Laura's Benjamin's June 26, 2007 Email Newsletter

LAURA'S LETTERS
"It's never 'just business' - it's always personal"
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Vol. 8, Number 7 - June 26, 2007
Editor: Laura Benjamin
http://www.LauraBenjamin.com
Published continually since 2000
Copyright©Pinehurst Press Ltd., 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. Funny Quotes & Teamwork Quotes
2. For Introverts Only
3. Mistakes I've Made
4. Discussion Point: Congruent Service Skills
5. The Sacrifice Commuters Make
6. Complimentary Resources
7. Teleclass and Speaking Schedule
8. The Grand Finale

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1. FUNNY QUOTES & TEAMWORK QUOTES
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"Most barriers to success are man-made. And most often,
you're the man who made them." (Author, Frank Tyger)

"Guilt. The gift that keeps on giving." (Erma Bombeck)

"I would rather have 1% of the efforts of 100 people
than 100% of my own efforts. (J. Paul Getty)

"The older I get, the smarter I was." (Lee Trevino)

"I never stopped trying to become qualified for the
job." (Kimberly-Clark turnaround CEO, Darwin Smith)

More quotes at www.LauraBenjamin.com/teamworkquotes.htm

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2. FOR INTROVERTS ONLY
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We know who we are, don't we? After a day of meetings,
the last thing we want to do is head out for a party
where's there's lots of people and noise. If we go, we
stay for a short time, then make our excuses.

If you're an introvert, you have more going for you
than you might imagine!

Introverts are underappreciated in today's hard-charging,
in-your-face business world. Yet this type of unassuming
personality style is heralded in a Harvard Business Review
article on Jim Collins' Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of
Humility and Fierce Resolve (Reprint R0507M-Jul/Aug 2005).

Introverts often get criticized for...
- being too low-key and mild-mannered
- being shy, eccentric or even awkward
- too quiet in team meetings
- not charismatic or aggressive enough
- prefering private recognition to public fanfare

Benefits Introverts contribute to the organization...
- a calm, quiet stabilizing presence in changing times
- focus on sincere relationships vs superficial contacts
- stoic, fierce resolve to achieve the goal
- personal humility
- prefer the spotlight be on others
- willing to commit for the long haul

Moral of the Story: don't underestimate your Introverted
Personality Types. Compare them to the tortise vs the hare.
Look for the strong, fierce resolve, commitment and humble
dedication rather than be wowed by a larger-than-life
personality style who might run roughshod over employees,
vendors and customers. Take the time to look a little deeper
within the core of your people to see the diamond in the
rough as you develop your talent.

What you see on the surface is not always what you get
over the long haul!

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3. MISTAKES I'VE MADE & LESSONS LEARNED
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The most valuable component of the CARLA Concept(TM) is the
"L" in "lessons learned". We've all heard the overquoted adage
of the definition of insanity, right? (Doing what you've always
done and expecting to get different results) You would think
that after time, we humans would figure it out. There's really
nothing new under the sun, yet we pretend that OUR way will be
revolutionary. That's why we get so many leadership books
espousing the same universal principles with a changing cast
of characters (Lao Tzu, Kermit the Frog, etc.)

Nothing against Kermit or Lao Tzu, but I'm guessing there's a
whole lotta wisdom floating around your organization if people
would just have the guts to share what they've learned with
one another. This is especially important before your mature
workers head out the door in the next few years. You owe it
to your younger workers to share their lessons learned.

So I'll go first, okay? Here's what I've learned...

-Don't judge a book by its cover. Still waters run deep and
all that (see article above). I've been wowed by flash and
charisma one too many times and underappreciated the steady,
true-blue types who were always there in an emergency.

-Identify what you're doing to contribute to the situation.
You probably know "It takes two to tango" and yes, it does.
Someone is usually more right than the other person, but we
all do SOMETHING that makes the situation worse. Time and
distance usually reveal how we could have done it different
and made it better.

-Start writing sooner. Get your thoughts, ideas and issues
down on paper. Here are the benefits: you hone your writing
skills which in this day and age are sadly lacking, you get
the negative stuff out of your head and off your mind, you
can do a gap-analysis to see new solutions, you have history
to look back on rather than rely on faulty memory. Start a
journal, build a blog (check out mine at LauraBenjamin.com),
or even just chronicle your accomplishments for career
development purposes. You won't regret it!

-Find the good in every job you hold. During my days of
cleaning horse stalls, taking inbound phone orders, making
outbound sales calls or cleaning latrines, I made the mistake
of thinking "I'm better than this." Now, I look back and see
all the good things I learned through those experiences. No
matter what your present circumstances, you are learning
something - you are meeting SOMEONE who will contribute to
your personal and professional development long term. Don't
beat yourself up for taking a rough and rugged road down
the career path. Few people ever do it "right".

-Build a cushion into everything you do. Give yourself a
few minutes extra time to get there (just in case); pay the
bill when you've got the money (just in case); fill up the
gas tank tonight rather than tomorrow...you get the drift.

-No one lives forever. Thank the co-worker, vendor or manager
(managers deserve appreciation too) because you never know
what kind of day they're having or if they'll be there again
tomorrow. Send appreciation emails to people who have done a
good job for you, especially if they serve the public.

-Remember that the barriers or bubble we put up around
ourselves today (because we don't want to be bothered, because
our jobs make us oh-so-important, because we don't want to be
'sold' to, etc.) will discourage relationships that will benefit
us tomorrow. Anyone who's ever been out of work and in the job
search mode can attest to how some colleagues do not return
phone calls. Be gracious - it only takes a minute.

That's enough "lessons learned" for one day. If you'd care to
send me yours, I'm happy to reprint them and maintain your
confidentiality. They may be the foundation for a future book!
Please fax your Lessons Learned Story to 719-262-0615 with
contact info and direction whether to keep confidential or not.
(Remember that I never release or misuse contact info. Your
long term trust is more important to me!)

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4. DISCUSSION POINT: CONGRUENT SERVICE SKILLS
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A short discussion module to improve communication, knowledge
sharing, critical thinking and decision making

DISCUSSION POINT #7: Congruent Service Skills

I herded cattle a few weeks ago at the Rusty Spurr Ranch
near Kremmling, Colorado - for fun. And it WAS fun, but it
was also hard work with the bugs, heat, dust and the saddle
sore you-know-what. The General Manager, Han, is a courteous,
friendly business owner who takes just as good care of his
staff and horses as he does his customers. By the way, if
you're in Colorado, this makes a great team-building event.
(4 hours in the saddle separates the men from the boys
so to speak! Go to RustySpurr.com for more info)

People pick up on the subtleties. If you're congruent with
the way you treat your staff, it follows that you and they
will also take good care of your customers. If you mistreat
your "livestock", what message would that send to paying
guests?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Who are the "livestock" in your organization?
- How are you congruent with service skills from the bottom
up and top down?
- What impact do those service gaps have on "paying guests"?
- If you're out to dinner and someone in your party
mistreats the waiter, what does it say about that person?
- How do we define the word "mistreatment"?
- How would YOUR you-know-what feel after 4 hours in the
saddle? (I threw that one in just for fun!)

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5. THE SACRIFICE COMMUTERS MAKE
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3.5 million American commuters travel 90 minutes or more
each way to work each day. This is double the 1990 total.

"It's not the experience of commuting that frustrates people
so, but rather the time it takes away from other activities.
The two hours or more of leisure time granted by the
introduction of the 8-hr workday (introduced in the early
20th century) are now passed in solitude with a cup-holder
for company." ("There and Back Again: the Soul of the
Commuter", Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, April 16, 2007)

From Government Executive Magazine

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6. COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCES
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- Audio Program Archives
- Archived Articles
- Recommended Reading List

To access these complimentary resources, see "Tools" on
the website navigation bar at LauraBenjamin.com

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7. SPEAKING SCHEDULE
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SUMMER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:

Jun 27, Jul 11, Aug 27, Air Academy Federal Credit Union
Employee Event: "Networking Know-How" Colorado Springs CO

Aug 11-12 Colorado Auctioneers Association Summer Conference,
Dillon CO, "Website Basics for Non-tekkies: How to Build Your
Business, Broaden Your Reach & Get Your Site to the Top of
the Search"

To schedule an entertaining, interactive program for your
next group or association event, call 719-266-8088 and get
get it on the calendar.

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8. THE GRAND FINALE
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As always, it's a real pleasure to write this newsletter
and share the tips, ideas and observations. If you get good
value from this information, please send it to your friends,
family and co-workers.

-You received this newsletter because you requested it
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with attribution please (reference LauraBenjamin.com)

Warm regards and until next time,
Laura Benjamin
719-266-8088 | F: 719-785-5768
LauraBenjamin.com

Laura (in blue shirt) herding cattle, Rusty Spur Ranch, Kremmling CO, June 2007

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