Reputation COUNTS

Of all the soft or “indispensable” skills you can demonstrate, being punctual is right at the top of my list. And if a meeting is involved, I think it is even more important so that the other person’s time is respected.

A few weeks ago I had a 10:00 a.m. appointment and I arrived five minutes early.  The receptionist was on the phone and pointed to chairs in the lobby for me to wait since the person I was to meet had not come in yet.  She went back to her office and for the next 10 minutes I could hear her laughter and her side of the conversation.

She ended that call and I fully expected her to come out and apologize for the delay and to tell me the reason why.  Instead, she went about her business and I sat there.

About 10:15, the phone rang again and the person I was to meet had called in.  She then came out to say he would be late.  Again, I thought it would have been nice for her to ask if I needed anything while waiting, but she said nothing.

A few minutes after 10:30, the person arrived and he did apologize.  But since this was the second occasion when he was not on time, I began to doubt I could count on him.

Once you are late, it’s hard to recapture the belief you are trustworthy, even if it just a few times.

Tags: Soft skills by Marcia Hall
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I was talking with a businessperson the other day about his frustration with people not returning phone calls.  He had been trying to reach a woman he interacted with regularly to get an answer about an event he was hosting.

All of a sudden, this woman was in a meeting or not available when he called.  Rather than telling him she didn’t have the answer yet, she avoided taking the call altogether.

A simple “Yes,“ “No,” or “Not Yet” was all he wanted to know.  Often, just knowing the status of an issue is enough.  When you are left in the dark, frustration mounts.  A quick email can do wonders to put the other person’s mind at ease, and the bonus is that you are perceived as being responsive.

Tags: Respect by Marcia Hall
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 I often speak to college and high school students about how their body language creates an impression about them.  One of my favorite stories is about a young woman who told me she was a hard worker in school, but her boss thought she was a slacker because she slouched in her chair.  Even though her work was completed on time, this boss believed she was goofing off.

Whenever I tell this story, students sit up a bit.  I find body language fascinating because of what it reveals about a person.  Employees who understand its significance really have an advantage.

Tags: Body Language by Marcia Hall
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When starting a new job, how do I make sure that I will get along with everyone and make my co-workers like me and be happy that I joined their team?

I was asked this question recently and believe it is great that this person is thinking about what steps she can take to be a good addition to the team.

Here is my advice:

1.      Observe and listen first.  There is nothing more annoying than a new employee saying, “I can fix the problem” without knowing the workplace culture or considering what has already been done.  Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made an observation that I heard quoted at a college commencement.  He said, “Never walk into an environment and assume that you understand it better than the people who live there.”  If you fail to stop and listen first, you may come across as naïve or a know-it-all.   That is not a good way to begin a new job.

2.      Pull your own weight.  That means do what you say you will do, when you say you’ll do it.  Meet all deadlines and don’t offer excuses.  Your co-workers need to know they can count on you and that you’ll keep your word.  Trusting you takes time to develop. 

3.      Be positive.  Smile at colleagues when you talk with them.  Be friendly.  Make sure you leave personal problems at home.  Don’t complain if you are given something to do that you feel is below your job title.  Instead, say, “Sure I’d be happy to help.” 

The first few months are critically important as they create an impression about you.  Do you have a good work ethic?  Do you show respect to others?  Are you a friendly and positive person?  That is what your new co-workers and boss want to see.  Demonstrating these attributes will help you get along and fit in.

Tags: Workplace behavior by Marcia Hall
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Whenever I see business emails with all lower case letters, I can’t understand why people choose to write them that way.  Using a lower case “i” to start a sentence particularly surprises me. 

While emails tend to be more casual, I think using incomplete sentences, no punctuation, improper grammar, or unusual acronyms in business correspondence can be perceived as unprofessional and even lazy.  People form impressions about your competence based on the things you do and say, even when it’s just a line or two in an email.

But I’d love to hear from people who use all lower case letters and why they make that choice.

Tags: Professionalism by Marcia Hall
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Secretary Thomas Perez, with the Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, has called soft skills “indispensable.”  I love that term because it emphasizes their value, and I think the set of skills including a good work ethic, positive attitude, initiative and many other such traits, is more important in determining career success than those that are academic, technical or occupational.  I’ve also heard soft skills described as “critical” and believe both words point out how essential they are in a way that “soft” does not.

One of my favorite quotations from an employer is, “I can’t teach you how to be a nice guy and have the desire to do the work.”  Survey results reported in HR. com supported this statement saying, “Two-thirds of North American HR managers would rather hire someone with strong soft skills and weak technical abilities.”  The thinking is that training a person to perform the “hard” skills will be the easier task.  I agree that it is more difficult to teach a person to take initiative than to learn a new software program, for example.  All the more reason to focus a lot of time helping people to understand just how important soft skills are.

I hope we can replace “soft” skills with a much more dynamic term, and soon.

Tags: Soft skills by Marcia Hall
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Earlier this year I received an email from a person who asked me to send her a reminder about our meeting so she wouldn’t forget it.  She ended with the emoticon, “-).”

I had seen that symbol in other emails and thought it probably had some meaning, but never bothered to look it up.  So when I saw this email, a few thoughts went through my mind.  I wondered, why doesn’t she put the date in her calendar?  Why doesn’t she take responsibility for reminding herself?  I had never met the woman and yet I was already forming an opinion about her.

Later on, I decided to see what that emoticon stood for and found out it indicated that the statement preceding it was meant as a joke.  However, the emoticon was totally lost on me, and my reaction was negative rather than positive.

I recommend to students/employees that they avoid emoticons and smiley faces in business communications. The danger is that the person may have no idea what they mean (like me) and therefore they might be misinterpreted.  

Tags: Professionalism by Marcia Hall
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In recognition of National Customer Service Week (Oct. 6-12), I want to write my impressions about two grocery stores. The first provides excellent service all the time.  The employees smile and ask if I need assistance to the car.  They say hello when I check out and call me by name.  If there is ever a dispute about a price, they cheerfully apologize and never check the item in the aisle. 

Store Two doesn’t seem to understand good customer service.  People rarely smile or say anything to me when I check out.  I often bag my groceries at this store.  During my last visit, the cashier stood by and watched me put food in the bags  without offering to help. He waited for me to finish so he could get my credit card information.  That was not the first time this has happened.  If the store wasn’t so convenient to my house and other shops I frequent, as well as offering a better price value, I’d definitely go there less often.

One day I noticed a change for the better in the quality of their produce.  So I mentioned it to the store manager.  He was clearly stunned that I had something positive to say about the store and said how nice it was to hear my comment, because he usually gets complaints.   It’s no wonder since the poor attitude of most of the employees is visible on their faces.

There is no doubt that the manager plays a major role in how these workers react.  But, here’s hoping that these employees come to understand that providing excellent customer service can improve their circumstances too.

Tags: Customer Service by Marcia Hall
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I occasionally ride the metro when I have a meeting in Northern Virginia.  Because I go infrequently, I count on verbal or visual reminders to help me know when my stop is coming up.  Last week I was on a train that had neither so I had to look for the station signs every time we slowed down.

My previous trip was altogether different.  Each stop was announced and the station name flashed on screens near the ceiling.  That extra customer service really impressed me.  They were little things, but the trip was more relaxing because of them.

What extra touches do you offer?

Tags: Customer Service by Marcia Hall
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