Really Biggggg News:  For the past several months my staff and I have been working on a totally new look and presence for our website.  And, I am inviting you to not only cruise through it but give me your response!  That’s right, go to www.execenrichment.com and then send me an appraisal of the “look” and “content” of the site.  I value your opinion and partnership in my growing community of LeMonAide colleagues.  In addition to the new website, we are phasing out our AOL e-mail account.  Please change your records to reflect our new e-mail address is cal@execenrichment.com (replacing execenrichment@aol.com).

You do not agree, but your resistance could cost you your job.

It is your annual performance review.  You and your boss are huddled in his/her office and what you just read in the final paragraph of this annual document is, in your opinion, not true.  

The words were arranged like this, “_______ has not reached the goals which were mutually agreed upon for this past year.  If there is no significant improvement in the next six months, a performance improvement plan should be established and completed by this employee.”

What do you say and do in the annual performance review when you honestly believe the conclusions reached by your manager are in error and maybe a clandestine attempt to terminate your career with this organization?

Sequentially, here is a procedural and emotional plan for this difficult moment in your work career.

First, do not interrupt.  Don’t blurt out, “You know that isn’t true!”  Remain silent because any interruption will be viewed as further proof you are not “a person of value” for your workplace.

Second, once the statement comes to a grinding end, ask this question, “Do I have your support if I work diligently and exceed the goals set for me this coming year?”

This is an important question because it addresses the vortex of this conversation.  If there is no “support” for you and your work from your immediate manager, there is “writing on the wall” which is unmistakable.  You will never succeed in this work environment if your boss is not committed to your success.  You can jump through all the right hoops this coming year, but if this person does not support you…well, you see the end-game here.

Third, assuming you have the goodwill and support of your boss, write your own performance improvement plan and present it to your manager for revisions and additions.  Once the plan is acceptable to both of you, you will now have the emotional energy to fulfill its requirements.

Fourth, take the initiative to make regular appointments with your boss to give an update about your successes and frustrations about the performance plan.  If you take the lead, you take control.  Make sure each session is followed up with a written account of what you discussed and your boss’ response.  Conclude this written report with, “If there are any changes or additions you need to make to this performance plan update, please respond in writing.”  This is your protection when you come to the next annual performance review and discover there are “surprises.”

Finally, verbally engage your boss throughout the year about his/her appraisal of your work.  This can be a series of informal conversations but I suggest you keep a written log about the content and results of these one-on-one informal evaluations.  Remember, no one will take care of your career as well as…you.

Honesty is the best policy.  I have not finished reading this book but it will be just another day until I have gobbled up its enticing premise.

A dear friend of mind loaned me a copy of A Whole New Mind (Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future) by Daniel H. Pink (ISBN:  1-57322-308-5).

If you have ever attended one of my presentations you will remember I continually draw a distinction between our need to do the job right or satisfy the “cognitive,” but the real issue in the room is not how “smart” people are around the table but whether or not their “affect” gives permission for them to be a team and then collaboratively get something done before they leave.  I have found a book that builds a strong foundation under my words.

Daniel Pink’s premise is the people who will rule the way we live, work and savor life are the right-brainers.  Specifically, he lists six competencies the “affect” people will bring to our world-wide table:  design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning.

I only have a few lines here to turn you on to this prophetic book, so I will let Daniel Pink speak for himself, “Today, the defining skills of the previous era—the ‘left brain’ capabilities that powered the Information Age—are necessary but no longer sufficient…for individuals, families, and organizations, professional success and personal fulfillment now require a whole new mind.”

This book will be irresistible because its approach will envelope both sides of your brain:  the whole new mind.  A great read.

New Article for Free Download

My latest contribution to your reading or organizational newsletter is an article entitled, Responding to the “Drama” at Work.  Below you will find an excerpt which will give you an idea of what I mean by “drama.”

You have seen it all before:  exaggerated facial expressions, arms rotating like a Dutch windmill in a 70 mph gale, voices raised in crescendos of vibrato, hands drawing imaginary pictures of extreme pathos and tears cascading in torrents of internal torture.  You get the picture.

Do people in your workplace need help eradicating the off-the-chart-emotional-episodes daily making command performances? Download this free article.  You will discover my practical suggestions are designed to meet the needs of both management and staff who are tired of the tryouts for the Oscars…at work.

To access the article, go to www.execenrichment.com and click the Free Resources section.  You’ll see the article, along with previous articles, listed there.

New Course for Customer Service Skills

Lately my clients have been asking me to design and present curriculum for staff who have, what I call, “the customer connection.”  These are staff who either are on the telephone, the Internet, or have “face-time” with the customer.  In this economy, customer satisfaction will often determine if you keep the front door open.

Go to my web site at www.execenrichment.com, and choose Services on the Home Page, then click on Workshops and finally choose “Extra-Ordinary Service from Extraordinary People.”  You will find a description of the course and the skills the participants will take back to your organization.  And, and as you know, all my presentations are genuinely customized because I will make a pre-training visit either on the telephone or in person to learn the specific ways to apply the content to your workplace culture.

“Skills to Say What You Want to Say”

I have eight, 50 minute training programs on CD which are presently available on my web site.

The one that has recently been getting a lot of interest is “Skills to Say What You Want to Say.”  The recording of this CD in a professional studio used the “radio theatre” motif to illustrate my content.  You will hear professional actors surrounded by “workplace noise” who will make the learning entertaining and applicable.  Not sure what to say tomorrow at work?  Try this resource.

To order the CD, go to www.execenrichment.com and choose the Shop Our Store option.  The price for the CD is $12.00, which includes shipping expenses.

If you are part of a conversation about work-related issues with three or four people in the room, when is it appropriate to break into this verbal mêlée?

Your first consideration is, “Am I providing something which has not already been said?”  If your position has been appropriately represented by someone else, repetition is not appreciated.

Second, if you have ancillary information which the group needs, it is appropriate for you to get the attention of everyone by slightly raising your hand when the last speaker is obviously concluding.  This non-verbal message says, in effect, “I want to be next.”

Finally, it is never business etiquette to barge in with an invective like, “Just a minute, you people….”  We know people who use this “gladiator approach” and…we abhor their manners.

I have sat on the sidelines for the past two years, but I have taken the plunge!  I just purchased the Apple iPhone and it is one of the best technological gadgets I have ever owned for managing my time.

Specifically, I find the “calendar” feature foolproof.  When I enter events and appointments, they show up in a red box on my daily schedule.  I begin each day by calling up my appointments and it is visually easy to see where I need to be and by what time.

The “alerts” for my calendar events can be from five minutes to two days prior to when I am supposed to show up.

I also appreciate a large area for me to enter “notes” about the appointment.  This feature is especially helpful when I am preparing for a conversation and I need to refresh my mind with the salient points from my previous contact with this person.  

This is not an advertisement to go out and buy the iPhone.  If you have one, make sure you delve into all the assets it provides for you to manage your time.

I have belonged to two airline “clubs” for the past 22 years.  I have just found a way to save money and double the number of clubs I can frequent when I need a clean, quiet place to relax or work between flights.  This may interest you.

I use an American Express credit card for all my travel expenses.  I have been a faithful member of American Express since 1973!

After reading some promotional material I found I could upgrade my card, from “gold” to “platinum” for an additional $100.00 per year.  What I got was a credit card that, when I enter an American, Continental, Delta, or Northwest airport club, I can be admitted free if I show a valid boarding pass for that particular airline and my Platinum American Express card.

The only major airline not part of this program is United Airlines.

I was annually paying in excess of $600.00 for my two airline club membership.  With my American Express upgraded card I am now saving $500.00 a year and getting twice the options I had before.

I have just recorded a new podcast, “How to Create a Dream Out of a Nightmare.”  If the recent past has not been kind to you or your place of employment, you will learn specific actions you can take from my nine-step process for turning bad news into the best thing that ever happened to you.  

To hear the podcast, go to Free Resources on the www.execenrichment.com website.  Choose the Podcasts option and you can listen to the recording.

The best sales pitch you have is your last satisfied client.  Here are three ideas on how to use this valuable resource for your next sale.

First, when you meet with a prospective client, be prepared to present copies of letters from satisfied, enthusiastic clients.  Of course these letters must be approved by the writers for distribution.

Second, and this is the coming tech-savvy thing to do, ask your wild and crazy turned-on customers if they would be willing to give you a quick endorsement on video.  There are a variety of small, hand-held video cameras which are easy to keep in a briefcase or even a pocket.  You can send these to a potential client as an attachment to an e-mail.

Finally, if you presently do not have a website, create one.  The option for would-be clients to read about you and your product through the Internet is a resource you cannot ignore.  Place written and video endorsements from your clients all over your site.  If you want to know if I believe in this client-endorsement principle for increased sales, go to www.execenrichment.com!

Recently, an avid reader of LeMonAide asked for some specific information about commonly confused word pairs.  Here is my response.  You may want to print this part of LeMonAide and post it on a wall next to your computer.  

What is the difference between than and then?  Than is used as a conjunction introducing a dependent clause of comparison.  Then is an adverb which means “at that time” or “next.”

Look at these illustrations:  The age when you can apply for Social Security is higher now than it was then.  The new company told us they could handle this account better than we.

What is the difference between glean and gleam?  Glean is a verb meaning “to gather.”  The farmer went into the fields to glean the rest of the crop.

Gleam is a noun.  She clearly saw the gleam in his eye.  This word can also be used in the verb form as a gerund, He was gleaming with pride.

What is the difference between fathom and phantom?  Fathom is a noun meaning a measurement of depth.  The scuba diver dove down twelve fathoms.

Phantom is a noun meaning “something that appears to have no known physical form, an apparition.”  When he came down the stairs in the middle of the night there was a phantom of his father in the kitchen.

So, I hope you are gleaning more of the gleaming nuggets of knowledge in this issue of LeMonAide than you did in the January issue.