Month: November 2012

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Toyota Recall Crisis Redux

A-toyota-truck-on-an-empty-road.

Automaker continues its crisis management mishaps

Yes, Toyota really is in the process of yet another major recall. Although it looks like the company may be learning from previous crisis management (no injuries or accidents related to this one), the fact that it’s recalling hundreds of thousands of cars every few months constantly threatens to turn consumer’s favor.

Here’s the story, from a USA Today article by James Healey:

Toyota’s own faulty specifications led to Wednesday’s recall of 670,000 older Prius hybrids in the U.S. for potentially defective steering, the automaker acknowledges.

And about 350,000 of those same Priuses also were recalled Wednesday for water pumps that could cause the cars to stall.

The steering problem “is a design-related issue — insufficient hardness on the specification,” says Brian Lyons, Toyota’s spokesman for safety issues in the U.S.

 

 

The two U.S. recalls are part of larger global actions for these problems that cover nearly 2.8 million vehicles of various models.

Toyota, while still hanging surprisingly well with its less-beleaguered competition, is no longer ruling the U.S. auto market, with that honor going to General Motors as of last month.

It’s important for brands to avoid being associated with negative terms but, at this point, Toyota’s name – at least in the States – is at serious risk of becoming synonymous with recalls. Just think about how many times you’ve seen the two sharing a headline over the past few years – probably more times than not, right?

Toyota may still be bringing in money, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the company is more concerned about saving cash in the short term than ironing out all of the dangerous kinks in its system. Consider the fact that today’s consumers are more educated and savvy than ever before, and it’s only a matter of time before the general public chooses to take its money to a company that walks its talk.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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8 Best Hosting Providers of 2012

A server written on a screen

Guest Author: David Kendall

This post will feature eight of the top hosting providers for 2012. We will also include information on the features that help each site stand out above the rest.

1. HostGator

This service provider entered the scene in 2002 and has since then extended its service to support over eight million domains. Dell PowerEdge servers are used for its fully managed dedicated servers, and clients receive support on a 24/7 basis throughout the year. Customers also enjoy a lot of easy-to-install site templates, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, and an uptime guarantee. Other special features include unlimited email, $100 worth of credit for Google Adwords and one-click installs. The longer clients are signed up, the more they save on their monthly bill. Starting cost per month is $3.96.

2. Bluehost

For a starting cost of $4.95 per month, Bluehost customers enjoy unlimited bandwidth, disk space, file transfer and unlimited email. They also receive a free domain registration, free site builder and access via a cPanel. Their basic plans cover features such as domain parking, unlimited hosted domains, e-commerce and one-click WordPress installs.

3. InMotion

This service provider has been in operation since 2001. Their focus group has so far been small to medium-sized businesses to which they offer affordable hosting solutions that they find to be effective. They have dedicated server plans, use cPanel architecture and are suitable for any size business. Disk space, bandwidth and domains are unlimited, and their plan costs $5.95 monthly.

4. Justhost.com

Starting at $3.50, customers enjoy unlimited monthly transfer bandwidth, unlimited disk space, unlimited email and unlimited domains. There is a 99.9% uptime guarantee, website builder and ecommerce features. Other features include Fantastico, and customers receive Google advertising credits. Justhost.com is a favorite service among website owners.

5. Hostmonster

Hostmonster has several features that have found favor with its users. These include unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains, unlimited email accounts and a free domain. The provider uses the cPanel control panel, and clients receive a $100 Google advertisement credit. Other features include free site builders, free online stores and WordPress. Their plan begins at $5.95 per month.

6. iPage

iPage also remained a favorite web hosting provider during 2012. Website owners enjoy features such as its unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited email addresses. An iPage package also includes free domain registration, a free security suite and free site building tools. Other features that users enjoy are free credits for search engine marketing, and a free online store. iPage is a green site that is 100% powered by wind energy, and costs $4.50 per month.

7. Fatcow

Fatcow also made it to the list of top web hosting providers with its many features and offerings. Aside from being an affordable $4.67 per month, Fatcow offers unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space and unlimited email, along with unlimited hosted domains and unlimited MySQL databases. Other features include a free website builder, free domain name and a free shopping cart.

8. DreamHost

This web host provider is no doubt among the top sites because it is customizable and scalable. This allows businesses to grow and accommodate growth. They currently run over 500,000 sites that have WordPress as their core. DreamHost features include unlimited bandwidth, 150 gb disk space and 500 email accounts. Packages start at $8.95 per month and include free a domain name and spam protection.

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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About the Author:

David Kendall has been extensively involved in the hosting industry over the last few years. He enjoys sharing his hosting insights on various tech blogs. Use the WhoIsHostingThis.com search facility to see where sites are hosted.

Reference:

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/05/five-best-web-hosting-companies/

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The Fuel for Your Fire Within

A-man-getting-a-refuel-in-a-station.
The great thing about cars is that we know when we are getting low in fuel. We can just look at the gas tank to see how close to empty we are. Then we know that it’s time to stop at the gas station and fill up.
Wouldn’t this be great if we could do the same thing for us? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just check a switch to see when our tanks are emptying, so we know when we need to fill up?
The problem is that we don’t. Even if we could, I wonder how many of us would pay attention to it. Dr. Stephen Covey asks the question in his signature program The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People “Have you ever been too busy running that you forgot to fill up your gas?“
Let’s play with this analogy further. Our bodies need energy or fuel to run. So you can think of our bodies like tanks. Each day we have to fuel up until the end of the day when we run on empty and go sleep. The first thing we do in the morning is fuel up. How are you fueling up? It is with a good dose of fuel like exercise, a brainy breakfast, and time with God? Or are you fueling up with quick energy boosters like caffeine, coffee, or negative thoughts from others on TV or the radio?
Most of the spiritual teachers I know or have studied talk about the importance of fueling up with positive things that uplift and inspire. When I spend my morning time in my “God Cave,” I ask God to fill me and fuel me with his love. I do my best to be on empty so I have the space within for Him to fill me up. The times I choose not to get God’s fuel for the day are the days I feel off and long for this inner refueling.
What kind of fuel are you filling up with each day?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

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Spirit Warriors – Leaders for Complex Times

businessman-showing-changes-report

I just returned from a conference at which Meg Wheatley spoke about her new book: So Far From Home. Some would say the picture she paints of our global situation is bleak, dark even. I feel that it is accurate, even if it is difficult to face. But her book is not really about what we, civilization, faces but more about how we can face it. The word warrior requires a note at the beginning. Its use comes from the Tibetan word for warrior – “pawo, [which] means one who is brave, one who vows never to use aggression.” I find this an interesting paradox for leaders in today’s organizations!

Spirit Warriors

“[Spirit] warriors would not succumb to aggression or be paralyzed by fear. They would know where best to use their skillful means of compassion and insight.”

The two core aspects of Spirit Warriorship, if this is a word, are compassion and insight.

  • Compassion is the capacity to live in the collective. The means for achieving compassion in our complex times include: a loss of fear when faced with challenge, the energy to “carry on” (which makes me recall the song “Wooden Ships” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash), and the ability to chose action when overwhelm threatens. I like this definition of compassion better than the commonly held version, it recognizes the need for choice and localizes compassion to the lived moment.
  • Insight is the capacity to see clearly into the interdependence of “all phenomena.” For those leaders who are not systems thinkers, this is the time to learn. If compassion leads us to action (and there are neurological studies that show compassion lights up the motor cortex of our brain), insight allows us to discern right action by seeing the interrelatedness that surrounds us.

The experience of using compassion and insight create what Dugu Choegyal calls our “radical interconnectedness with all life.” (adapted by Joanna Macy)

Lessons for Leaders

This book has much to offer and I recommend it to those who want to better understand how the elements of quantum physics are informing business. For this blog I am focusing only on the last three chapters. Here are some behaviors Wheatley describes that allow you to contemplate your leadership and personal well-being:

  • Can you resist using negative emotions to motivate and instead rely on a positive belief in yourself and others?
  • Watch your own reactions to events and be mindful (a practice that is never mastered) of the impact they have on you and those around you.
  • Be aware of your inner dialogue and the lived story line that it creates. Our personal narrative becomes the mindset with which we perceive the world and react to it. When our inner dialogue includes compassion and insight we can pause before acting out.
  • Leaders today need to work with different maps because the terrain is not what it was when management and leadership were defined. The biggest challenge is letting go of where we are and understanding how we are.
  • These new maps have different signposts, which show up as questions rather than directions.
    • What are you learning?
    • What triggers you? How do you react when triggered?
    • What aspirations guide you in your daily work and interactions?
    • How are you refraining from adding to the fear, anxiety, and confusion of the times?
    • How did you apply your skills of compassion and insight today?
    • What are the ways you rejuvenate yourself and care for those around you?
    • What have you accomplished today that you can be quietly proud of, that will nurture your own well-being?
    • How did curiosity guide your actions today? Conversation? Connectedness?

Leading wholeheartedly

When I was writing my thesis I was a wreck. Every day I faced down a pile of blank pages, reams of data, and a backlog of information that hadn’t yet morphed into knowledge. Every afternoon my advisor, Cecil Doige, would suddenly show up, leaning against the door jam with a cookie in his hand. As he calmly ate his cookie he listened to my latest rant, disappointment, celebration, or challenge. I don’t recall that he ever gave me advice or provided solutions to my anguish; he just listened and asked questions. When I finally ran out of gas he would push off the door jam and say, “Glad you’re making progress.” Progress?? In the moment of my stunned pause, a piece of the puzzle invariably fell into place and progress was actually achieved. Cec was a Spirit Warrior.

Meg’s admonitions to Spirit Warriors are simple and few:

  • Pick up the phone and call
  • Visit someone, stop by to listen
  • Offer your availability

These were the things I needed and the things my Spirit Warrior offered.

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Training to Read Minds on a Cruise Ship

Persons on a cruise ship

A while ago I wrote an article about “reading minds” for this blog site. Now, of course, you and I know, we can’t really read minds, but we can be observant and notice when someone needs assistance–that would especially be true of the hospitality or travel vacation businesses where customer service most definitely is its business.

It seems every time I go on vacation I come home with another horror story about how no one seemed to notice when they should until someone was angry or distressed enough to point out the obvious to them–them being the people serving us the customer.

It’s a matter for training because being aware of these things is at the heart of doing a good job in hospitality, or in this case, moderate luxury travel vacation. If the vacationer has to worry about taking care of someone else or has to worry about his or her own special needs and has made preparation for them, it’s hardly a vacation if the cruise line isn’t doing its part.

“Reading minds” (read ‘be terribly observant’) should at the heart of the cruise line training for its staff that comes in contact with passengers; I realize that many do not, but for those that do, it is essential

Since I’ve already talked about airline and security customer service, I’ll skip that story and begin with the ship embarcation center. My family and I have gotten into the habit, as many American’s do, of taking a cruise as the family vacation when the kids get a week-long break in November.

Reading minds (otherwise known as being observant and making a good impression) begins the minute we leave our transportion to the port or you could even say before then, but I’ll start at the port.

We were bombasted with offers to deal with our bags before we could hardly catch our breath, while no one offered to help my 84 year-old mother-in-law out of the vehicle into a wheelchair when they saw her struggling to move to get out of the van into her walker. Security was clueless. Nobody in a walker ever takes a cruise… Ever cruise with Holland America, which seems geared for seniors? In fact, no help was offered to Mom until we asked for it, and we were ordered, yes “ordered” to have her sit by herself in one location; we were even told to stay away from her–that this woman would take care of her. The woman later apologized she had gotten so busy she had forgotten her.

Once on the ship. It didn’t get any better. Call it first day confusion if you want to, but I still think people should be most aware on the first and everyday, as well as have people on the look out for these situations of special needs; not only does it make a good impression, it speeds the process along. They shouldn’t wait for a special request.

We did have a special diet request that we had made and confirmed by our travel agent via e-mail. When we arrived on ship, that request seemed to have vanished, but in all fairness, the ship did make it up.

It did get a little better over time, mostly because we began asking, as did Mom, for help getting her food from the buffet. I think it was the last day or two that the dining room staff actually started helping her in and out of her chair and into her walker. Before that it had been family. It would have been nice, too, if the young man who took care of cleaning her room notice her walker had to be folded before she could get it in the room and offered assistance if he saw her coming or going.

In the lifeboat drill, the passengers are told to ask for smaller life jackets if they have smaller children and we are told the elevators will probably not work. But what about those handicapped or elderly people who cannot climb up or down the stairs? Did the crew even know where those people were located? We certainly didn’t know if they knew and the answer we were given when we asked was cursory at best.

Greeting passengers isn’t enough. Reading minds is a must. It’s a matter for training.

We have traveled on most of the cruise lines and this one was one we had thought might be a little different since we hadn’t tried it, but we were disappointed. The only cruise line that meets my standard of great customer service and practically reading minds in the moderate to luxury class of cruise lines is the Disney Cruise Line.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

I’m Jack Shaw and that’s my story, or one of them. I have more. Some even fiction like Harry’s Reality, an e-book about a different time when computers run the world and people can live a fantasy life if they choose or fight the machines that hunt them down if they refuse. Believe it or not, it has a positive ending. Check it out.

Happy training.

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Using Graphics in Your Proposals (Part 2)

business team members working on graphics for business proposals

Strong proposals depend on good data, and using good graphics in your grant proposals is an effective way to get your data to stand out and be remembered by reviewers.

Make your Data Stand Out
According to Mike Parkinson and Colleen Jolly (referenced in my last posting), there are five steps you should take to make your data more memorable:

Step 1: Provide real numbers.
One of the most convincing ways to sway reviewers is to provide clear, accurate data to support your themes and major points. Because reviewers are busy and easily distracted, you want to turn data into numbers that they can remember without much effort.

Step 2: Turn data into quantitative graphics.
Consolidate your data into bit-size chunks that can be read and understood easily. Examples would be bar charts, area charts, line charts, and pie charts. To see examples of quantitative charts, visit http://www.billiondollargraphics.com

Step 3: Use visual embellishments.
You do not want your bar and pie charts to look like a generic chart rendered in Excel. Use visual embellishments – such as striking colors and pictures – to make your points. For example, if you were using a bar chart to illustrate how your technical solution will save money, you might use stacks of dollars for your bars.

Step 4: Tie the graphics to the text.
Too often proposal graphics have no action captions and are not explicitly tied to the proposal narrative. Your text should reference graphics (“See Step 5 below”) and each graphic should have an action caption that makes a point and ties the graphic to the proposal narrative (i.e., “Our solution will save you 14 percent in year one of the contract”). Your table of contents should list all graphics, and they should be numbered for ease of identification.

Step 5: Use Action Captions
First write the action caption and then develop the graphic based on it. Every graphic should have an action caption that makes a major point. Starting with the action caption will help you create a graphic that communicates something essential to the reviewer.

Use Good Informational Design
When you design your graphics, follow Parkinson and Jolly in using these principles of good informational design:
  • Simplify your graphics so that there is one clear message.
  • Use the colors and imagery your customer prefers. Visit their Web site for
    information.
  • Develop a style template for your graphics so that they are consistent
    and have a professional look.
  • Use white space to break up or highlight information.
  • Integrate your graphics with your text so that they convey the same
    message and reinforce each other.
  • Design your graphics to tell a great story about your organization. Keep in
    mind that your reviewers may be visual learners. Your graphics
    may be more important to them than your text.

Good graphics promote understanding and persuasion. Develop effective graphics to visualize your data, and your grant proposals will become more competitive.
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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In anticipation of THANKSGIVING,
we will not be publishing next week.
The Fundraising Blog returns on Nov 27.
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Do Social Enterprises Need Mobile Strategies?

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It’s amazing how fast mobile devices have taken over our lives. I’ve had my smart phone for only a few months, but hardly a day goes by when I don’t ask it for advice. This past week alone, I looked for child-friendly restaurants, a “green” dry cleaner, bus routes, airline tickets, and a car rental. Sure, I have a computer, and I use it all the time. But if I’m waiting for a meeting, or stuck in traffic, or eating lunch alone, or waking up in the middle of the night, or waiting in a doctor’s office, or – OK, you get the idea — you’ll find me looking at something on my phone. And so are a lot of other people.

Including your customers. Continue reading “Do Social Enterprises Need Mobile Strategies?”

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Humor as Crisis Management

ttractive-hardworking-young-afro-american-office-worker-sitting-desk-front-open-laptop-pc-making-notes-

When it’s OK to laugh, and when it’s not

When Richard Neill posted a sarcastic comment on the Facebook page of Euro female care company Bodyform lambasting their “lies” about a woman’s time of the month, he probably expected to link it to a couple friends and have a good laugh.

However, much as with Lowcostholidays.com’s recent social media score, Bodyform recognizes the insane popularity of and unprecedented opportunities presented by social media, and quickly went to work crafting a response.

Here it is:

Bodyform absolutely nailed it here, and the video quickly went viral. By the next day, people that had never even heard of Bodyform (your authors included) were sharing and talking about the video. In the process, Bodyform firmly established itself in many minds as a straight-shooting company that “gets” the ‘net and its users, a huge boon when the vast majority of your target audience lies in that demographic.

Now, Bodyform’s video wasn’t truly in response to a crisis, but the fact still stands that humor, used properly, can be a powerful crisis management device. By coincidence, we have another example from the same industry. Remember the uproar over J&J’s o.b. Tampons shortage? Boxes were selling for outrageous amounts on EBay, and customers who couldn’t get ahold of the product were barraging J&J’s social media pages with requests and angry comments.

Did J&J trot out a stuffy corporate spokesman in reply? Nope! Recognizing that the situation, while undoubtedly containing the possibility of reputation damage, did not hold serious health or financial consequences for stakeholders, J&J instead opted for a brilliantly hilarious video response. As a result J&J also received applause from all corners of the web, and in the process reassured customers itching for the return of their favorite product.

Of course, there are those times when you absolutely should NOT attempt to use humor for crisis management. We would hope it’s quite obvious that any time when people have been harmed, or are at risk of being harmed, is no time to look for laughs. Another no-go for humor is When financial damage is involved. I don’t think anyone would have been laughing if Bank of America made a silly song and dance about jacking up their banking fees.

Just as with any other type of crisis communication, you’ve got to take a hard look at what your stakeholder’s perceptions will be. If you show your “funny” clip to a few test audiences and spot looks of disgust then don’t even bother, you’re going down the wrong road. If people are having so much fun they’re forgetting what they were mad about in the first place, you just may have a viral video on your hands.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Manifesting: Replacing the Old Paradigm of Industry

explaining-project-points.

News Flash:

The 19th century paradigm of the Industrial Revolution is over.

Many people are wringing their hands about the contracting economy and the collapse of the global financial system. The solution is NOT doing more of the same or applying similar solutions to the same problem. Everything has its cycle. The old paradigm of manufacturing and production has run its course.

OK, not exactly. We will still produce things and make things. We do live in a tangible three dimensional world. How we produce is changing; we’ve entered a new era, one of Conscious Evolution and Manifesting. Do you want to learn how to make things happen in the 21st century using radically different solutions? Then get this- it’s all about Energy. **

It used to be that we had to work harder or be more efficient to increase production. That paradigm is out of date, only most business schools won’t teach you that. The mystery schools of manifesting will help you learn new ways to be productive because they focus on Energy, the Source of all that is.

I’m not talking about wind, solar, geo-thermal, or fossil fuel type energy (though those do help support our companies and lives). I’m talking about the Energy that pulses through you and I and all that is on this planet. We are at our core simply Energy, sub-atomic forces that can destroy cities or change lives.

Energy and Manifesting

What Energy are you feeding your world today? What Energy do you bring to your work?

  • Notice how you talk to people- is it with kind, joyful energy or frustrated, angry energy?
  • Notice how you think of people- is it with compassion and caring or judgment and criticism?
  • Notice how you prepare for a call or meeting– is it with hopefulness and positive expectation or with cynicism and doubt?
  • Notice how you view your tasks- do you focus on what good you can create or worry about getting things wrong?
  • Notice how you approach your work- do you visualize yourself being wildly successful or do you prepare for the worst?

All of these ways of seeing, expecting, talking, thinking set up a wave of Energy coming from you to everything and everyone around you. You affect your world by the Energy you bring. Manifesting is about how your Energy is used in the world. If you want to manifest positive outcomes, you need to bring and share positive Energy. It’s as simple as that.

You’ll turbo-charge any new technology device, software or hardware, when you understand and use your Energy more consciously. Your body is an incredible machine, your mind a powerful tool. Yet hard to master. To learn more ways to tap this Energy and build your personal mastery, sign-up to receive my framework of Transformational Empowerment found on the right side of my website – www.lindajferguson.com

Work on your thoughts, attitudes, expectations and beliefs and you have a new tool for the 21st century. Be mindful of your Energy. Shifting your Energy from worry, doubt, anger, or fear to hope, joy, compassion and kindness is the very tool you need to create the world you want to live in.

Are you ready to step into the 21st century and a new paradigm?

Ahoy mates, let the journey begin.

** NB: My latest book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand: Awakening Soul Consciousness for the New Millennium” describes in more details the new scientific paradigm of energy and a new framework for manifesting.

Linda's latest book related to Energy as the New Currency

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Dr. Linda J. Ferguson is a job and life coach, seminar leader, and writer. Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com to receive her new framework for manifesting – Transformational Empowerment.

Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

“Like” Linda’s Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

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Asking For Help Can Help Your Career

A man laughing over a conversation on the phone

If you’re struggling with your workload or with a particular task, it can be difficult to ask your boss or your colleagues for help. If you admit that you can’t handle everything, will they think that you’re not capable? After all, you should be able to do your work on your own, right?

Asking for help makes many of us uncomfortable. But it’s critical especially when risks are involved. After all, would you rather get the help you need or jeopardize your career by missing key deadlines, or producing poor-quality work? What’s more, many bosses operate a “no surprises” rule – they’d much rather be alerted to a problem early than be surprised (and perhaps embarrassed by it)

Ask the Right Way

There are right ways and wrong ways to ask for help. Asking for help the right way can make you look as if you’re in control, and can help you seem focused and dignified. Asking the wrong way could make others think that you don’t have control of the situation or that you’re unable to handle the stress of your job. Here’s how to ask for help the right way:

  • Realize that people may be happy to help you.
    People are often flattered that you’ve asked them for their expertise. So, don’t be nervous.
  • Practice or role-play how you’ll ask.
    Realize that your body language sometimes says far more than your words. Also control your words and emotions. If you become anxious or babbling or intimidating , it may not only damage your reputation but it can make the other person reluctant to help.
  • Explain what steps you’ve already taken.
    This shows that you’ve done what you sensibly can to resolve the situation yourself.
  • Develop possible solutions on your own.
    For instance, don’t say, “I can’t handle my workload.” Instead say, “I think that handing over Project X to Karen will help me to put my full focus on Projects Y and Z.”
  • Be specific about what you need.
    Don’t make a vague request such as, “I need help with this report.” Instead, explain precisely what you need: “I’m having difficulty creating an Excel template to generate graphs. Can you please help me with that?”
  • Show appreciation.
    Always say thank you after someone has helped you. If you’re in a leadership role and a team member gave you much-needed assistance, you might want to offer some type of reward, or at least thank the person in front of the team.
  • Offer your help in return.
    Whenever people help you, make sure they know that you’re happy to consider returning the favor if they ever need it.

Career Success Tip:

Most of us will need to ask for help at some point in our careers. This may be difficult, especially for managers, but it shows that we have humility and good judgment. Do a self-assessment first. Learn how to get organized or manage your time better, if this is the source of the problem. If you do need to ask for help, do so when you’re fully in control of your actions and emotions. Be aware of your body language and develop possible solutions that show that you’ve tried to solve the problem yourself. See Are You a Workaholic?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?