Mistake # 95: Let there be gossip!

How many companies have your worked for where gossip was king?!  I have had plenty in my day. And, when a company is expecting to conduct layoffs, the gossip becomes rampant; people become fearful; and production goes down the tubes.

An article in the NY Times illustrates how one company eliminated gossiping. When hired, an “agreement to values” is signed so that people are not talked about behind someone’s back. If so, the company has the right to let the individual go, since it is a breach of their agreement. Most importantly, the company management keeps information, including layoffs, timing, reasons for layoffs, all out in the open. Knowing what is expected of each individual, and holding each other accountable, eliminates the need for office gossip.

Further, the company identified how employees can communicate with diverse personalities within the company.  Can you imagine how they can be successful with the diverse personalities of your customers?!

Awesome company! Bravo!

Mistake # 90: Fail to turn in assignments to your manager

What happens when you don’t get specific projects turned in by your direct reports? I have a laundry list of at least ten specific requests to a sales rep, and he never turned these in. It’s beginning to mount. I’m addressing these with him next week.

How can someone do that? What happened in the previous jobs? Pathetic.

Mistake # 88: Are you trustworthy?

I hope so. I mean, your company and what you do rely on the integrity you provide to your customers. Just think if you were perceived as another Bernie Madoff?!  Ugh!

In a recent article in CareerJournal.com, Stephen Covey stresses that you should (1) learn the skills that will earn you greater trust; and (2) don’t over promise what you can deliver. Particularly during these lean times with less resources and  short personnel, that is great advice.

Mistake # 85: The consultant is working on it

Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong way of thinking.  I’ve worked with many consultants in my life. Some I even learned from so much, that they became mentors (two, in particular). However, when you have consultants that really don’t have something specific to do, but are on the monthly company expense report, it’s really hard to justify.

Being a consultant right now could be very lucrative, since many companies have reduced hiring and controlling their activities by hiring freelance work.

Being a consultant right now could be very lucrative, since many companies have reduced hiring and controlling their activities by hiring freelance work.

When you do hire a consultant, I suggest that you at least follow these tips:

* Have specific outcomes monthly on what you expect that individual to perform.  It seems like a very obvious tip, but you would be surprised on how months go by and you are wondering what that individual is actually doing out there!

* Ask the individual to put together a monthly report on activities with specific deliverables attached, along with their invoice. This will monetize the value of this individual on what he/she is performing.

* Speak with the consultant weekly to answer questions, ask questions, identify if he/she is on track—or on the wrong track—to accomplish the assigned project. Just thinking that they are doing what they need to do could be a big problem in the end. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Finally, be sure to evaluate the value of the work the consultant has performed every 3-6 months. You’ll be glad you did!

Mistake # 84: The numbers just don’t add up!

Why is it that every company I’ve worked for has different sales numbers all over the place, and they never add up! I am trying to put together my progress report for the month, and there it is! Six different ways to look at one sales rep’s sales.

Why are they different?  Who knows. All I know is that I’ll spend another hour in the CFO’s office on Monday trying to have him explain which number I should use for my report. Again.

Martini anyone?

Mistake # 83: Text message in the wrong places

Are there etiquette rules out there for adults on text messaging? Anywhere? How about if you are at dinner with your boss and you receive a text message? Should you answer back in between bites of shrimp or prime ribs?

I say nay, nay. I was at dinner not too long ago and my direct-report received a text. He puts his fork down and answers away.  Head down to his lap to poke his fat fingers on the phone’s buttons, I’m still talking to his bald spot on his head. What’s with that?! Is that really necessary?! What happens when he’s at his desk and in the middle of a conference call on the office phone. Does he do that too? It’s unlikely that it is from a customer, because, let’s be honest, what customer would text message a representative for more information?!

Here are three rules for text messaging for employees:

* Text messages are like emails. Answer them when you can, but don’t stop the train to do so. Take a break and go out to a hallway or the work break room to answer your text message.

* Don’t text message in front of your boss. If you do, there are likely to be questions on how you are spending your time–at the computer answering customer questions, or on your phone answering your wife’s questions on what color she should color her hair.

*Don’t ever text message at dinner with clients or your boss. Ever. If you do, it will look like you are not paying attention to the conversation and you have other things to do tend to. “Dad, did u deposit my $ yet? I want 2 go 2 the muveez w/Jak!”

What are your rules for text messaging at work?

Mistake # 82: Create an office mess

My office—and the work stations around me—are a mess! I need a day to clean my space. I’ve got soda cans (due to the cold caffeine needed throughout the day), piles that I have yet time to organize, etc. In all the years (two to be exact) that I have been at my current job, I have never even had time to hang pictures! My office looks worse than a doctor’s examining room. Help!

What does your workspace look like?

Mistake # 79: Create a sweat-shop environment

I signed off for someone to take vacation this past week. She is sales support and cranks getting quotes out and orders processed. However, all hell broke out. Someone (from another department) even recommended me calling her back from her vacation to help the overloaded staff.

What?! Did I hear that right? We’re not curing cancer, doing brain surgery, or landing men on the moon. We are selling products and processing orders for those products. Yes, it was chaos. Yes, it was not good timing. But when is timing ever great?

I realize that, as a manager, I need to focus on work flow, when people should, and should not, take vacations. I also realize that I have final authority to deny vacations at any point in time.

But even I had to be out that week (taking my son to move into his dorm as a first year college freshman); and another sales manager had to take her mother for testing and needed to be out most of one day. Further, the President of the company was out for two days at the end of the week to fly to a family wedding on the east coast; and the CEO was out for two weeks during this time (after being back only one week in the office after his vacation) for a family wedding on the west coast, traveling with his family, and seeing the California sights.

So I it really wasn’t necessary to even consider bringing this person back from her vacation. I think the company will still be standing when she returns on Monday. In fact, I’m certain of it!

Mistake # 70: In search of that right sales rep

Executives and upper management are always in search of that one “magic bullet.” They are constantly agonizing, “what if we did this?” “What if our strategy was that?” “What if we streamlined to this?”

 The actuality is that there is no “one way” of selling. There isn’t even magic behind it. In today’s economy, there really is only one answer: get the hell out there and sell. Yes, it’s hard work, and, yes, it’s not easy.

 The one caveat, or qualifier, is that you have great sales people. It makes all the difference in the world.

I’m still having problems with one sales rep that keeps claiming he knows this industry and has been in it for a long time. He has. But, instead of actually selling – picking up the phone, sending emails, meeting people face-to-face, he conducts all of his work by email. Back and forth all day long. He works remotely and it’s unclear of how he spends his time. But, I do know that he only communicates via email. Although I discussed it with him, he continues to work in the way he feels comfortable. Further, he fails to tell me how he accounts for his time and what his daily activities are. And, yes, the sales reflect his style.

Another rep that works remotely spends most of his time focusing on the details. In fact, he gets lost in the details. So as he is drowning in details for one client, another client gets away.

 A third rep that works remotely is constantly on the phone, emailing, and digging up ‘dirt’ to get to the next client. I am a big believer in multiple ways to get people’s attention brings in clients. Send them something, leave voice mails, emails, and set up appointments.

The bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter if the sales rep is remote. It’s who you hire and how they spend their time that matters.

Mistake # 69: Die from lack of sleep and burnout

It’s so easy these days to burn out. With companies downsized to the bare bones, many employees are doing too much with too little. There is no way to catch up on work and deal with the piles and heaps on the desk, along with the pages of emails waiting to be tended to.

I, myself, have not had a vacation in ages. I define vacations as taking no work or no computer along, planting a chair in the sand on a beach (preferably in the Caribbean), a drink with an umbrella on it in the right hand, and a book in the left hand. There I sit for approximately eight hours. It’s hard work, but at the end of the day, there is always happy hour to look forward to.

The last real vacation I had was almost 14 years ago. In fact, I was reprimanded for not taking any vacation this year – three weeks total. Not one day. Why? Quite honestly, it just wasn’t possible. Actually, there’s no good time to take a vacation. So, I need a vacation and a week of sleep.

You can’t die from a loss of vacation, but can you die from lack of sleep? Slate posted an interesting article based on a study indicating that apparently you can.

It’s Sunday, I’m going back to bed, and taking a two-week vacation in June. Really!