Anytime But On Time

In college I worked for my cousin at his construction business.  We focused primarily on footings.  It was brutal work but I made a lot of money to help pay for my college education.

My cousin is well known and respected by other general contractors.  He has the reputation of being the best footings guy in the state and the only guy that keeps his word and would show up for a project when he says he will. As a result of his reputation and his ability to keep his word and show up on time, contractors from around the state refused to work with others and would hold off and delay projects until he could get his team there to do the work.

Contrast this to one of the concrete providers we used.  This concrete provider was a huge company and was the largest provider in the state.  In all my time working construction, I rarely heard the company referred to by its official business name.  Not just among the guys I worked with but also by other sub-contractors, contractors and others, the phrase, “anytime but on time” was always included with any and all references to the company.

In my time working construction I can’t remember a single time that this company was on time.  My cousins would ridicule and tease the drivers and all they could do was sit there and take it.  They knew they were late and they heard the “anytime but on time” phrase hundreds of times a day but no matter how frustrated they got hearing it or how mad the owners and managers got of hearing it they couldn’t do anything to figure it out and actually fix the problem.

I learned a valuable lesson about being on time while working for him.  The ability to be on time and keep commitments is important to your long-term success and as in the case of my cousin can give you a competitive advantage over others in your industry. In my industry, public relations, the ability to meet deadlines and be on time is critical.  The press is always on deadline and if you can’t accommodate or meet their deadlines you’ll get left behind.

Here are some tips to arriving on time and not being branded as the person that can’t ever show up on time.

• Prepare in advance.  Take some time to think about how long it usually takes you to travel or get from one place to another.  Think about the other tasks you have to accomplish and prioritize these activities.  I start every day by creating a list of the things I need to accomplish.  I prioritize those activities and start with the most urgent tasks.  If something unexpected comes up, I know which activities I can postpone in favor of the unexpected emergencies that sometimes come up.
• Create a schedule.  A schedule should give you a checklist to work from. In my experience, it’s nice to have a list to work from and to ensure that you’re not forgetting something.  I travel once a quarter for onsite meetings with a client in another state.  For these meetings I create a schedule to help ensure that when I arrive onsite for the meetings I have everything I need.
• Start early.  My wife taught me this.  When we have a vacation or event like a holiday to prepare and plan for she starts early.  She creates a list of the things we need to do to be ready for the event.  If the event is a vacation, her list includes things like arranging for mail to be held during the trip, cleaning the house, packing luggage and paying bills in advance.  She even plans grocery shopping and charging camera batteries in advance.  By doing this, we’re not waking up the day we leave for vacation trying to pack luggage in time to catch our flight.
• Give yourself plenty of time to travel from one appointment to another.  I hate being late and will always leave early so I can arrive early.  I would rather arrive 10 or 15 minutes early than show up even a minute late.  This drives my wife nuts because we’ll show up early and sit in the car until the meeting or event starts.  For me, being early allows me to avoid stress related to being late and not be frantic trying to get started with whatever it is we’re doing.  My wife, by he way, is never late but doesn’t feel the same need I do to leave earlier than necessary.
• Plan for unexpected events.  I set up an interview with one my clients the other day and on the way to the interview my client was involved in a fender bender.  It wasn’t his fault, he was rear ended by another motorist.  This was certainly something that was not expected but he had left early enough that even while waiting for the police to come and issue citations he was still able to get to the interview on time.  Things like this happen all the time, but if you plan and leave early enough you can still keep and make appointments.

An inability to arrive on time is a sign of laziness and demonstrates that you don’t care or that a meeting or commitment is unimportant.  In the business world it can destroy your brand and reputation.   By being prompt and keeping commitments you built trust and demonstrate your commitment to your career, your clients and the others that you work with.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

That Sucks

As a public relations (PR) professional I do a lot of writing.  Writing is one of those things that is subject to individual tastes and preferences.  A writing style that one person may like, another person may disagree with and dislike.  As such, writing is difficult to quantify and is one aspect in business that often draws a variety of very strong responses.

Writing is a skill.  If somebody possesses the writing skill, I believe they have a huge advantage over those that can’t write and use that skill as an effective communication tool.  Similarly, I believe the ability to edit writing and provide valuable feedback that will improve a written piece is just as valuable a skill.

I used to work with a guy that when you asked him to edit a writing piece he would simply change adjectives in an effort to prove he had read the entire piece and to try and demonstrate that he was adding value.  For example, if you used the adjective “wonderful”, he would change the word to “fantastic.”  For the most part, changing an adjective to another adjective that means the same thing but may reflect a personal preference is meaningless.

Several years ago I worked with a woman who, when faced with a blank word document or blank piece of paper was at a total loss.  She couldn’t begin writing a press release or even an e-mail for that matter unless something had already been started for her.  Once somebody had started or provided the first draft she was very talented at picking whatever it was apart and making it better.

I’ve also worked with people that will read or see something, provide their opinion, usually that it’s inadequate in some way but lack the ability to provide feedback into what would make it better.  These type of instances are the ones that drive me most crazy.  Not just in editing a piece I’ve written but in any scenario.  These types of critiques exist in any aspect of life, not just writing.  What makes it worse is that they believe they can get away with this type of criticism.

For me, I’m fine if you don’t like something I’ve written, the way I’ve done something or if you have expertise to share that will help me learn or improve the way I do something.  In those cases, a simple, I don’t like that doesn’t help or do me any good.  I can take criticism, but I also expect to hear an opinion on what will make it better or improve it.

With that in mind, here are four tips to avoid being “that guy” that doesn’t like things but can’t explain why or provide input to improve or make something better.

• Explain why you don’t like it.  It’s easy to say you don’t like something but sometimes even harder to explain why.  Before I tell somebody I don’t like something, I like to know why I don’t like it so I can communicate it and share why instead of simply proclaiming that I don’t like it.
• Provide recommendations as to how to improve it.  Part of explaining why I don’t like something includes my suggestions and recommendations for improving it.  In these instances, I try to be as honest as possible while offering up some solutions to the problem.  Nothing drives me more crazy, especially in a business setting than somebody saying they don’t like something without providing a reason or tips or advice on how to make it better. In my writing example above it’s easy to say you don’t like an article or another form of writing but requires more effort to help find a solution or to make it better.
• Be honest. Honesty is always the best policy.  It’s also the most difficult part.  By being honest you demonstrate that you care and want to help make the project as good as it can possibly be.  For me, I always appreciate honesty and respect the person more if they can be honest with me, even if the truth might hurt.
• Be open to push back.  Chances are the person you’re critiquing will push back and challenge your assertion that the project isn’t good.  More than likely they’ve invested a significant amount of time and energy into the project and feel ownership and a sense of pride in what they’ve produced.  Listen to what the person says and the reasons behind the way they approached the project or did things they way they did.  They’ll appreciate this and at the same time you’ll gain valuable insight into their approach.  From this you’ll probably be able to provide better insight and advice on how to improve the project.

Feedback or criticisms can be hard to hear sometimes.  However, I find that a critique of my work is easier to swallow if it’s accompanied by an explanation and a recommendation of how to fix or make something better.  I also believe that a simple declaration of dislike is the chicken way out.  It’s way to easy to do that but far more rewarding to be able to take the time and explain why and offer solutions.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

I Don’t Like to Carry Things

Years ago I worked with a colleague who, while at a trade show with me helping a client set up their booth we were carrying in equipment and other supplies when he told me he didn’t like to carry things.  I smiled at his statement, until it became evident that his dislike of carrying things translated to his expectation that I was going to carry his portion of the booth supplies.

I was quick to point out that while I didn’t mind helping the client that didn’t mean that I was going to do all the work for him.

Recently, a similar occurrence took place.  While discussing a client project and putting together a strategy for the project, at the end of the discussion a colleague said, “these are all really good suggestions, will somebody please e-mail me these recommendations?  I don’t like to take notes and I’ll never remember all of this.”

In both of these examples, the colleagues involved lost my respect as well as the respect of clients and other colleagues.  These stories have been shared countless times since, not only by myself, but also by others that witnessed them and, unbeknownst to these colleagues, caused even more damage to their reputations.

In my experience, everybody has certain aspects of their job they don’t necessarily like to do.  In these instances, these tasks are often put on the back burner, put off until the last possible minute or sometimes totally forgotten about and never completed.

In order to avoid forgetting these types of tasks altogether or becoming a burden to others, as in the examples listed above, here are five tips to help accomplish these activities quickly and effectively.

• Plan in advance: When I get into the office every morning I review and create a list of the tasks I need to accomplish. This list includes both small and large tasks and allows me to identify and prioritize the tasks most pressing or that have specific deadlines assigned to them.  It allows me to plan my day and decide how I want to accomplish what needs to get done. Often, after identifying and addressing the tasks with deadlines, I’ll plan on tackling the tasks I enjoy the least.  I’ll also plan on doing some of these things early to avoid feeling added pressure to accomplish unpleasant tasks under duress late in the day.
• Set deadlines: Nothing drives like a deadline.  I find I work better when I have a specific deadline to complete a project.  I experience a similar response when I set a deadline for the tasks I enjoy the least.  In my mind a deadline is serious and something that can’t be missed.  With that in mind, I set deadlines for unpleasant tasks, complete them and then feel better about having accomplished them.
• Start with the unpleasant tasks first:  I sometimes find it easier to start with my least favorite activities to simply get them out of the way.  In the mornings I tend to feel more motivated and have more energy making it easier to address and accomplish unpleasant activities.  Once these activities are completed and out of the way, I can focus on other, more enjoyable tasks.
• Be flexible:  Allow some wiggle room for accomplishing unpleasant tasks.  Other deadlines or more pressing assignments may come up unexpectedly during the day. In these cases it’s nice to be able to push or delay these unpleasant tasks.  By allowing this type of flexibility it eliminates undue stress while allowing you to accomplish more time sensitive projects.
• Reward yourself for accomplishing these tasks:  I know a guy that used to take these types of unenjoyable tasks first and upon completion would go get himself a donut or some other treat to reward himself, clear his mind and get ready for the rest of the day.  His reward trips became fun for everybody because he’d invite colleagues to go with him and give everybody a nice break or he’d buy enough of his treat to share with the team.  Either way, he won and the rest of his colleagues were rewarded as well.

It’s important to find what works best for you and what makes accomplishing even the most unpleasant tasks bearable, if not even a little fun.  By accomplishing even the most inane and boring tasks you’ll be a more complete employee and add more value to your team.  The more value you add the more valuable you become as an employee and co-worker.  You’ll gain the respect of your colleagues and, in the long run, earn more respect, more desirable opportunities and ultimately more money from your employer.

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+

Corporate Spokesperson Policy

Every Monday morning while I was working with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002 (SLOC), I was responsible for taking 15-20 minutes to educate new employees about SLOC’s media and spokesperson policy during new employee orientation. As part of my presentation I would explain that there are specific spokespeople within SLOC that are authorized to speak on behalf of the organization.

During this 15 or 20 minutes I would explain the policy, share some examples of people who abided by the policy, examples of people that didn’t follow the policy and then lastly explain the consequences associated with not adhering to the policy.

For the most part if employees followed the policy there weren’t any issues.  However, if the policy was ignored the consequences could be severe.  The policy was in place to ensure that the right information was being disseminated, not as a way to control or limit what was being said.  By identifying spokespeople you can streamline the message, ensure that the right information is being disseminated and avoid unnecessary confusion.

A perfect example of this is when we announced that tickets to Olympic events were going on sale and would be available online for the first time in Olympic history.  People were excited about ticket sales in general, but they were especially excited they could be purchased online.  From our standpoint, we weren’t sure how online ticket sales would go or how quickly we would have data to share.  As a result, when we made the announcement we told the press to give us 36 hours so we could come back to them with accurate data and information.

One reporter with the Associated Press began calling for an update about an hour after the press conference announcing ticket sales.  We told him we didn’t have data available and to call back in 35 hours. Unsatisfied with our answer, this reporter continued to call until he got the head of the ticketing department on the line.  When asked how tickets sales were going, the head of ticketing said, “Sales are going great.  If they continue like this we’ll be sold out by the end of the week.”

The head of ticketing was excited by sales.  He should have been because sales were going great.  However, not as great as he reported to he Associated Press.  His statement, while expressing excitement and enthusiasm was inaccurate.  There was no chance tickets would be sold out within three days.  From a PR perspective, we didn’t want Olympic fans thinking tickets were sold out and having them give up trying to purchase tickets.

We found out in time what the head of ticketing said and were able to get back to the reporter to provide him with the right information.  The head of ticketing was nearly fired on the spot for not following the spokesperson policy we had implemented.

Another relevant example is something that used to happen quite often at the Olympic offices.  We used to have an investigative reporter from one of the local TV affiliates come into our Olympic offices on regular basis.  He would get complaints from consumers that SLOC had or had not done something they were supposed to do. He would just show up with a photographer and camera rolling, hoping to get a response or to catch SLOC in a lie.  He would walk up to the reception/security desk and with cameras rolling and start asking questions of the security guards.

The security guards knew to call me and have me come up to see what the issue was and help resolve it.  Prior to their starting, the security guards would all attend new employee orientation and knew what our policy was.  Many times they told me how grateful they were to have the policy and to know what it was.  In their roles as security, more often than not, they did not have the information this reporter needed.  They heard a lot of things from different departments within SLOC and if they felt pressure to answer this reporter’s queries, surely they would not have known what information to provide.

With this in mind, here are five key points to include in a corporate spokesperson policy.

• Only an authorized press spokesperson may speak as a representative of the company to the press. No one else should be making public statements about the company’s vision and future. Even an authorized spokesperson would refrain from making specific sales or financial forecasts or from giving confidential information of any kind to the press.
• If you receive a phone call, it is your responsibility to identify the caller. If the caller is a reporter or a member of the press, you should refer the individual directly to your PR or marketing team lead. You may ask the reporter’s deadline and the nature of the information they need, so that the appropriate PR or marketing person can best meet their deadline.
• All company employees should be extremely mindful of protecting the company’s confidential information. This would include material written on whiteboards, on computer screens, on handouts, and material discussed in conversations that can be overheard on airplanes, in building and hotel lobbies, etc.
• You are free to share and quote from any material that has been publicly released by the company or that is posted on the company’s website.
• At professional seminars, panel presentations, etc. you are free to speak thoroughly about your personal area of expertise; however, you must be careful to identify when you are taking a stance that your information is not a statement of the company position, (unless in fact you are making a presentation about the company’s position on a particular topic.)

As your company becomes more visible in the press, it is imperative that all employees know and understand the company’s Spokesperson Policy. It is imperative that all employees follow these guidelines. Violation of this policy could result in lost sales, lawsuits, and loss of company reputation. For an employee, violation of this policy could potentially result in loss of employment.

 

Author: Jeremy Kartchner | Google+