Sometimes you don’t need to speak to anyone as you do your daily routine. But when you do, it is important to remember that you are an agent and a brand ambassador of your company. If you expect to communicate clearly, you cannot stumble around like the Mumbles character in Dick Tracy.

Here are a few tips on speaking clearly:

1. Speak slowly and concisely: Customers are often busy with their own daily routine when they approach you. A polite greeting may be enough to capture their attention. Use their name, if you know it and you will surely get their attention. Stop and wait until you have their full attention before speaking. This way you avoid having to repeat yourself or being misunderstood.
2. Speak courteously and politely: Smile inside and smile outside and project a friendly, helpful, and caring professional attitude. The words you speak account for only seven percent of your communication. How you speak or your tone of voice is a major mark of your courtesy and politeness. Your good manners, words such as “please,” “yes,” “hello,” “thank you,” “certainly,” and “good morning,” are always welcome and appreciated in a professional environment. Phrases such as, “Yes, I would be happy to,” or, “It would be my pleasure,” demonstrate a helpful desire to be of service.
3. Avoid slang and acronyms: Avoid slang because it may be perceived as rude or disrespectful. Acronyms may be a quick and efficient way to speak to colleagues at your company. Those same acronyms may not be understood, or worse, be misunderstood by a customer. Slang and acronyms are not effective ways of communicating professionally with your customers.

Speaking clearly respects your customers and the work they entrust to you. Speaking clearly respects your position, profession, and yourselves personally. In order to earn respect, speak respectfully by:

• Speaking slowly and concisely
• Speaking courteously and politely
• Avoiding slang and acronyms

I saw this roadsign twice in one weekend. So, I thought I would take the hint. At 60 MPH, I couldn’t read the fine print. I wasn’t quite sure who the ad was for. Nevertheless, I got the message.  I didn’t want to die of stubbornness. So I had to think, “What was I being stubborn about?” (Is this a multiple choice question?)

Well, I picked one and I went to the doctor. Not a bad start. In fact, the road sign is a campaign initiated by the US government to bring awareness not only to the issue of the prostate but to all aspects of male health. Not a bad guess on my part.  Then I wondered, about business.

How many businesses would die of stubbornness? How many businesses are stuck in their ways? Stuck in their old ways. No new ideas, no innovation? No progress! Can failure or death be far behind?  Albert Einstein quoted, “you can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” Einstein also said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Everybody wants to get better, make more money, have more time, whatever you want more of. And as Mark Twain has said, “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” Many people want change without changing. Or they want everyone else to change, but not them. It doesn’t work that way. And it’s not change for the sake of change. It’s change for the sake of measured progress.

To quote the wisdom of the ages . . .

Einstein said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Routine is good if it’s working and moving you forward. If you feel stuck, then it’s time to change. Create a new routine that will keep you moving forward. You must continually evaluate your position. If you are on course, stay the course. If you are off course, adjust. This requires you know where you are and where you are going.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change,” said Charles Darwin. This is the law of the survival of the fittest, not the strongest, not the most steadfast. You can survive if you adapt. You cannot drive your car without steering. It would be suicide.

Gandhi has said, “BE the change you wish to see in the world.” This is obviously an inside job. It’s always an inside job. It starts with you. This is leading by example. Not always easy but necessary if you expect progress. Many are afraid to change. It is essential that someone muster the courage to lead the way. Otherwise, you will all stay stuck.

“Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ~George Bernard Shaw. It starts with a decision. Of course, change is scary. It’s unfamiliar; it’s different, it’s risky. So you take your head out of the sand and weigh the pros and cons. That’s how you move forward if you want to move forward. It’s your choice.

“The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation,” Einstein again. If you are stuck and you know it, you may not even know how to change. That’s where a support system comes in. You need new thinking, new options, better choices than you are aware of. Seek out the help and it will be there.

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.” Alan Cohen

Who needs it?  Everyone!  Everywhere!  

Actually, I really don’t have to justify the need for order; you have your own rationalization. What I am saying is you already have a “need for order”. Whether you realize it or not, you do require some order in your life. Even if you are the “non-conformist Maximus”, you have a certain need for order.

Of course, the anal retentive have a higher need for order.  An amusing digression: I had a t-shirt which read, “Does anal retentive have a hyphen?” I have the answer! It is spelt both ways! With the hyphen, it’s an adjective. Without the hyphen, it’s a noun.  

Okay, back to business.  You have a need for order in some areas of your life. As stated above, some more than others. Individuals, companies and society, all have a need for order. Order in your life may look like a daily routine you follow to get out of the house for work on time. Maybe you have a specific routine for going to bed, brushing your teeth, cleaning the house or washing the car. Your routine is specific, repeatable, almost always accomplished in the same sequence and the time required is usually predictable.

You do your little tasks in the same order every day because you know that your routine will ensure everything gets done (you won’t need that checklist every day) and you will be on time.  In the morning, I have my “get ready for work” routine. If that routine is interrupted by a phone call, the children, the spouse, the pets, my whole schedule is thrown off. My schedule could be behind longer than the duration of the interruption.

In that situation, questions start racing through my foggy morning, pre-caffeinated brain. Questions like, “Where did I leave off?” “What have I completed?” “What is left to be done?” “What time is it?” “Will I be on time for work?” Without the interruption, you are in “the groove”. You don’t have to think. You pre-planned it. Now you are just executing your plan, time and time again, daily, and habitually.  Even after a very short interruption, I have left the house without shaving. Whoops. Go back. That really messes up your day. 

For me, it only takes 20 minutes to get up and out in the morning. That’s just me. If there is an entourage, it could take an hour or more. Maybe getting ready in the morning is not your routine, but you have some habitual tasks which help you through your day or your life.  The same is true for business. Small routines or habits need to be established to help the business run more smoothly. Even in the creative process, there are specific, repeatable and sequential tasks to ease the completion of the project. These tasks are pre-planned and the execution is managed. (The tasks are managed; the people doing the tasks are led.)

These business routines could be government regulated, standard operation procedures (SOP’s), legal or ethical parameters, or just common sense good manners and standards of conduct for your staff. Whatever the circumstance, the “need for order” extends to the workplace and is beneficial for efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and profitability.

As the most public representative of your company, you probably see more customers, more frequently, than anyone else in your company. Your customers know you, or they think they do. They will depend on you when they have a problem. Since you are the only one around and the closest thing to a company official, you are their “go to person”.

Too often the client’s requests may be beyond what you can do. Don’t tell them that! Tell them what you can do for them. This requires using good interpersonal skills, being upfront with customers, and demonstrating the concern to resolve an issue.

Be aware of these three things: 

• ●Express empathy. 
• ●Stay calm and positive. 
• ●When an error occurs, notify the proper person. 

1. Express empathy: ​ Express empathy for your customers who are experiencing difficulty. Do not take their concern personally however you can certainly attempt to understand why they are having a problem. Even if their concern is not the result of your company’s performance, try to understand how they are feeling. You get a lot of good points for that. If your customers’ issue is with your company, remember the boundaries of your position and then express your concern about the situation and offer to help. 

2. Stay calm and positive: ​Mistakes will happen and you will hear about them. Don’t take it personally. First of all: listen. Do not interrupt while they are talking. If you have questions, get as much information as you can. Focus on finding solutions; do not place blame. Remember, you are part of the solution. Tell them what you can do for them rather than what you cannot do. For example, say, “I will be glad to get you a copy of the _(fill in the blank)__. I can drop if off for you tomorrow.”  

3. When an error occurs, notify the proper person immediately​. If you encounter an unusual situation, if you’re not sure who to contact, or if you are uncertain about the notification procedure, ask your supervisor for help. You do not have to do it alone. You have a support team, so find out who they are, what they do and use them. Help is always within reach. Studies prove, the quicker the issue is resolved, the more understanding and loyal the customer will be. Right after you hear about an issue, even if you think you fixed it, call someone back at your base. When you get back to your vehicle, let your supervisor know what happened and verify you covered all the bases to resolve the problem. Help is always available. Ask for it when you need it. 

Remember these three things to demonstrate the concern and sense of urgency to resolve an issue: 

• Express empathy. 
• Stay calm and positive. 
• When an error occurs, notify the proper person.

Are you having trouble getting everything done? Are you looking for a better way to manage your time? Are you a slave to time?

Here are four simple and useful rules to manage your time more efficiently and effectively.  There are three you might have heard of already and then I added one for good measure.  

1) Pareto’s Principle – 80% of the outcomes result from 20% of the causes.  

Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noted that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. He developed this principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.  

You waste your time on useless activities! If you are reading this, you do! You have the plague. We each have our own black hole of time: TV, video games, the internet, social media, email, fantasy sports, telephone, socializing face to face (old school), etc. Most of it in the name of entertainment. You name it and you have a rationalization for it. Whatever it is, it’s holding you back from doing what you really need to be doing.

What do you need to be doing? What is it that needs to get done and you don’t have enough time for it?  It might even be work. You have too much urgent work to get your important work done. The question is, “Are you doing the right work?”

Enter Vilfredo Pareto. Look at your work like you are making a budget. Where are you spending your time how? Where do you want to spend your time? There are elements of your work which contribute to outcomes. Some elements contribute to positive outcomes and some contribute to negative outcomes. Using Pareto’s Principle, 20% of the elements you already do reap 80% of the benefit. And 80% of the elements you work on reap 20% of the benefit. Why are you wasting four-fifths of your time for 20% of the benefit? Couldn’t you spend some of that time doing more beneficial work?

Check yourself out. Do an honest assessment of how you spend your time. See if it isn’t true that you spend 80% of your time getting 20% of the results. Turn that around and do 20% of the effort and get 80% of the results. The following three rules will help with that.

2) Drucker’s Declaration – Do first things first and second things not at all.

Peter F. Drucker was a writer and management consultant. His books and articles explored how humans are organized across the business and government.

“First Things First” is attributed to Stephen Covey. Before Mr Covey, Peter Drucker was advising his clients and readers using the above adage. But even before Mr Drucker, a famous efficiency expert, Ivy Lee, advised Charles M. Schwab, CEO of Bethlehem Steel on improving his personal efficiency and the efficiency of his staff.

Lee suggested, “At the end of each day, write down the 6 most important things to be done the next day and number them in order of importance. Do the tasks from the most important to least important. After you’ve finished a task, cross it off the list. Any unfinished tasks are rolled over to the next day.” It’s very simple and effective.

Drucker’s Declaration is a more elegant synopsis of Lee’s advice. Once the first things are taken care of, you can move onto the second thing, which is now in first place.

The power of this incredibly simple technique is doing the “To Do” list at the end of your day. Assess the priorities for the next day and put them on your list. Otherwise, you will be reacting to urgent issues that are bound to pop up during the day, instead of dealing with the important ones you already decided upon.

Doing this “To Do” list will result in doing the 20% that counts the most.

3) Parkinson’s Law – Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

Cyril Parkinson was a British naval historian, an author of some sixty books and a scholar in public administration.

You remember cramming. How about last minute term papers? Sometimes it worked well. That is a precise demonstration of Parkinson’s Law. You could have started and finished it sooner, but there were the inevitable delays.

Parkinson’s law is a symptom of not following Pareto and Drucker. If you are not following the two previous rules, you wait until the last minute to get your “real” work done? Your wasting 80% of your time on unimportant things is the root cause of the time mismanagement disease.

The cure is making shorter and shorter deadlines. Don’t wait. Get it done and move onto the next number one item on your list.

Procrastination ties these last two time management rules together. It is also a symptom of time mismanagement. Procrastination is characterized as an ineffective, useless delay. The delay is due to some apprehension, fear it won’t be right, or it won’t be good enough or not seeing the way clear to completion. Whatever it is, it paralyzes us to listless inactivity.

Assuming you have set a tight deadline, the cure is to ask for someone to help you over this hurdle. That’s right, ask for help. When did you get too old to ask for help? Ask someone who can encourage and support you to complete this work on time. Someone may be able to clarify the path ahead or show you the next step to take. Progress is made, very often, in small steps, but progress is required.

And one for good measure

4) Campbell’s Commandment – Done is better than perfect.

Thomas Campbell is a very successful manager at a prominent transportation company. His adage was very encouraging as well as motivating.

Many are plagued with perfectionism. Some wear it like a badge of honour. Nevertheless, perfectionism is another delay tactic. Perfection is reserved for a Deity. We mere mortals will have to settle for excellence. And even excellence takes time. You won’t get it right the first time or maybe the first ten times. All you can do is your best with the information you have available, finish it and leave it open for revision when you get better information.

This is not an opening for shoddy work. Do your best while complying with Pareto, Drucker and Parkinson and keep working on it, making it better each time. If you wait for perfection, you will get perfectly nothing done . . . perfectly. Progress is always preferred over perfection and usually required.

Make some progress. Get something done. Otherwise, you are right where you are now, fretting about all the time that is being lost and nothing is being done.

Anyone of the Four Time Management Rules will move you ahead to accomplish more. Pick one that will work for you and try it out. If you can do it for 21 days, it will likely become a habit. If you like that one, try another and another.

Remember, “Do is half of done!”

How do you manage your time?

Planes are late often. Passengers miss connecting flights too often. This issue was brought to mind on a trip to and from Boston, years back. I’m an efficiency expert and I was struck with a brilliant idea the night right after I missed my flight home. I am surprised the brilliant industrial engineers and managers at every airline have not implemented this very simple system to reduce missed connections. I can’t believe this idea has not crossed someone’s mind before. Please indulge me as I relay my recent travel log.

On a Monday I was flying to Boston with a connection in Philadelphia. The flight into PHL was late and I thought I was going to miss my connection to Boston. I did miss my flight yet US Airways had arranged for the next flight out that evening and I got a $10 meal voucher to boot. Not bad. On board, the same flight were 7 passengers going to Frankfurt. The flight attendants made several announcements to ask the other passengers to wait in their seats until the Frankfurt passengers had deplaned. Another announcement was made during taxi and just before arriving at the gate. When the plane arrived at the gate and the seatbelt light was turned off, the whole plane stood up, almost in defiance. I was shocked at how inconsiderate the other passengers were. I’m not sure if the Frankfurt passengers made it off the plane first and made their connection.

Thursday night, that same week, I was planning to take the redeye home so I could drive 3 hours to go on an annual salmon fishing trip. I arrive at the Boston airport hours early and as soon as I get there the US Airways flight to Las Vegas was already going to be 25 minutes late. That meant I had 20 minutes to catch my flight home. Well, the Boston flight left an hour late, which meant I would miss my flight home for sure. En route, the pilot put the pedal to the metal and made up some time. We would only be 45 minutes late into Vegas. I alerted the flight attendant I had a close connection and could I get off the plane first. He said there were 60 other people on board who had connections and operations in Las Vegas was working on it. I’m not sure what that meant.

The Boston flight arrived in Las Vegas at gate A8 and my departing flight was at A12. Not bad. Looking good. I ran to the gate and I noticed the plane was still on the jetway. I asked to get on and the gate agent said it was too late. She absolutely refused to do anything to help me. Well, that lit my fuse. The rest of the story gets pretty ugly since I huffed and puffed all through the LAS Airport, trying to take down every US Airways employee in my way. I didn’t enjoy the glitz at all.

It was obvious that the Boston to Vegas flight was a party plane. I guess every flight to Vegas is a party plane. Then it occurred to me that most of the 18 rows ahead of me did not have a connection to make in Las Vegas and I would have had a better chance of getting off the plane in time if it weren’t for them.

I believe everyone does the best they know how with the information they have available. The airlines do their best, the airline employees do and even the passengers do. These people are not bad. Yet airlines will have late planes and passengers will miss flights. The system sucks.

Then my stroke of genius occurred. Why don’t airlines seat all the connecting passengers in the front of the plane for every flight? If you are not connecting then you sit in the back of the plane. Just like the old smoking section decades ago. Simple and easy. It should be fairly easy to program airline computers to make the appropriate seat assignments. It can also be very transparent to the passengers. I don’t know about checked baggage, but I guess a “last in first out” process would work there as well.

I plan to write to every airline and make this suggestion. I would like to find out if they have ever considered it. If they have considered it and rejected it, I would like to know why my genius plan would not work.

What do you think? Write your airline.

UPDATE: One Year Later

Approaching one year now and no communications from the seven airlines I wrote to, with the exception of the perfunctory, “Thanks for your comment,” “We’ll look into it” and “We’ll be back to you.”

I’m getting old waiting for an answer. Just tell me you have a better plan. Tell me why my plan is bogus.

PROVE ME WRONG! ANYONE?