Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Right Way to Get Your Ideas Heard

The crossing light is already flashing red, reminding you to speed it up. You're in the middle of rush hour, fighting swarms of people, while simultaneously tapping out a message to wrap up that urgent issue back at the office. All around you — hustling and bustling — are people headed to the grocery store, to the gym, to... somewhere.
Nearby, you hear this voice, asking... "Do you have two minutes to...?"
Will you stop to listen? Not very likely, is it?
Work looks a lot like that busy street corner. Hustling to keep up, our colleagues are taking on more and working harder. Even strategic issues are getting shorted; we spend less than two percent of our time discussing strategic issues. Given this context, new ideas have a tough time being heard. It's no wonder that our colleagues resort to some aggressive approaches to get theirs on our radar screens. Here are some that I've seen recently:
Rapid-fire ideas. Don't pause to see if any of them are catching on — just keep going, guns a-blazin'. This is the Rambo approach, akin to Sylvester Stallone armed with the biggest-gun-you-ever-saw delivering a one-man barrage of shock and awe. Carried into work, it suggests that if you just fire off enough ideas, at least one will hit the mark.
Be super-friendly. Recognizing that trust and camaraderie can help get your ideas a moment of consideration, you work the relationships. This is the Sally Field approach (You like me! You really like me!). The problem is that the focus is on the personal relationship, rather than the merit of the idea.
Hijack the discussion. Just as someone else is putting forth an idea, use a contradictory word or phrase, such as "but," "no", or "I disagree." to interject. You could even do it more insidiously by saying "Great idea. We could also try..." As attention swivels in your direction, direct the conversation to your own idea under the guise of adding commentary. While you're at it, affectionately mention some of your previous ideas. This contrarian and dismissive approach — best exemplified for me by the movie critic Roger Ebert — is unfortunately commonplace. While acceptable with professional critics, it's just plain annoying at work.
As much as we'd like to deny we do this, we can at least admit to being tempted to use techniques like these to give our ideas a chance to be heard. Add (in the comments section) your own pet peeves from your work setting, and we'll have good collection of how not to do it. While any of these methods might be successful in the short run, they typically only result in surfacing the idea, which rarely influences others or gets acted upon.
And that is really is the point. Remember that the goal of offering a new idea is to move the organization forward. We want to serve the needed role of protagonist: someone who helps organizations become more competitive because of their ability to name issues, point to new horizons and create solutions. The goal then is to not only speak up but to be heard.
To be heard implies speaking up in such a way that the idea is given a chance to influence the organization and be acted upon. To be effectively heard, you need to recognize the context, plan your approach, and adjust your style to communicate ideas that, with any luck, will connect with the needs of the business.
Let me offer six better techniques to getting your ideas heard:
  1. Be an anthropologist. There are so many tools for learning about people — what topics they track, what they value, how they approach their work, their opinions. Figure out what your colleagues care about. If they blog, read 'em. If they tweet, follow 'em. Their LinkedIn.com endorsements also tell a story. Observe, learn what makes them tick, andshape your idea to the receiver's perspective.
  2. Have a perspective. Many people show up at meetings unable to offer a well-considered opinion. If you don't have an informed perspective, then you risk being labeled a Doer, someone ill-suited to being a protagonist. Doers don't need seats at the table; no, they can be told what to do via email. When we are working on tough problems — whether it is a new direction or a product or program — we will seek out the folks who are co-thinkers, to become co-creators of our destiny. If you want that role, then come ready to meetings, with a point of view. Sometimes offering a perspective can be as simple as knowing what questions you want to ask.
  3. Create relevance. Every argument can benefit from relevant quantitative data. Figure out which facts matter and get 'em. Even in early markets where the data is still fuzzy, you can figure out if something is the size of a breadbox or a Humvee. Real customer stories and anecdotes are great; backing those up with facts is even better.
  4. Choose your medium. If these are people who value numbers, use an Excel spreadsheet. If they value good graphics, invest there. Better yet, tell a story that weaves together facts of importance in ways people can get lost in. Facts go in and go out, but ideas that stick always have stories that create meaning and resonance.
  5. Answer the question of "why not." When we can understand the risks, flaws and options more fully, we go from being just an advocate of one idea to being an advocate for the organization. Complex issues deserve each of us thinking about them robustly.
  6. Be passionate. Our point of view is based on our experiences and observations; your idea may not be something that the rest of the group is thinking about yet. This means you're going to need to explain it to them. If you do it in a way that is about you being in love with the idea rather than about you being right, someone else just might fall in love with that idea, too. Being passionate does not mean having an outburst, but being clear-minded about your approach. A commentator on a recent post, wrote that the the best words are spoken with the most honest, curious (not challenging), and genuine voice. This speaks to a kind of ego-less-ness that is passionate about doing the right thing for the business.
There is a scarily fine line between being perceived as a self-serving scene-stealer vs. someone with valid ideas that need to be considered for the good of the organization. To be a protagonist, you've got to not only speak up and be heard, but to do it in a way that advances the organization's goals. That's the difference between street corner chaos and actually being heard.

Transparency and Mergers

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When it comes to business growth, I have learned that communication is tantamount to internal and external success, especially when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. A merger or acquisition is a
sensitive process for all parties involved. Misinformation can abound, egos can be bruised and business relationships can be damaged.
In my experience, implementing a transparent communications program ensures that employees and the marketplace understand exactly how the deal will affect them. Without transparency, employees and stakeholders can lose confidence in the company. A flawless response time and communication routes are just as crucial when it comes to easing the concerns of employees, investors, vendors, customers and even the media. Here are some other lessons I learned:

Quick, Precise Response
When it comes to mergers, I make it a point to anticipate and respond to rumors as soon as a deal seems imminent. I do this by immediately identifying “key messages” that contain useful and comprehensive information. Initiating a proactive strategy—which includes face-to-face meetings with those most affected by the deal—a schedule of updates and a plan for eleventh-hour changes is
also essential when it comes to creating a smooth transition process.
To ensure the transition is unaffected by exigent circumstances, I identify communication vehicles that will effectively reach my target audiences. More importantly, I establish a plan for which communication routes should be employed first. Nothing is worse than having employees find out about a major change in the company from acquaintances. These concerns should be addressed long before the rumor mill kicks into action.

Internal Communications
When announcing a merger or acquisition, I try my best to provide accurate information and avoid making promises I can’t keep. Falsely assuring employees that jobs will not be lost is detrimental to the mergers and acquisitions process, as well as overall operations, employee morale and business. If time is taken to discuss the deal’s benefits and drawbacks, employees are more likely to respond positively instead of resisting change.
Over the years, I have found that employees expect straightforward and honest information; that’s no different when it comes to mergers or acquisitions. I try to anticipate questions that may arise and have a solid answer prepared for each. What’s more, I do my best to ensure that regular updates are communicated through management, Q&A sessions, staff meetings, company newsletters and e-mails.

External Communications
Alerting employees is not the end of my responsibilities. Stakeholders, customers, vendors, community members and other key audiences hold specific interests in a company. Utilizing media relations throughout the mergers and acquisition process can help me reach out to these groups. Furthermore, communicating with key media outlets offers a means for publicizing a name change, reducing customer loss and launching new market and/or services announcements. Fostering this relationship also allows me to better control the message that is being communicated about the company.
All in all, I’ve found that the perfect mix of internal and external communication plans involves implementing communications quickly, using all available communication routes and delivering clear and accurate messages. Companies that make communications plans a priority during a merger or acquisition will emerge from the process as an organization that stakeholders, employees and the media can trust. And trust is what good business is all about.

Tips for Writing a Compelling Job Description

job_bullseye
Before we interview candidates, we have to get top talent in the marketplace interested and excited enough to apply. We have found that one of the best ways to do this is with a well-crafted job description. Here are some of the things we do to ensure we produce elite hires for our clients.

Known What You Want (Sharpen Your Focus)It is important that we focus our job description on capturing a prospective employees’ attention and interest, and that we have a clear vision of the type of person we want to hire. For example, we may be looking for a marketing guru to help us take our business to the next level. In this case, we would look for someone who understands the potential of the various marketing levers available and knows, or is interested in learning, how to use them. We would cater to this type of person when writing our job description, as this is quite often the only opportunity to “market” a role to a target audience.

Know What THEY WantBefore we can set out to create a job description that will attract top talent, it’s important for us to understand the things our client’s target demographic view as important. Job traits like frequent travel might seem great to young professionals who aren’t tied down, but they could be a deterrent to senior executives who value spending time at home with the family. We figure out what it is the target candidates value, and then we highlight the ones that our client offers.

Answer The “Why” (Benefits vs. Features)Many job descriptions simply list the duties and responsibilities of the position, followed by a list of skills or experiences the role requires. Since the opportunity we are describing also offers unique benefits to job seekers—like a chance to work with the agency’s most famous clients or get in on the ground floor of a new client/agency relationship—we ensure the job description communicates them. When a person asks themselves “Why do I want to work here?”, we give them the answer to that question.

Sell Your CompanyWhatever position we are recruiting for probably exists in other companies. While it’s important to communicate specifics about the role itself, it’s also critical to convey information about our client’s company. A great candidate is not just applying for an opportunity; they’re joining what they hope is an innovative team. There are a lot of great things about our clients that employees value, and we do our best to explain how the job will help the candidate achieve their objectives and fast-track their marketing career.

Make It InspirationalJob descriptions shouldn’t just be informational… they should be inspirational! When it comes to actually writing the job description, we have found that there are a few important points to consider. Here is what we do to make our job description stand out:
  • We write job descriptions in a natural voice that conveys some of the personality of our client’s companies.
  • We avoid clichés and keep the business jargon to a minimum.
  • We ensure the most appealing aspects of the job are highlighted and stand out.
  • When we’re done, we read it back to ourselves. We also put ourselves in the reader’s shoes and ask: “Would I be excited about this opportunity?”
Finding a great hire in today’s viral network can be a daunting task, but with the right preparation and delivery, it can net some fantastic employees.

What Are Your Social Media Goals?

You log into twitter and facebook everyday,  you read tweets, you comment on your friends facebook wall, you retweet blog post, at the end of the day, what are your social media goals? What are you trying to achieve from social media?

A tweet caught my attention recently. It mentioned that if we post 20 tweets a day we should blog and pay ourselves first. It got me thinking about the amount of time that we spent on social networking daily and whether it is influencing our productivity time.