.

Let’s get the first question out of the way: “Sure, use a notebook, but why exactly Moleskine?”

Unlike various software platforms, Facebook has never really adopted the public version number (beta, 1.0, 1.x, 2.0…) game. It has been more organic and idiosyncratic than that. Certain changes do seem to have been on the ‘new model’ level however: news feeds (that introduction was interesting), fan pages, Facebook chat, the appearance and disappearance of tabbed profiles (Facebook ‘beta’), all might have been seen as new version numbers.

What about . . . → Read More: Facebook 3.0? New Feature Round-Up]]> Share/Bookmark

Facebook is experiencing seismic shocks as it tries one more time to find the perfect fit between our lives and desires, and the larger social (and social business) community.

Unlike various software platforms, Facebook has never really adopted the public version number (beta, 1.0, 1.x, 2.0…) game. It has been more organic and idiosyncratic than that. Certain changes do seem to have been on the ‘new model’ level however: news feeds (that introduction was interesting), fan pages, Facebook chat, the appearance and disappearance of tabbed profiles (Facebook ‘beta’), all might have been seen as new version numbers.

What about this time?

The effort to hold onto its dominance in the face of Google’s relentless attacks is evident. A series of integrated platforms (including Spotify and Netflix) and a huge make-over of the static profile/newsfeed experience means that the changes will be significant.

Here’s a summary:

1. Timeline. This is a significant (and visually attractive) make-over of the Profile that allows you to organize your life, including media, into a time-line of your life. This allows you to access your posts (text and media) by date. The biggest impact of this will be on your ability to retrieve older content that is now very difficult to get to. I am not sure of the business implications here yet, but from a user perspective, if this is done right, it could be a huge improvement in usability and quality of experience. And I can tell you right now it is going to be a HUGE time sink for some people! Privacy implication: not only can you now dig up your past, so can any of your ‘friends’. Once again pruning your profile and micro-managing your privacy settings is critical. 
2. Ticker. Just like a stock ticker, or for most of us more like a Twitter feed in a desktop client, this will be a side-bar with real-time updates of all of your friend’s activities on Facebook.
3. Apps. As users increasingly have their Facebook moments on their mobile devices, mobile apps are going to explode. In the new release there is a lot of talk about greater interactivity between apps and your profile. Basically they are promising a richer interactivity and media content. Privacy note: now more than ever, you should read the ‘permissions’ you grant applications before you install them on your desktop or phone.
4. Gestures. Forget ‘Like’. You will be soon able to ‘Adore’ or ‘Hate’ that comment, picture, video… anything. I can’t wait to see what that looks like when it hits full implementation. Again, the public flow of your tastes and interactions will become increasingly nuanced and paint an increasingly accurate picture of you as a consumer. We’ll see what the privacy implications of this one are!

So, Google +, you’re up. What’s next?

The world is shrinking. Meanwhile, companies are growing and expanding. However, no matter the size of your business, you’ll likely cross paths with a customer from another culture. To be competitive and one step ahead of the competition, true business professionals need to be culturally savvy.

Not only is it important to be culturally aware when competing for new business and attracting new customers, but it’s also critical within internal business culture at companies – especially when the business is growing into new markets.

A perfect example is India, where people . . . → Read More: Kisses & Bows: Cross-Cultural Consulting]]> Share/Bookmark

A guest post by Claudia Waitman of Junction International

The world is shrinking. Meanwhile, companies are growing and expanding. However, no matter the size of your business, you’ll likely cross paths with a customer from another culture. To be competitive and one step ahead of the competition, true business professionals need to be culturally savvy.

Not only is it important to be culturally aware when competing for new business and attracting new customers, but it’s also critical within internal business culture at companies – especially when the business is growing into new markets.

A perfect example is India, where people will shake their head side-to-side to indicate that they agree with what you’re saying. This is the opposite of the United States, where people will shake their head side-to-side when disagreeing or to indicate no.

Following are a few more examples of how not only language varies by country and culture, but body language does too:

• Argentina: Even if people do not know each other the usual way to greet is with a kiss on the cheek. However, when people do know each other … they kiss on the cheek and hug. In formal or business occasions, among people that don’t know each other, a hand shake is more common.
• Brazil: In woman-woman and woman-man interactions, the most common way to greet is kissing one another on the cheeks. The number of kisses varies between one and three, depending on the place, but you always start from the right cheek. Hugs are also very common. In more formal contexts, people usually shake hands. All this is often complemented by a smile and “Oi!” or “Olá!” followed by questions to check how the other person is doing.
• France: When people do not know each other, as for a first meeting or for business matters, they shake hands. When people know each other, as between friends, or acquaintances or even colleagues in some cases (equal level, never boss/subordinate), they kiss.
• Japan: When meeting, people bow from the waist with their palms on their thighs and heels together
• Malaysia: Both hands touch the other person’s hands when meeting and are then brought back to the breast. This is referred to as a salame gesture. In Malaysia people also greet each other by saying “Where are you going?” The polite response is “Just for a walk.”
• Philippines: Most commonly, a limp handshake is all that is necessary.

Claudia Waitman, President & CEO of Junction International, has nearly 15 years of industry know-how. Claudia co-founded the company in 2008 and has had first-hand experience in the implementation of translation solutions and multilingual communications strategies for many corporations, large and small, in a variety of industries including marketing, pharmaceutical, healthcare, publishing, software, business, and legal. She has helped businesses and organizations expand their market opportunities and diversify their reach – both in the U.S. and abroad. Originally from Argentina, Claudia graduated as a Certified Public Translator in Spanish.

For more tips and advice on how to go global on a budget, visit www.junctioninternational.com. Follow Junction International via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Junction-International/64653052776 or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/JCTINT.

I have a client who owns a cooking school, and for whom I am helping write website content. Her customers are mostly women, between the ages of 35 to 70. They hear about her cooking classes from friends who are current or past students, and they usually attend in pairs or groups. Here is a conversation we had:

Me: I see your web designer has included a Twitter icon on your banner. Are you planning on using Twitter as a communication tool?

My client: Yes, I was planning on using Twitter. My web . . . → Read More: If You Must Tweet, Choose Your Tweeter Wisely]]> Share/Bookmark

Guest post by Maeve Maguire

I have a client who owns a cooking school, and for whom I am helping write website content. Her customers are mostly women, between the ages of 35 to 70. They hear about her cooking classes from friends who are current or past students, and they usually attend in pairs or groups. Here is a conversation we had:

Me: I see your web designer has included a Twitter icon on your banner. Are you planning on using Twitter as a communication tool?

My client: Yes, I was planning on using Twitter. My web designer says he can write tweets for me. He uses software that enables him to pre-plan and book tweets so that he can write, say, two weeks’ worth of tweets in an evening.

Yikes.

Does anyone else feel uncomfortable with this arrangement? My client is willing to hand over her company communications to her web designer—whose expertise is in web design, not communication or cooking—and pay for the service. What bothered me most is she isn’t the first client to tell me this.

It got me thinking: The goal is to get more customers and earn money to achieve financial freedom which improves the quality of your physical, emotional, and spiritual life (or similar), yes? Can Twitter, and other social media, lead my clients to this goal?

Peter Shankman spells out the answer to my question in his (refreshingly) irascible article called, Why I Will Never, Ever Hire A “Social Media Expert. He writes, “We’re making the same mistakes we made in the DotCom era, where everyone thought that just adding the term .com to your corporate logo made you instantly credible. It didn’t.” In other words, including Twitter and Facebook in your communication strategy may be trendy, but it also may waste your time and money.

Shankman reminds us (in capital letters, to leave no doubt of his conviction) what good business is, “IT’S ABOUT GENERATING REVENUE THROUGH SOLID MARKETING AND STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE.” Then, in case anyone with a Twitter account or Facebook business page didn’t feel foolish enough already, he adds, “JUST LIKE IT’S BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME.”

He goes on to remind us that transparency, relevance, and excellent writing are what make marketing great. And, when you’ve nailed down a brilliant brand message, you deliver it in a way your customer can receive it. He says, “If you’re tweeting all your discounts, and none of your customers are on Twitter, then you sir, are an idiot.”

Social media works…for some businesses. Ask your customers if they use social media to learn about your service. If they do, only then consult a communications professional for advice on how to apply it to your business.

Twitter isn’t rocket science (you can learn how to use it, and the “pre-planning” tools, in five minutes), but if you use it, know that it takes time to do it well. If you choose to outsource this job, hire an individual who understands your market and your brand, and who knows how to tweet—in that order.

Read Shankman’s full article at http://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-will-never-ever-hire-a-social-media-expert-2011-5.

Maeve Maguire is a writer who specializes in online communications. She has been writing website content, technical documents, and marketing collateral for over 10 years for companies based in Canada and the UK. Learn more about Maeve’s writing services at www.describewriting.com, or read her blog about life in the Cowichan Valley at www.cowichandale.com.

Message from Clemens:

Want to become a Twitter ‘Power User’? Can you see the value of harnessing Twitter to fuel social media marketing for your business? Join Clemens Rettich for his 6-session online Twitter BootCamp.

That would be fun.

This is part 2 of my totally subjective series on tools and techniques that make my online work easier. I am not a full time social media/blogger person, but I use social media to support my work and relationships as a coach, speaker, and teacher. These are the tools and approaches that help me do that in my ‘spare’ time, and still be effective.

LinkedIn Groups. . . . → Read More: Nitro Pack 2: 4 More Social Media Power Tips and Tools]]> Share/Bookmark

I really want one of those guys they get on certain AM radio stations to announce the title of this series in that super-manly-EQ’d-for-testosterone voice they use for monster car shows.

That would be fun.

This is part 2 of my totally subjective series on tools and techniques that make my online work easier. I am not a full time social media/blogger person, but I use social media to support my work and relationships as a coach, speaker, and teacher. These are the tools and approaches that help me do that in my ‘spare’ time, and still be effective.

LinkedIn Groups. If I could pick one place that gives me the best return on my investment of time, it would have to be LinkedIn Groups. Not only do they drive a lot of my blog traffic (I post almost ever article I write to the appropriate groups), they are also home for 90% of the comments and conversations that my articles inspire. For a while I stressed that those comments weren’t collecting on my blog sites, but then I realized it doesn’t really matter. Who gives a crap how it “looks” that there are few comments on my posts, as long as the conversation is happening somewhere. And the quality of most of those conversations on the LinkedIn groups has been stellar. They are thoughtful and provocative.

LinkedIn Today & LinkedIn Signal. I know. It’s kind of a LinkedIn love fest. But truly, when I look for pure quality in terms of content curation, I think LinkedIn does it better than anyone else. LinkedIn Today aggregates articles by industry and shows you who within your larger network is reading them. You can sort by industry and location. All of that is great (and I wish there was a way to assemble and post a page of my favourites a la paper.li), but the best part really is the quality. I find the articles consistently of better-than-average quality. LinkedIn Signal is a way of reading Twitter and LinkedIn posts in one place. The fun part of it is the ability to use check boxes to narrow your feed by things like level of connection, location, company, industry, etc. There is another column of trending links: which articles, based on the parameters you have set for your feed, are receiving the most mentions on LinkedIn and Twitter. By checking “1st Connections” and entering a search topic, I can see a feed of what everyone directly connected to me on LinkedIn has recently said on a topic.

WordPress Jetpack. This simple, elegant little collection of tools improves the experience of WordPress, especially when combined with WordPress 3.2 and higher. My favourite part is the light-weight stats display. This is no Google Analytics, but it is easier to use, and gives me the information I need at a glance: number of visitors (by day, week, or month), readers-per-article, links clicked, and where visitors came from. It is enough to tell you whether your current content strategies are working, and what kinds of search terms and link sources are bringing readers to you.

Trending articles. Few things attract the social human better than other social humans. We love crowded restaurants and shy away from empty ones. In that spirit I use Jetpack statistics to see which of my articles are the ‘most read’ in a week or a month and then I share that. On Facebook, Twitter, and in my newsletters, I list my “most read of the week/month”, and that inevitably gives those articles another shot of traffic. As I tell my business clients, “ride the wave that is.” You are not going to boost sales by really pushing products no one is buying. The same principle applies to your writing. It might seem cruel to let unread articles languish in the dark corners of your archives, but running this little popularity contest really is the better way to drive up your readership.

Want to become a Twitter ‘Power User’? Can you see the value of harnessing Twitter to really fuel social media marketing for your business? Join me for my 6-session online Twitter BootCamp.

Want to improve your communication with employees, partners, and customers? I help organizations improve communication through social media strategies and management-level workshops. Check out these opportunities to work with me online, from anywhere in the world:  Effective Online Coaching Programs.

There is a constant flow of new tools to support the challenging work of managing your social media work. Managing the lists, posts, schedules, and conversations that create an effective social media presence for a business is a huge time and organizational commitment. Some of the tools created to support that work are wonderful, others not so much.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing about some of my favourite social media power tips and tools. These are all things that make it possible for someone like me, with a family and a thriving business with flesh-and-blood . . . → Read More: Nitro Pack 1: 4 Social Media Power Tips and Tools]]> Share/Bookmark

There is a constant flow of new tools to support the challenging work of managing your social media work. Managing the lists, posts, schedules, and conversations that create an effective social media presence for a business is a huge time and organizational commitment. Some of the tools created to support that work are wonderful, others not so much.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing about some of my favourite social media power tips and tools. These are all things that make it possible for someone like me, with a family and a thriving business with flesh-and-blood clients, to manage a social media presence to supports that business.

Windows Live Writer – I love writing my blog posts on WLW. I don’t have to be connected to the internet or distracted by all the tabs, buttons, and menus that surround my WordPress editor in my browser. The local Save & Post draft to blog functions mean I can keep one copy of my articles on my computer, and update my drafts online with the click of a button. Windows Live Writer also allows me to manage multiple blogs from one clean, very easy-to-use interface. But my favourite WLW feature? The way the Hyperlink button works. When you copy a hyperlink from your browser, highlight text in WLW, and then click the Hyperlink button, the hyperlink you copied is pre-loaded! Just click insert. No pasting. Its just a little thing, but when you write as much as I do, each little click is one more step in a million!

Pinned Tabs – Both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox allow you to ‘pin’ your tabs to the top bar of the browser. Why is this useful? Because it does two things: it shrinks the tab to the size of the favicon (the little icon that represents a site), and it locks it in place on the tab bar. This means that I can have a set of mini-tabs for all of my favourite sites always one click away, and they persist if you close and re-open the browser. My browser of choice is Chrome right now and I have my Facebook page, two blogs, LinkedIn, etc. on permanent pinned tabs ready to go when I open my browser. To pin a tab, just right-click it and choose ‘Pin tab’.

Facebook Mentions – That’s right, you can use the @ in Facebook (Facebook calls it tagging)! This is one of my favourite ways to reinforce connections and remain front of mind on other Facebook business and brand Pages. I make a comment about something on my Page, but tag the name of the business or brand in my post using ‘@’. On the wall of my Facebook Page, I can write something like “Welcome to Facebook and soon to the community @The Old Firehouse Wine Bar! Can’t wait to see what you do, and celebrate it with a glass of wine!” Not only will the post show on my Page, it will also show up on the wall of The Old Firehouse Wine Bar. It is a classic ‘right’ social media gesture: the business I mention is promoted on my wall, and I am exposed to all of the visitors to the Page of the other business. Everyone gains.

TweetDeck – I swing back and forth between TweetDeck and Hootsuite, and often have them both open. In fact I have ‘pinned’ Hootsuite in Chrome. Overall though, I have to say I prefer TweetDeck. Hootsuite does have the advantage of being web-based, which means that no-matter which browser you open it in, your tabs, lists, and all of your preferences are right there. Also, with its use of tabs, Hootsuite makes the organizing of your multiple Twitter & Facebook lists, LinkedIn, and other social media channels a bit easier. However, I find TweetDeck to be much faster and easier to read. Also, there are a couple pretty serious bugs in Hootsuite that don’t ever seem to get fixed. The auto-complete when you start typing with ‘@’ seldom works, and Hootsuite misses lots of mentions that TweetDeck picks up. Of a dozen mentions that TweetDeck lists, I will switch to Hootsuite and see only 8 or 9. I make a point of thanking everyone who mentions me in their tweets, and don’t appreciate it when I miss someone because of a software error! For all of the pluses and minuses (and both have loyal fans), both programs definitely make it easier to manage Twitter. Once you get past a few dozen followers, you will want to subdivide them into lists. And the ability to display several lists at once in TweetDeck (including columns for Facebook and LinkedIn) makes managing large sets of Twitter lists so much easier.

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Want to become a Twitter ‘Power User’? Can you see the value of harnessing Twitter to really fuel social media marketing for your business? Join me for my 6-session online Twitter BootCamp.

Want to improve your communication with employees, partners, and customers? I help organizations improve communication through social media strategies and management-level workshops. Check out these opportunities to work with me online, from anywhere in the world:  Effective Online Coaching Programs.

Recently I was with a small business client who prided himself on his ability to “pick ‘em” when it came to employees. The client told me that a new employee was having some difficulties performing, but that she would come around. “I’ve got great people instincts, and I think this one is going to work out great.” Sigh. We’ve been here before.

“No.” I said. “You don’t…” And proceeded to remind him of . . . → Read More: Where are Your Blind Spots?]]> Share/Bookmark

One of the joys (and challenges) of being a business coach is that I get paid to tell the truth, especially when no one else will.

Recently I was with a small business client who prided himself on his ability to “pick ‘em” when it came to employees. The client told me that a new employee was having some difficulties performing, but that she would come around. “I’ve got great people instincts, and I think this one is going to work out great.” Sigh. We’ve been here before.

“No.” I said. “You don’t…” And proceeded to remind him of the crazy track record he had of hiring too quickly and then taking forever to let people go, allowing and making excuses for damage caused along the way. He blinked a couple of times, and then agreed: this new employee had to go before her 90-day probationary period was up.

The client and I have enough history to cut to the chase like this.

“Sir, we are going to crash.”

What does it take to bring that kind of honesty into your workplace when you are not a coach? What can you do, whether you are the employee or the employer, to ensure the quality of communication is high enough to ensure no one is driving off a cliff unaware?

1. Give permission. The pre-condition for honesty on a team is explicit and implicit permission. It is the role of the employer to set this tone by stating clearly that honesty is desired. It is then the employer’s role to back that up that talk with the right walk. As the employer, when you receive news you don’t want to hear, keep your body language neutral, and say “thank you.” Almost anything else you say, especially anything that smacks of excuses or blame, will undermine your call for honest feedback.
2. Act. Again as the employer, when you receive critical/negative feedback, you must act, even if you choose to stay with the status quo. If you do nothing, the implicit message is that employees are wasting their time (and risking their credibility) by drawing challenges to your attention. If you are not going to change what has been brought up, taking the time in to formally explain your decision to stay with the status quo qualifies as action. Take the feedback seriously, and be seen to take the feedback seriously.
3. Shoot straight. As the employee or peer, don’t second-guess intentions or try to outguess outcomes. The mental chess we play with ourselves “If I say this, then this might happen,” is paralyzing. If you have permission to provide feedback, accept that at face value. If you get shot down because the employer or team member turned out to be insincere in their request, then don’t do it again! You have the right now.
4. Respect the context. Follow this rule: “celebrate publically, and criticize privately” If you think someone did a great job, let the world know. If someone made a mistake, find a moment or place to provide that feedback in private. Few things will make people pull out the defensive weaponry faster than being criticized or challenged in front of others.
5. Respect the context (II). As the person seeking feedback, ensure that you are not putting the other person in an awkward position by ‘asking for it’ publically. If you really think there may be a serious problem with a decision you have made, do not ask for feedback in the middle of the shop floor. Honest feedback at a staff meeting requires a high level of trust. If there isn’t, you will get either vague and insincere “Looks good to me” kind of comments, or a polarizing situation because people feel like they have to form up ‘sides’ to support a negative opinion.
6. Keep it personal. For goodness sake don’t ever use email or anything except face-to-face conversation for tough questions or feedback. Don’t solicit potentially critical feedback by email, and don’t provide it that way either. Good feedback is framed in dialogue. It requires the ability to read every signal a person is putting out, including body language and tone of voice.

These thoughts were inspired by an excellent article by Barbara Pachter on the HBR Blog Network. Her article How to Tell the Boss His Fly Is Down is an excellent essay on the why’s and how’s of feedback. She makes some very strong points, including:

1. Without honest feedback you run the risk of obliviously continuing behaviours that are damaging your career and business.
2. The best way to get feedback in a challenging situation is from a coach. That can be anyone over whom you have no direct authority, and who has the responsibility to be honest with you.

Pachter’s article is a must-read for anyone in a leadership position.

Related articles:

Want the Truth? Permission and Gratitude Will Get It

The physics of Failure

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