The Chief Storyteller

When Nobody Is Looking, Character Still Counts: Make Your Business Stories Credible

Article Summary: Even when nobody is looking, character still counts. It is the fabric woven throughout our stories. It is the book behind the cover. As Abraham Lincoln said, “I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true.” Business stories teeming with character speak volumes on their own. Remaining true to the values of treating others with courtesy and respect is what gives our business stories lasting credibility. Most importantly, it is what compels other people to want to do business with us, over and over again.  <<< Read complete article below >>>

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When Nobody Is Looking, Character Still Counts: Make Your Business Stories Credible

© 2010. ThinkBusiness Magazine and The Chief Storyteller®, LLC. Used by permission.
Ira J. Koretsky
February 2010

A friend recently told me about a holiday shopping experience he had with his teenage son. As they were finishing their shopping, they just happened to be looking when some of their fellow shoppers thought they were not. Cutting in line at check out and making rude gestures to other drivers as they navigated crowded parking lots were some of the behaviors they observed. 

As many of us in the business world close the books on another year, what behaviors have we exhibited when we thought nobody was looking?  If you are looking for ways to strengthen your character, here are several of my favorites.
                       
Think of Everyone as the Next CEO
Years ago, when I joined ComedySportz, a professional improvisational humor team, I learned many valuable lessons for improving relationships and communication (see Treat Everyone Like a Key Decision Maker: How Improvisational Humor Training Helps You Sell).

One lesson that stood out was the concept of how people treat each other. I turned it into a business exercise with playing cards. At the end of the exercise, we talk about awareness of one’s words and actions. Invariably, many participants are surprised by how unaware they had been of their negative tone of voice and hurtful words they use.

Irrespective of where you perceive yourself to be in the hierarchy, you cannot go wrong by treating everyone as if they are the next CEO. This is particularly important for new leaders. Whether you realize it or not, everyone is watching to see how you treat people. Treat everyone with courtesy and respect and you will quickly earn trust. 

Helping Others Helps You
Duane, one of my new team members, has some great stories. While studying at The George Washington University for his MBA, one of his professors, Jerry Harvey (author of The Abilene Paradox and other Meditations on Management) had an interesting approach in his Individual and Group Dynamics Organizational Behavior class. Professor Harvey deliberately structured the final exam in a way that required a collaborative effort by the entire class.  Anything short of full class collaboration ended in a failing grade. On the day of the final, Professor Harvey arrived in the class, passed out the exam, and just as quickly, exited the classroom. Duane told me with a big smile, “There were no individual rock stars that day—only the most cohesive group I had ever worked with.”

In business, particularly in difficult economic times and results-driven environments, how often do you take the time to help your co-workers?  How easy is it to push-off requests for help from your co-workers when you yourself are stressed, particularly when the boss is not looking? Part of your success is often helping others to be successful.  
 
You Get Out of it What You Put into it
I was reminded of this lesson as I watched Conan O’Brien’s farewell on The Tonight Show. He told us that “if you work really hard and you’re kind, then amazing things will happen.” Think about the work you do, your interactions with your co-workers, and your relationships with your suppliers and customers. Are your outcomes in line with your expectations?  If not, it may be time to put a little more into your relationships.     

Why Character Still Counts
Even when nobody is looking, character still counts. It is the fabric woven throughout our stories. It is the book behind the cover. As Abraham Lincoln said, “I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true.” Business stories teeming with character speak volumes on their own. Remaining true to the values of treating others with courtesy and respect is what gives our business stories lasting credibility. Most importantly, it is what compels other people to want to do business with us, over and over again.


Ira Koretsky is the president of The Chief Storyteller®, a firm that turns your business stories and messages into results, with keynotes, workshops, training, and consulting. He can be reached at tbmag@thechiefstoryteller.com or www.TheChiefStoryteller.com.

10 Tips for Networking at Conferences as an Attendee

A client of mine is sending five people to a conference next week. The primary goals are to build contacts and find prospective clients.

I made some specific suggestions on how to maximize their time as they attend one big business blind date.

1. Be ready for "What Do You Do?" Start every conversation with passion and a compelling elevator speech.

2. Get invited to the parties and events where your ideal clients will be.

3. Do pre-work in advance to find out what opinion leaders, influencers, prospects, etc. are attending. Then set up meetings with them while at the conference before the conference even starts.

4. Talk to strangers. Avoid talking to people you know well. Now is the time to meet new people.

5. Avoid your competitors. See if you can find out in advance where your competitors are going to be in terms of booths, activities, and events. Then, ensure you are somewhere else.

6. Sponsor your own after party. Invite partners, clients, former clients, guests, and of course, prospects, influencers, opinion leaders, authors, bloggers, etc.

7. Coordinate with your teammates. Be deliberate when attending the same events. Have game plans, check-in points, and feedback loops.

8. Keep your conversations short. Spend up to 10 minutes per person. If you make a bona fide connection, even better because ending the conversation is easier. Your goal is to network and meet as many people as possible.

9. Offer valuable follow ups. Develop a set of give-aways and follow ups to make your follow up easier (see #10). Offer (a) white-papers; (b) references to articles, blogs, newspapers; (c) copies of magazine and newspaper articles; (d) books or references to an appropriate book; (e) information on upcoming events and conferences

10. Be different--follow up. Most people do not follow up. Suggest that you only follow up with the people that you made a moderate to strong connection with, that meet your ideal client profile, and where you believe that there is future value to you or both parties.

Social Media – Are You Connected?

I have been actively Tweeting for a month now.  As of this writing, I have accumulated 35 followers and am following 37 others.  I have also posted 53 tweets.  I am now an official microblogger.  More importantly, I am connected.

Like many of you, I attend a fairly robust number of business and social networking events each month.  I also interact with people every day in my job.  One of my favorite conversation starters has become, “Are you connected?”  Invariably, this question leads to another, “Do you tweet?” And then another, “Why not?”
 
For those who don’t, and a surprisingly large number of people I meet do not, the most common reasons are:

- I don’t know what to tweet about.
- I don’t know what I could say that someone else would find value in.
- I’m too busy and don’t have enough time to do it.

If any of these concerns sound familiar to you, I may be able to help.

Before I sent my first Tweet, I wondered what to send.  I knew it had to be something more consequential than “Just took my dog for his daily walk.”  I also wondered why anyone would care about the Tweet I had just posted; i.e., the answer to the “so what?” question.  And, yes, with multiple email and instant messaging accounts to manage, I wondered where I would find the time to deal with yet another electronic messaging medium.

One month and 53 tweets later, my own experience has taught me three things.

1. Twitter is a blank slate.  You can write about anything you want.  It’s helpful to begin with a story, either business or personal.

2. There are many people who love a good story.  Make it positive and fill it with content (i.e., some interesting fact that others can use, links to articles, blogs, photos) and you will build a list of followers.

3. Scanning through a list of 140-character or less headlines while at the gym is a great way to keep current in any topic(s) you choose.

 
Get connected.  One well-timed tweet could be your next conversation starter.

Snowstorms Make Great Networking Opportunities

Snowstorms make great networking opportunities.  They really do.

As my family and I dug ourselves out, we held conversations (albeit by talking across the street) with our neighbors as they, too, cleared their driveways.  We learned one neighbor’s kids weren’t helping because he only had one shovel.  We learned another neighbor’s wife was going to retire from her career job this summer.  We even received a compliment on how nice our driveway looked, only to be followed by the inevitable, “Now, where are you planning on going?”  He made a good point, since our roads were still buried in 28 inches of snow--we all laughed.

As the storm subsided, Lisa, my wife, and I went for a walk.  Walking in the unplowed streets proved to be more of a challenge than we had anticipated, so we didn’t get very far.  We did have an opportunity to network some more, though.  We got to meet Rudy, the dog who lives two doors down, and his owners.  Rudy, it turns out, doesn’t like the snow and is much friendlier than we had assumed.  Who knew?

Sometimes, the best networking opportunities just happen...even during a snowstorm.

Staying Connected Through the Handwritten Note

In this age of texting, email, tweets, and other forms of electronic and social media, when was the last time you received a handwritten note in the mail thanking you for a gift you may have given or a service you may have provided?

When someone takes the time to send a handwritten note, they are telling you they care about you, they appreciate what you have done for them, and that you matter.  In short, the message they are sending is that you are special and the connection you share is personal.

Stay connected. Send a handwritten note to someone you care about.  You just might make their day.

Character is What You Do When You Think Nobody is Looking

The other day as my teen aged son and I were finishing our holiday shopping, we just happened to be looking when some of our fellow shoppers thought we weren’t.  Cutting in line to be the first to check out, making rude gestures to other drivers as they navigated crowded streets and parking lots, and failing to yield their seats to elderly passengers on the Metro – none of these qualify as images any of us would use to describe ourselves at a family gathering.

As many of us in the business world rush to close out another year, what will our co-workers say about our character?  What behaviors have we exhibited when we thought nobody was looking?  How have we treated others who we thought were subordinate to us?

Character is the fabric that is woven throughout our story. It’s the book behind the cover.  It’s what gives our business stories credibility. Most importantly, it’s what compels other people to want to do business with us.

"Refrigerator Rights" and Why Organizations Covet Them

On Christmas, friends and family members gather to share dinner. For many of us, the day ends with leftovers and overnight house guests.

What happens when Uncle Joe wakes up in the middle of the night and is hungry? Does he wake the host to ask for something to eat? Of course not! He makes his way to the kitchen, where he helps himself to the leftovers in the refrigerator. He prepares a turkey sandwich with all the fixings and takes a seat at the table to enjoy it.

Uncle Joe can do this because he enjoys a close relationship with the host and he has earned "refrigerator rights." Uncle Joe is a trusted member of the family!

Have your customer-facing associates earned "refrigerator rights" among their stakeholders? Are they viewed as trusted members of their advisory teams?

Organizations whose associates have earned "refrigerator rights" are more likely to drive business process improvements, exceed fundraising goals, attain higher customer satisfaction ratings, and close higher margin sales than those without. Why? Stakeholders perceive their expertise as credible and trust them to help solve the business issues they are facing.

"Refrigerator rights" begin with a compelling message. The right message inspires people to act. It’s what gets your customer-facing associates into the kitchen. Investing time to understand the strengths and objectives of an organization, program, or initiative is what gains them a seat at the table. Developing and executing on a unified messaging strategy that delivers the results their stakeholders want is ultimately what earns them rights to the refrigerator.

I'm Six Foot Five...Can You Help Me?

William was seriously contemplating a last-minute trip to Europe. There were so many positive reasons to go. The hitch...he is six foot five inches. Unless he sits in the exit row, flying is very unpleasant for him. Over the course of two days we talked about how great the trip would be...and William always returned to the concern about the small seats.

I suggested that he call the airline directly and explain the situation to the booking agent. William balked and said that exit rows are impossible to get and with just a few days before departure, it would be impossible. "Ask" is what I suggested, say at least, five or six times.

Two days later William called excited. He is off to Europe! After just a few minutes of talking with the airline agent, he was able to secure an exit seat.

My father taught me early in my life about the power of asking. If you don't ask, nothing happens. In fact, I recently wrote about my father's advice in my ThinkBusiness article, "Life Lessons: Everything I Learned about Sales I Learned from My Parents."

Personalize or Don't Send the Mass Holiday Greeting Email

Today I received a mass email offering holiday greetings. The sender's name was unfamiliar and the organization name is not one that I do business with with. I emailed the sender and asked to unsubscribe. The next day I received an email from someone that I do know at that organization questioning why I was unsubscribing. I responded with (a) sender was unfamiliar (it was her assistant that emailed the note) and (b) I do not do business with the firm; and (c) that I had not heard from her in perhaps two years.

While I am a big fan of keeping in touch with people, mass holiday greetings are not the way to maintain and nurture relationships. If it is a choice of sending a mass email versus not sending, my suggestion is not to send. Here are just some of the reasons:
- impersonal (using the first name is not enough)
- can be viewed as lazy
- can be viewed as "I'm not that important for a personal note?"

If you are going to send email instead of the traditional printed card, then personalize the email with a few sentences that lets the reader know without question that the email is personalized.

Now is the Time to Connect and Reconnect

The holidays are the very best time to connect and reconnect. This time of year, people are especially nice and more easy-going.

So attend those holiday parties, send holiday greeting cards and emails, make some catch-up/how are you telephone calls, grab coffee or lunch, and so on.

Build, nurture, and maintain relationships.