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Newsletter Archives
Welcome to
 ’s
Leadership Excellence – The Roadmap
Newsletter
Thursday,
March 29, 2007 – Vol.
5
Written and Published by Natalie R.
Manor
Visit our website at:
www.NatalieManor.com
Table of Contents:
1.
A
Note from Natalie Manor, CEO
2.
Communication is Fundamental to
Strategy and Execution, Dave Liddell, VP
3.
The Do's and Don'ts of
Communication and the Next Generation
Natalie
Hoffmann,
Dir. of Operations
4.
Resources for Your Communication Roadmap
=============================================================
The Roadmap for Communication
1. A Note from Natalie Manor, CEO
I spent this last weekend in my garden
with a giant pile of well composted
manure. Maybe that is more than you
wanted to know about me, but I was in
dirt heaven. The planting temps were
perfect and my girls joined me in the
digging and planting. It was my early
Mother’s Day present. Ever since they
could walk, my Mother’s Day present was
being helped in the garden and making it
the envy of my neighborhood. My girls
and I won’t be together for Mother’s Day
this year, so we caught up and shared a
perfectly dirty weekend.
Communicating with my girls who are 28
and 26 respectively, is easy. I know
them. They know me. We know what works
in our communication, where to watch out
and how to take care to deliver
information in a way that we can hear
it. It has taken lots of years of
practice, but if you can communicate
with family members, you can do it
anywhere and with anyone effectively.
Be
responsible for the information you want
to communicate and deliver. Our
professional colleagues “tell” us all
the time the best way to communicate
with them through their body language
and their actions around listening.
Their actions and body language can tell
you if they are engaged in the
conversation by how they hold their
body; if they maintain eye contact or
not and if they gesture while they are
speaking or listening to you.
Make sure you have a good environment
for your conversation and
conversations. Allow people to react
and/or give feedback. Ask them
what is important to them.
Good communication can solve many of
the ills of business. Good
communication creates:
-
Clear information in telling and
receiving of it
-
Excellence in execution of your
work
-
Clarity in your strategy and
sales
-
High value relationships
-
Connection to what is most
important to you or the projects
you are working on
My coaching clients appreciate my
ability to help them get clear about who
and what is important. The clarity that
is created results from asking “what”
and “how” questions and continually
making sure we are solving what is most
important to them.
Effective
communication creates effective people,
high quality services and products and
sustainable results.
Let me know if I can help you get clear
on your most important issues and
goals. I always want to be a key
resource to you.
My best,
Natalie
2.
Communication is Fundamental to Strategy
and Execution
By Dave Liddell, VP of Performance and Strategy
I am considered a trusted advisor on strategy planning
matters, and am often asked, “last year
we started with a great plan, why did we
not reach our goals?” The answer to
this question can be rooted in many places
however it is very often a function of how
well the strategic plan is understood by the
people needing to execute the plan. Last
time, I wrote about the importance of
listening to people in the organization and
its effect on developing strategy. Although
listening is the majority of the
‘communicating’ formula, it is also very
important to be able to articulate direction
and vision in a way that all members
of the organization will understand.
A clear and compelling business strategy
consists of various interrelated elements
and is at the center of all successful
companies. Strategy is the way in which an
organization overcomes challenges and
capitalizes on the opportunities of its
business environment. It can be defined as a
set of deliberate choices about how an
organization will differentiate itself from
its competition and provide value to its
customers.
Strategy is NOT a static document – it is a
dynamic way of thinking that should be
understood by all members of the
organization. It guides all decisions,
provides invaluable cross-functional
alignment, and lays the foundation for
tomorrow’s success while competing to win
today.
A strategy is only as good as how well it is
executed and this is significantly impacted
by how well it is communicated to the
members of the organization. Here is what
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charran (Execution:
The Discipline of Getting Things Done) say
about Execution:
“Execution is fundamental to strategy and
has to shape it. No worthwhile strategy can
be planned without taking into account the
organization’s ability to execute it.”
“Communication can be mere boilerplate, or
it can mean something. What counts
is the
substance of the communication and the
nature of the person doing the communicating
– including his or her ability to listen as
well as to talk.”
In other words, the successful execution of
a strategy can not be accomplished without
effectively communicating its elements to
the members of the organization. They need
to know what customers they serve, what
value their product or services offer, how
they are different from their competitors,
what core competencies exist and those that
need to be developed to be successful in the
future, key business initiatives, and short
and long-term goals.
This information needs to cascade from the
executive leaders down throughout the ranks
of the organization to provide individual
members with the wisdom to step back from
situations and know how to act rather than
react. Equally important in the
communication process is the ability to
gather feedback from those people executing
on the plan. It provides the vitals that can
help reshape a strategy in the face of
unexpected market shifts and unforeseen
business challenges.
This combination will transform an
organization from an average working
environment to one that motivates and
inspires people to be their best.
3.
Business Communication Do's and Don'ts and
the Next Generation
By Natalie Hoffmann, Director of Operations
Have you ever
felt that there are unspoken rules in
business, especially with regard to
communication? Everyone seems to know
what these rules are but you? I felt
that way way I entered the professional
business world. In one of the very
first business meetings I participated in my
cell phone started to ring and I couldn't
shut it off. I felt so stupid because
I got all of these dirty looks from my new
colleagues sitting around the conference
table. I hadn't even thought to shut
it off.
Over the
years I have had many other experiences,
embarrassing or otherwise, that have taught
me quite a bit about the unspoken rules of
communication in business. I'd like to
share with you what I have learned about the
do's and don'ts of communication in an
attempt to demystify some of these unspoken
rules.
The idea that
people need to have feedback, appreciation
and information is a good basis for
understanding how and why excellent business
communication is important and compelling
for success.
In your very
best relationship - whether your spouse,
best friend, sister, co-worker - you can
easily communicate with them a high value
way. You telephone, email, write notes,
make plans and generally stay in contact
with them because you want the connection
and the relationship.
In building
very good relationships in business, it is
absolutely the same. What is different in a
business relationship is that you
communicate with them and you don't always
know them as well as a dear friend.
However, they need the same attention that a
good relationship needs. These needs are:
-
Returning
a phone call
-
Following
up on a request
-
Listening
intently
-
Appreciative communication
-
Clear
communication with details and
directions
-
Doing
what you say you will do
-
Remembering what is important to them
-
Valuing
what is most important to them
Our
communication styles and methods are being
stretched to the limit by email, technology,
lack of time and demands of on our ability
to do so much in our days.
There
are rules of common courtesy, however, that
have NOT changed since the inception of
humans dealing with each other in a high
value way. If you want to be a remembered,
trusted and respected leader, you will
practice these courtesies with every
business contact.
If you take
the time to examine what is important to
you, we think you will find that they are
also the courtesies that you expect in all
business communication – actually how you
would like to be treated and communicated
with.
EMAIL -
not only should you be returning emails in a
timely way, but you need to set the context
each and every time of why the email is
important and what information it is that
you want to deliver. Spam filters help, but
in order to more easily control your email
load, you need to be in more control of what
you generate yourself. In business, be
brief, be informational and be gone.
CELL PHONES
- the ring tones that are available now are
fun outside of the office, networking
situations, client lunches etc. Put them on
vibrate or shut them off. Take and make
calls when you are with people sparingly.
Most people are not interested in listening
to your conversations no matter how
stimulating you think they might be. If you
need to take or make a call, excuse yourself
and then make it brief.
RETURNING
PHONE CALLS -
Whether you think you have time to return
the call or not, find out what people need,
make sure you are clear on whether you can
help them or not and then get back to your
own work. People who return phone calls are
trusted and respected. You do not need to
make the calls long. In fact, returning all
calls twice a day instead of doing it piece
meal all day long is a good way to manage
your time more appropriately.
Here are some
additional basics that will help you grow
your own identity/brand and identify you as
a trusted and respected “up and coming
leader”:
-
Practice
your handshake
- ask a friend to shake hands with you
and then give you feedback. Firm is
good.
-
Eye
contact
- learn to look at a person when they
are speaking
-
Body
language
- 55% of our non verbal communication is
our body - watch what your body is
saying about you.
-
Business
card
- get one and have them with you ALL of
the time. Do include an address, email,
telephone number, name and what you do –
a title is very good. If your company
does not provide a business card, get
one for you anyway. The fast print
companies all have programs you can
easily and quickly make one for you.
-
Holding
doors
- opening a door for someone is not just
a guy thing anymore. Ladies, if you get
to the door first, open it.
-
Standing
and greeting
- if you are being introduced, stand,
reach out your hand and shake their
hand.
It is my sincere hope that you find these
communication do's and don'ts useable and
valuable in your daily business
communication. If you have any tips or
techniques that you'd like to add I'd be
delighted to hear from you. Send me an email at
natalie.hoffmann@nataliemanor.com.
4.
’s
Resources for
your Communication Roadmap
Isn’t it
great when you can find all of the resources
you need on a certain subject in one place?
Well we thought that we would do just that
for you around communication. Below
are three (3) resources for navigating your
Roadmap for Excellence in Communication.
1. Top 10
Tips for Communication Excellence
Here are some
great communication tips for you. We
often find that people like to print them
out and post them in your offices where they
can see them and refer to them often.
Feel free to pass them onto your peers and
colleagues.
Download your
copy here:
Top 10 Tips for Communication Excellence
2.
Book -
"Communicating Clearly, Confidently and
Credibly"
This is a
great resource! How do I know?
Well I co-authored it with several of my
contemporaries. It gives you
several different perspectives on
excellent communication and how to
achieve it in your professional life.
Visit the
Shop to get your copy today at:
http://www.NatalieManor.com/shop
3.
CD/MP3 -
“Communication: The #1 Fundamental
Leadership Skill for the 21st Century"
After 20+ years of helping leaders just
like you with their communication skills
through coaching and training we decided
to take all of our content and record
it. Our
“Communication:
The #1 Fundamental Leadership Skill for
the 21st Century”
is now offered in both CD
and MP3 format for your convenience.
Now you can
take
’s tips and
techniques around communication with
you anywhere anytime. Since March is
Communication month at
we are
offering our “Communication:
The #1 Fundamental Leadership Skill for the
21st Century” CD/MP3 at a
special discount for
all you who subscribe to our newsletter.
With your special coupon code offer
’s
“Communication:
The #1 Fundamental Leadership Skill for the
21st Century” CD/MP
is now just
$29.97 that is
a 50% savings
off of the regular price of
$59.97!
Go to
www.NatalieManor.com/shop and click
on “Communication:
The #1 Fundamental Leadership Skill for the
21st Century”.
Once you login into the
Shop type
this coupon code right below your credit
card information.
CFS032807.
Could you
use some support in your performance
management and leadership competencies? The
Team and I
would be delighted to be a resource for you
in building and navigating your Roadmap to
Leadership Excellence in your organization.
Give us a call at 800-666-2230 or email us
at
Success@NatalieManor.com. We’d love to
be a resource for you and your organization.
’s
Roadmap is sent only to those who have
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never share our mailing list with anyone. To
Subscribe, please visit our website at:
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=============================================================
The
Team
,
Natalie Manor & Associates
,
Natalie Manor & Associates
is an organization of consultants,
corporate trainers and executive
coaching professionals who provide
measurable results for our clients in
the areas of Leadership, Communication,
Strategic Planning and Cultural
Development. To inquire about
’s
executive coaching, speaking, customized
training, facilitations and seminars for
your group or organization, or to
schedule an initial consultation,
contact us at:
Success@NatalieManor.com
Copyright
(c) 2007, all rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1529-059X
You may copy, forward or distribute
’s
Roadmap if this copyright notice and full
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,
Natalie Manor & Associates are included.
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’s
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