Malcolm O. Munro - The "Career Fitness" Coach

Laughter is Good Medicine

I don't know about you, but I'm a little (well, ok a LOT) tired of the endless stream of bad news regarding the economy, politics, food shortage, and the high price of gas.  The stress hasn't gotten to me, but I'm sure it's affecting most people. 

What to do?

I found this posting on a colleague's blog.  Her name is Rita Watson and her blog is a pretty good one. I think you'll enjoy it.

Sure, you know that your mood is better after you’ve had a good laugh, but did you know that your health may improve, too?  Depression is a major risk factor for heart disease and so it is good to both exercise and laugh.

A low tech solution to mild to moderate depression — aerobic exercise – can be as effective as psychotherapy.  Both exercise and laughter help the heart. Futher, reports from a team at Loma Linda University in California, show that laughter prompts changes in the body that may help the immune and endocrine systems to function better.

Laughter increases the number and activity of cells that help us fight disease and decreases stress-related hormones.

The nice thing about laughter is that it’s contagious, according to Robert Provine, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland. When you hear other people laugh, you tend to laugh too. Provine suggests that laughter does something special to our brains to trigger the laugh sounds in us.

So for the sake of your health, exercise, laugh, and maintain a positive attitude.

Have a great week!

Diversity - It's All About Respecting Difference

Diversity is all around us.  Take a look at any major city.  Where I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, there are 37 different languages spoken. 

The benefits of diversity are touted by up and coming organizations.  Different backgrounds give different and helpful new perspectives on old problems.  Yet with all the talk, there are still a ton of problems.

This past week I spoke on a panel at the MBA Leadership Summit hosted by Pitney-Bowes in Stamford, Connecticut.  The event, sponsored by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the National Black MBA Association addressed the generational and cultural evolution and how diversity played a part in it.  I had the privilege to work the panel with Ken Roldan, author of Minority Rules and Jim Huerta, intellectual property expert from ResearchPAYS!  Our audience had great questions regarding the role of leaders in bridging the gap both generational and culture differences.  My overall reaction is that while progress is made, much work is left to be done.

Diversity, by my definition, means Difference.  If you look at it that way, you'll realize it affects everyone.  We're all different.  Diversity isn't a race issue or an age issue or even a gender issue, it's a people issue.  One concept may solve all the problems - Respect.

See we don't have to love our co-workers.  We don't even have to like our co-workers.  What we have to do, regardless of how we feel about them, is respect them.  Respect means that we act professionally.  We interact with people in a trustworthy manner.  If we do this, we'll be worthy of trust and respect.  So here are 3 steps that will get you started.

1. Respect each others' background.  We're a product of our environments.  Regardless of our beginnings, we have unique factors that shaped who we are.  We have a purpose in life that's built upon our roots.  Respecting each other's background means that we value those experiences others have.
2. Respect each others' opinions. An opinion is a verbal expression of our perceptions, which are our viewpoints on issues.  While you may not agree with them, they may give another angle to see a problem with and lead to a better solution than you could provide.
3. Respect each other.  Regardless of anything you may feel or think, human beings are special creations.  Our actions may not be perfect and of course human behavior that results in criminal acts is never excusable, but we're all created in the image of God and therefore, at a minimum, deserve common respect.

This week, take some time to reflect on your own perspective on diversity.  Could it be the people around you might offer new solutions to your problems or a better perspective on your opinions?  You'll never know unless you come out of your comfort zone and start up a dialog.  You won't need to look very far - everyone around you with a functioning pulse is your diverse audience.  Become an engager of people and you'll have a better chance of being successful in anything you do!

Start Your Reading Habit with 2 Great Books

As you probably know by now, I'm a strong advocate of professional development.  One habit I always recommend to clients and students (and do my best to keep myself) is to read one hour per day on a subject that's important to you.  To that end, I thought I'd recommend two books that are excellent personal development reads:

Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
Dr. Frank Luntz

In Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear, Frank Luntz offers insights into finding and using the right words to achieve your goals. The key to communication is to place yourself in the listener's situation and understand his or her deepest thoughts and beliefs. What the listener perceives constitutes the listener's reality.

Based on his experience as a political and corporate pollster he recommends 11 rules for effective communication:

1. Use small words.
2. Use short sentences.
3. Credibility is as important as philosophy.
4. Consistency matters.
5. Novelty: offer something new.
6. Sound and texture matter.
7. Speak aspirationally.
8. Visualize.
9. Ask a question.
10. Provide context and explain relevance.
11. Visual imagery matters.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Chip and Dan Heath

With an entertaining blend of case studies and startling research, the Heath brothers lay out the critical elements of a sticky idea. They are:

1. Simplicity
2. Unexpectedness
3. Concreteness
4. Credibility
5. Emotions
6. Stories

As you might expect, the authors use these techniques to drive home their point. For example, in the chapter on stories, they talk about Subway's Jared campaign--quite a dramatic behind-the-scenes story besides being a near perfect example of storytelling in marketing.

Although these six elements seem like common sense, they are woefully under applied in business communication. The authors state it well:

"Business managers seem to believe that, once they've clicked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas. What they've done is share data."

This week, why not pick up one of these books and start reading?  You have the potential to start or continue an MBA-level education by committing to a good book.  I'm going to recommit, how about you?

 

Getting Motivated

This past Thursday I (along with about 50 of my friends, colleagues, students, and clients) joined an additional several thousand people at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC for Get Motivated.  This event, put on by Peter Lowe, brings together some of the best motivational speakers around.  The lineup included Steve Forbes, Robert Schuller, Krish Dhanam, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Colin Powell. It was a great event with a wealth of knowledge passed along by people who overcame big obstacles to achieve success.  Some of the lessons were:

Steve Forbes: 

• Take a risk - put it on the line if you want to be successful
• Change the rules of the game - don't join the competition, go a different route
• Take something common and do it differently (examples of Starbucks with coffee, bottled water, and denim jeans)

Rober Schuller:

• Believe in what you preach
• You don't need money to achieve your goals, you need passion and integrity - the money will follow
• Success is a process - be open-minded, pliable, subtle, and fresh
• I would rather attempt and fail then to do nothing, we learn from our failures

Krish Dhanam:

• Understand the power of passion
• Have healthy self-talk - self pride is a good thing
• Balance - give all to all areas of your life
• Success is a journey, not an end
• Evidence of completion - when everyone still stands with you, if they've been there with you the entire time
• Let your past greet you, not beat you

Peter Lowe:

• Wholeheartedness is congruence - there needs to be a balance between mind, body, and spirit
• To beat depression, change your physiology.  Look up and breath deep - depression causes shallow breathing - laughter is powerful
• Our words determine our experiences - change your words, change your future
• Speak aloud the outcome you want, not where you are
• Speak as though the dream has already been realized.
• Use the art of simulation - prepare before the sales call with the "what if" questions

Brian Tracy:

• Only 10% of the population value conferences and learning
• 80% of successful people (millionaires) are entrepreneurs
• Top sales people are always described as "nice"
• The law of cause and effect - be clear about what you want and go after it
• Look at what successful people do and copy them

Sugar Ray Leonard:

• Power = over preparing
• Prepare in training to win every round
• Do the roadwork - put in the hours in preparation
• Know your opponent's weaknesses - go after them
• Self esteem is important

Colin Powell:

• Leadership is about followership
• Put followers in the best position to get the job done
• Make people feel like they're important and part of the process
• Passion and optimism is infectious
• Take care of your troops - give them resources and let them get the job done
• Recognize your people
• "Good leaders will get people to follow them even if just out of curiosity"
• Create a foundation of trust

Of course these are just notes, but the substance was very strong.  It makes sense to listen to the words of successful people if you want to be successful, but the most important part is the implementation.  Reflecting on that great day, my goal is to just implement a couple of the principles.  If you don't, then why bother attending? 

The reason motivational speakers get a bad rap is that it sounds great in a keynote, but the actual application doesn't work.  Why?  Because you haven't actually tried to apply the lessons!  This past Friday I actually applied Peter Lowe's lessons on physiology after getting really ticked off at some issues emanating from a board I participate on, a failed attempt to install Sirius radio in my MX5, and a number of other things and it really worked!!

This week, take some time to read a motivational book, statement, article or thought and see where it might apply to your life.  Then, take the time to actually implement it!  My guess is that you'll see immediate results.  Then, continue to apply it while adopting another idea.  Step by step, you'll see incremental differences that can develop outstanding results.  I'm committed - are you?

 

More on the Power of Reading

I know I’ve written on this topic before, how reading an hour each day can make us all more effective in what we do. I’ve even highlighted prison inmates, who faced with nothing but time on their hands devour every book they can find and therefore come off as highly educated individuals when interviewed on MSNBC.

This past week here in Maryland, the trial of John Allen Muhammad continued and observers remarked at the metamorphosis of this already-convicted killer. (Muhammad and his teenaged companion Lee Boyd Malvo were convicted for a rash of sniper-styled killings in 2001). No longer the brooding, silent defendant he was at his first trial in Virginia, he now carries with him a stack of legal papers, shuffling them purposefully at the defense table. He speaks the language of law, begging the "court's indulgence" and asking that a "continuous objection" be noted for the record.

Now he’ll most likely be convicted again, and while we can never excuse his crimes, it is interesting how his mannerisms have changed. Makes me wonder how he educated himself. I’m pretty sure it had to do with reading.

If you know me or have heard me speak, you know I’m passionate about reading. If Mr. Muhammad indeed has gained his legal expertise from books, (and I don’t have any reason to think otherwise – of course he could be watching regular reruns of Law and Order), then it proves my point.

What does that mean for you? Pick up a book and start reading - and I don’t mean fictional stuff either. Try biographies if there aren’t any technical or business books that interest you. If you want to be excellent at work, have a successful business, or simply grow as a person, this is your ticket.

Mr. Muhammad will have many more years to read his books but it will gain him nothing behind bars. You have much more to look forward to. I’m excited to hear your success stories!

What do both Prison Inmates and Successful People Have in Common?

Are you intrigued?

Most mornings I get up early and either run on the treadmill or use the elliptical machine in my basement. I'll turn the TV on and then crank up my iPod. This morning however, I became interested in a documentary on prison life in California so I turned off the volume and watched the show.

Inmates were being interviewed, describing prison life and what they planned to do when they got out. What struck me was how well spoken most of them were. They used correct English, good pronounciation, were very thoughtful, and sounded downright intelligent - which is pretty impressive considering many of them dropped out of formal school at a young age.

So how do you explain that?  How do hardened criminals come off sounding more educated than many of us here in the "outside?"

The answer is:  Those inmates are READERS!

What else can you do when you're locked away all day long? They have access to good books and, because there is nothing else to do, they read them! Many of them in fact are doing their own appeals, basing them on case law they read.

So, if these folks are doing it, shouldn't you be too?

I've heard that to become an expert on any subject, you need to read about it at least one hour a day. Are you trying to be a better technican? Get some "How to" books and read them! Do you want to be a more effective manager? READ! In fact, the library (yes, they still do exist - Google hasn't replaced them yet) is a treasure trove of information designed to make you succeed in every facet of life.

I applaud the inmates who are becoming life-long learners - and I'll be extremely proud of you if you commit yourself to life-long reading and learning!

A Great Book Recommendation - The Tipping Point

As business professionals, I believe we need to spend time each day in our own personal and professional development.  Since I've been traveling quiet a bit lately, my development time comes on long flights and while sitting in airports.  My goal this past few months has been to read at least three business books per month.  I have several "Must Read" book suggestions for you, but this one is the most powerful of all:

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

This is a great book, particularly if you're interested in becoming a more effective networker.  In it, Gladwell breaks down the anatomy of a business trend and makes several great suggestions on how to leverage that in becoming a more successful businessperson and networker.  I've read it just once and have already seen great results in the past month!

Take some time to check out The Tipping Point.  And while you're at it, why not consider making personal and professional development a resolution for 2006?  I'll continue to suggest great books for you and look forward to hearing your feedback!

There's Nothing Soft about "Soft Skills"

What comes to mind when you hear the term “soft skills?” Do you think of them as hand holding and public hugs? Do you scoff at the thought of giving up time from “critical” work to learn some “soft skills?”

I thought about that question this morning after reading Amy Joyce’s article in the Washington Post entitled Handling the Reins – Some Managers Foster Growth to Harness Employee’s Potential. In her article she talks about the value many managers put on employee training, much of it being in the category of the “soft skills.”

As an educator and consultant, I am the foremost proponent of “soft skills,” but hate the term. There is nothing soft about “soft skills.”

A few weeks ago I was at Maxwell-Gunther Air Force Base teaching supervisory and negotiation skills to a great group of people. As is typical, a senior manager opens up the class with a little about the purpose of the course. When this particular person mentioned that the skills were the “soft skills,” I heard a groan from the audience. It got me thinking….

If I told you that the skills I would be training you in today would enable you to effectively monitor and program a multi-trillion dollar piece of equipment would you call it “hard skill” or “soft skill?” What if I told you the techniques we learned in the class would give you the ability to leverage the computing power of a processor more powerful than ten thousand high end servers, would that be “hard” or “soft” skills? And if I told you the training would allow you the use of steps to prevent the crossing of wires and data that could conceivably shut down the entire interaction between two of these amazing machines, would you consider that a “hard” skill?

You’ve probably figured out by now I’m talking about human beings, not computers. In my experience, there is nothing more powerful, complex, or difficult to manage than a person! Sadly, there are no instruction manuals or help desks to call. Most managers are on their own, entrusted with these valuable resources, and haven’t the first clue on how to get them going. And some have the nerve to laugh at “soft skills.”

I submit that anyone can sit through a course or read a book to learn “hard skills.” It takes commitment and courage to learn the “soft skills.”

If you’re a critic, get over it! Learn all you can about the REAL important resources. If you commit yourself to the task, you’ll never again refer to them as “soft skills!”

Farewell to a Management Guru

On Friday, November 11, 2005, management guru Peter Drucker passed away at the age of 95.

"He is purely and simply the most important developer of effective management and of effective public policy in the 20th century," former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Friday. "In the more than 30 years that I've studied him, talked with him and learned from him, he has been invaluable and irreplaceable."

Drucker's work spanned decades and included the notion that taking care of employees was key to business effectiveness.  All of this while the theories of Scientific Management and Bureacracy were in vogue.

Drucker showed a knack for identifying sea changes in business and economics years in advance. He foresaw the emergence of a new type of worker whose occupation would be based on knowledge, not physical labor or management.

Drucker's management books included: "The Effective Executive," 1966; "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices," 1974; and "Managing in a Time of Great Change," 1995. In 2004, he put out "The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done."

I've read many of Peter Drucker's books and am still amazed at his ability to be cutting edge and relevant through the decades.  His writings were matched only by his life in that he managed to balance the needs of each generation of workers and management with the latest research and writings.  If not for Drucker, our generation may still be faced with a culture of Scientific Management where the workers were thought of only as machines - "another brick in the wall," as summed up by the band Pink Floyd.

With his passing come the challenge for all of us in management education to step up and take his place.  Personally, I'm going to re-devote my efforts to raising up the next great generation of managers.  I think it's a fitting way to recognize his legacy and carry on his work.

Thanks Mr. Drucker for devoting your life to making a better life and culture for corporate America.

Is Professionalism One of Your Hallmarks?

The following posting is from a good friend of mine, VictoriaLynn Johnson of Strayer University.  VictoriaLynn puts out a weekly tip for the faculty of Strayer University and I always enjoy her insights and encouragement.  Even though it refers to Strayer University, I thought I'd pass it along to everyone:

How you look, talk, write, act and work determines whether you are a professional.

"What sort of image do I wish to project?  To my coworkers? To my self? To my family? To my friends?" Very good questions - each and every one. (Just in case you are wondering - I, of course, dressed up.)

What sort of image do you wish to project on a daily basis? To yourself? To your students? To your colleagues?

We project and present an image on a daily basis - in person, on the phone, in writing, and especially via technology.

Ever gone for an in person interview? Do you remember your first one? Everyone kept telling you how important it was that you looked professional, well groomed, and that you cared.

You dress for success everyday in the physical world; the same care needs to be given to the virtual world. We are an online campus where most of us do not meet each other face to face. We do not see the sports coat or business jacket, well-groomedness, facial expressions, or body movements that let us know instantly how professional someone is. Instead we have a different face that we present to our virtual world everyday - our writing and voice.

We are all part of Strayer University - a university dedicated to excellence and professionalism. It therefore becomes critical that we present and emulate the polished, professional, educated image that we want our students to demonstrate in our emails, announcements, discussion postings, syllabi, supplementals, audio recordings/presentations, and phone conversations.

Little things from thinking before you speak or write, using a spell checker, using proper netiquette, to paying attention to how things look make a big difference. We all make mistakes even when we make our best efforts. (Last week I left "to" out of the first sentence; it was even proofed.) The point is small mistakes are easily overlooked especially if we are putting forth the effort to look and be professional where as continual mistakes in grammar, spelling, and netiquette (such as typing in all caps) give an unprofessional and uneducated appearance. Take a little extra time in your writing, posting, and conversation to ensure that you are projecting the image of the professional, educated, outstanding professor that you are so that our students have good role models to emulate.

You are the face of Strayer University to our students and they are our face in their communities and workplaces. We want those faces to emulate and project the professional educated image that those affiliated with a great university should have.

So there it is:  a challenge for all of us.  Professionalism should be the hallmark of whatever we do.  Thanks VictoriaLynn for the tips!