Hats off to YOU!

By Jeri Mae Rowley HAT-CHECK On my mind lately are the many “hats” we wear. When I asked coworkers to brainstorm a list of their hats, responses came in torrent. At the drop of a hat, they identified: spouse, parent, child, sibling, friend, employee, supervisor, coworker, church member, community volunteer, neighbor, citizen, sports fan, club …

Court Your Customers

Roses are red. Violets are blue. If you don’t court customers . . . they’ll find someone new.  Attracting, Delighting, and Retaining Customers Is Like Courtship   Make a Good First Impression Like speed dating, there’s plenty of competition for the customers’ attention. You only have a short time to make a good first impression …

Bowling Alone

Democracy in America 1830 When the author of Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, visited the United States in the 1830s, he was most impressed by America’s many, active civic organizations. The fact that Americans were joiners, Tocqueville said, was the key to the new nation’s unprecedented ability to make democracy work: “Americans of all

Listening with Heart

We hear with our ears. We listen with our hearts. In Chinese, four characters create the active verb “to listen,” ears, eyes, undivided attention, and heart. If one essential element is missing—you aren’t really listening. Some people are hard of hearing. Hearing involves perceiving physical vibration of sound waves on an eardrum. Hearing happens unconsciously,

E-Mail Netiquette

When you correspond with e-mail, you’ll be using a communications form still in its infancy. And, you’ll join over 930 million people worldwide. That’s a lot of humans to remember!

Lead Like Santa

By Jeri Mae Rowley Simply start with this list — and check it twice. Be a legendary leader — with Santa’s advice! Have a Great Story Everyone wants to be part of a great story. Have a story to tell. Tell it well. Tell it so often everyone “just knows” what to expect and how …

Show Appreciation

By Jeri Mae Rowley Research from the U.S. Department of Labor reveals the main reason people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. And, a Gallup Poll reports, two thirds of employees received no recognition for good work in their workplaces. Clearly, there aren’t enough positive moments or interactions happening in the workplace. …