On the Move...

Thank you for visiting and reading this blog.  I hope you're enjoying it as much I do writing it.

I'm moving the location of this blog. You'll be able to find my latest posts at: http://www.kenokel.com/blog/

There I'll be able to continue posting as well as add some new surprises.

Take care,
Ken

Do You Support Your Support Staff?

On the day when we honor administrative and support staff you might want to do more for your admins than get them a potted plant.  A new survey of more than  4,400 administrative professionals and 500 managers found that:

• Half of the managers say their admins help their companies reduce spending.
• One-third of the manager say their administrative professionals help them with technology.
• More than half of of the admins have managed volunteer and fundraising activities in the workplace.  

The study from OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals states that in today's economy, administrative professionals are doing more work and more varied work.

It also found that more than 80 percent, when offered, take courses to improve their professional skills.

To summarize, you have people who are doing more work in an organization and are taking advantage of opportunities to improve themselves by taking courses in things like accounting, budgeting, and purchasing.  So why does this survey concern me?

Because 51% of the admins say their employer does not offer them any leadership training, even though 96 percent of the staff say they would take it, were it offered.

Are companies missing out on developing great talent because they've pigeon holed employees into a limited role? Performance on the job should be recognized and nurtured.  If you have someone who understands your work culture, accepts new challenges, and improves their skills, then should they not be given the chance to grow their careers vertically in your organization?

Is the iPad the New Segway

Consumers have been trying to figure out the latest product from Apple.  Part laptop, part iPhone, it's a new device that comes with a healthy price tag.

There are people far more experienced than I who can rate the attributes of the device, although I'm open to testing one (Hope you heard that, Mr. Steve Jobs).  It sounds like a neat piece of technology but it may fall into a category of brilliant inventions that most people don't need.

I remember back in 2001 when the world was introduced to the Segway.  The personal transportation system was called revolutionary.  City planners were expected to redesign cities based on the two wheeled wonder.  Our landscapes were expected to be filled with these devices.

Nine years later, the Segway remains to be an interesting invention.  But its use seems limited to mostly places like shopping malls and airports.  Was it not a technological breakthrough?  Of course it was and still is.  But sometimes a good idea isn't one that's embraced by people in their everyday lives.

Both devices seem to share certain characteristics.  They showcase new technology, they have high price points, and it can be difficult to market or describe in just one sentence.

I'll be curious to see if the iPad becomes a much loved and used device or whether it will take a place in history as a good machine that eventually led to something better

3 Lessons from my Levi's

One of the things I like about giving presentations to companies is meeting a new group of people and exchanging ideas. Recently several attendees and I had a great discussion about the power of branding.

Later while changing my clothes, I was reminded how Levi Strauss & Company is one of the best in the business at branding. Just before I stuck my legs in the jeans I noticed a printed message on the outside of the inside flap of the pocket. From this short note, I've pulled three lessons that can maximize your brand.

Be Different: Often when you buy clothes the only message you get is a piece of paper telling you that it's been approved by Inspector #5 or worse, a sticker that ends up sticking to you! Some companies do have attached messages about their products. But they're gone once you remove them.

Levi's uses a non-traditional yet permanent location for its statement of principles. You can see it every time you put on and take off the jeans.

State Your Values: In a few short lines, Levi's states that you've bought an authentic pair of their jeans, their jeans have been around for more than 150 years, and that they are an American tradition that is popular worldwide.

There probably aren't a whole lot of differences between a pair of Levi's and all the other jeans on the market. But you wouldn't know that from how the company promotes itself. To them, you don't ask, "Are those a new pair of jeans?" but rather, "Are those a new pair of Levi's?"

A Call to Action: The message on the pocket also thanks the consumer for carefully examining the quality of the sewing and craftsmanship of the jeans. Instead of saying the jeans were inspected by #5, they're so confident in the workmanship, they're almost daring you to find an imperfection. Most people aren't going to carefully scan the stitches but you love the idea that it's a big deal to Levi Strauss & Company.

Keep your eye out for other good examples of branding. How a product makes you feel will likely determine whether you'll buy it.

What is Upset Math?

Many arguments and misunderstandings in the workplace can be tied back to a simple idea: Upset Math. This occurs when someone in the heat of an argument or discussion, grossly overstates a number or concept.

"You're late to work all the time," you might hear when in reality, it's only happened a couple of times. But one of those occasions may have come at a bad time for the other party. Suddenly the issue is magnified and you may feel like you're standing in front of a dam of complaints that is about to burst. Is it better to stay quiet or set the record straight?

Sometimes Upset Math occurs when a person of importance in an organization makes a comment that, in reality, bears no basis on fact. Suddenly a remark like, "Your sales team failed to reach its goal because we had two full moons this month," is universally accepted. Perhaps this is a way to cover up the fact that the recession is cutting into business and there's nothing to be done about it. That's a frightening and hard thing to face rather than letting some quirky event take the blame. But will this illusion serve your company?

If Upset Math becomes a part of your organization, your team could be in trouble. It distracts from real problems and solutions. It encourages blame and backstabbing. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are a victim of this behavior.

It's very hard to argue with someone whose argument has no basis in fact. Before long these things become shouting matches. It's never good to be a part of one of these. Resist the urge to fight back at that moment.

Go and do your homework. Check the facts and figures. Do they support your claim?

Present your findings. If you are correct, be gracious. Say that you wanted to dig deeper into the situation and this is what you found. Don't say, "I told you so and you were wrong." That could give you a reputation for being right all the time, which would make you guilt of Upset Math.

Could Favors Kill Your Career?

Is it me or are there two kinds of people in the world when it comes to favors? Those who ask for favors and those who end up granting them.

On the job, the person who asks for the favor sometimes takes advantage of the one helping out.

Let's say Jimbo asks his colleague, Bob, to help him put together handouts for a meeting.  Jimbo is asking for the favor so he can leave work early to go to a football game.  Bob ends up staying late, working on the handouts but he leaves the job feeling good, knowing that he helped out a co-worker.

The next day, Jimbo approaches Bob and says that the handouts were supposed to have been put together slightly differently and as such, they were out of order.  Bob remarks that he followed Jimbo's instructions precisely.

Jimbo snaps at Bob when he hears this and says, "You really need to pay more attention to what you're doing.  You really let me down."

Bob feels horrible.

Unfortunately, this is a common situation in the workplace. Someone asks for help but then is upset when the help given is not judged to be satisfactory.  Some might call this ungrateful behavior, like a person who is openly disappointed in a birthday present they receive.

In this case, I'm not worried about Jimbo.  He's a lousy coworker who has no right to complain about someone helping him out so he can go to a football game.  Regardless of the outcome, the handouts were his responsibility no matter who did the actual work.

I am worried about Bob.  It's likely he will be blamed for the outcome instead of being recognized for helping a colleague as well as staying late to get the job done. He tried to be a "go getter" but will likely be perceived as the "fall guy."

In the future, Bob will think twice before granting another favor. He'll keep these things in mind:

1. Is the person asking for help someone who has helped him in the past?
2. He will make it clear to all that while he will help, he is not the person ultimately responsible for the outcome.
3. People like Jimbo don't see what they're doing as being wrong.  Bob pledges not to let his nice guy instincts allow others to get special treatment.