Be Brave Not Safe

In a prior post on “How to land that first professional job – The Face-to-Face Interview” I outlined detailed steps to go through when meeting someone.

More specifically, this included the importance of looking the other person squarely in the eye when greeting and speaking with them.

Over the past week I experienced 2 interactions with “professionals” that served to inspire this post.

In both scenarios the individual I was speaking with would not look me in the eye.

The first, oddly enough, was my eye doctor, during a recent appointment.

We were talking about how business was going, my eyesight and corrective lens options (he had the gall to suggest that I am now old enough for progressive lenses 🙂 ), etc.

Instead of looking at me while we were talking he was turned to the side and speaking directly to the wall. So weird. I almost waved my hand in front of his face to see if he was blind, as he was clearly looking in the wrong direction when we should have been eye-to-eye…

The second scenario happened while onsite with a client. A group of us were huddled outside a conference room waiting for our next meeting to begin. I struck up some small talk with one of my fellow meeting goers…

Upon acknowledging my inquiry he glanced in my direction as he gave his response, eye-lids fluttering rapidly. He would not make eye contact.

I have to tell you, in both cases, my first impression was – HE IS HIDING SOMETHING.

Reality: This may or may not be true. It is more likely that they are both self-conscious and uncomfortable looking someone in the eye.

While we are told from an early age to NOT judge a book by its cover, human nature is that we too often do. As such, the trait of not looking another person in the eye during conversation will cause people to doubt, even not trust, you.

So, if making eye contact is difficult for you, get help 🙂

As painful as this may seem, make it a point to make eye contact when greeting someone and maintain the “appropriate” amount of eye contact during conversation.

This does not mean staring wide-eyed at someone and not blinking for the duration of the conversation. It means face the other person, look them in the eye and, as appropriate, glancing away to give thought to what was said and then re-establishing eye contact on an ongoing basis.

Bottom-line: If you want to be acknowledged and respected as a true professional you MUST make and maintain the “appropriate” amount of eye contact. If you don’t do so, whether you are self-conscious (a.k.a. nervous) or truly are hiding something this will serve as a limiting factor for you in terms of your career and/or business.

Let them see the white of your eyes!

In a prior post we covered the topic of Using the Tools of Collaboration as a key factor in being a competent collaborator.

If you recall, the inspiration for this series of posts results from a video of Thomas Friedman (best selling author and 3-time Pulitzer prize winner) called: The World is Flat. In this video he indicates that since we all are so very-well connected (globally) a key factor to our “individual” success depends upon how well we learn to collaborate.

He also referenced an ominous comment made to him, by an industrial leader in India:

The world is changing and you Americans are not ready!

While the prior posts covered human interactions and the tools for doing so, it is now time to cover the importance of…

Acting Globally

This includes considerations you must give, related to:

• Time Zone
• Culture
• Languages

Time Zone

At some level, we have all experienced the time zone factor. For those Americans reading this blog, it may relate to setting up a con-all between personnel on the east and west coasts. Not a hugely complicated matter, so long as we “typically” stay inside the 11-5pm (Eastern) / 8-2pm (Pacific) window.

How about when you need to schedule a video conference with team-members from Boston, Copenhagen and Shanghai?

That, is quite a different matter. Someone is going to be asked to work during their “off hours.” As a competent collaborator you will need to be conscious of this and “spread the pain.” That is, you do NOT want one person / location to be the only one asked to participate in their off hours on a recurring basis.

What I’ve done to handle this is:

1. Communicate to the team that we have this scheduling / logistical challenge that will require us to shift the timeframes when we hold our con-calls so as not to require any one person or location to consistently participate during their “off hours.”
2. Make sure I have the clock and weather apps setup in the background on my Mac for each city in which I have team members I’m working with.
3. Refer to the above when scheduling and starting meetings.

Culture

I have had the opportunity to engage with people from many countries and cultures. Each have their own stereotypical traits (just like we arrogant Americans do). But, I’m not going to get into that here, because…

I have found that if we offer common courtesy to every person we interact with, treat them the way we would like to be treated (ALWAYS as equals), build relationships and do our best to communicate clearly, we can break down many (maybe not all) of the cultural barriers.

The skills for doing so are covered in the post: Competent Collaboration – Part 1.

And, the beginning of this is often the “small talk.”

One easy way to stimulate dialog, in advance of a con-call getting underway, is by being able to comment: “Oh, I see it is raining in Shanghai.”

Remember I mentioned above having the time / weather app open for each location I’m working with?

While this may sound simplistic, gestures such as this serve to break down the geographic distances and give people an increased sense of camaraderie (as small a step as this may seem to be).

Language

Fortunately for we Americans, English has become the language of business. Otherwise, quite frankly, we would be screwed.

I witnessed this firsthand, during a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) training session several years ago.

My client was a medical device manufacturing company, with locations in several countries. The Sales and Service personnel who were to receive this training were located in: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK and US.

Training for the European team-members took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. An absolutely beautiful city, by the way!

In preparation for training, we had previously engaged with staff members from each country, mostly individually.

But, on day-one of training we had them all in the same room, which was VERY enlightening.

The team members of each country sat together, as you might imagine. Each were speaking amongst their own country team members – in their own language. While there were a few participants who were fairly fluent in multiple European languages, most of us were not.

However, when it came time to meet one-another and kick things off the language used was English.

While English was spoken, there were varying degrees of fluency. So, being aware of this, we (all) needed to constantly check to confirm that what we were “attempting” to communicate was clearly understood by all.

All-in-all, the training was a success!

And, this resulted from our leveraging the skills covered in a prior post (Competent Collaboration – Part 1). Said another way, even if we don’t speak multiple languages, if we are effective at Managing Interpersonal Relationships and Interactions we can effectively collaborate with people from multiple countries and cultures.

In summary, we have covered a number of skills, tools and considerations for being a Competent Collaborator, which is crucially important to our success and how we compete in the global marketplace.

Please, do NOT take this lightly. Regardless of the degrees you have (or don’t have) the key to your success is how effective you are at collaborating with others.

All the best!

In a prior post we covered the topic of Managing Interpersonal Relationships and Interactions as a key factor in being a competent collaborator.

If you recall, the inspiration for this series of posts results from a video of Thomas Friedman (best selling author and 3-time Pulitzer prize winner) called: The World is Flat. In this video he indicates that since we all are so very-well connected (globally) a key factor to our “individual” success depends upon how well we learn to collaborate.

While the prior post covered human interaction skills (which can be applied in-person or virtually) we now need to cover the “technical” side (the tools of collaboration). That is, in order to be a competent collaborator we must be effective at using the readily available tools for doing so, including:

1. Your Computer (being completely comfortable with basic navigation)
2. MS Office (Word, Excel and Powerpoint – at a minimum)
3. Email – Covered in a prior post (An Email Worth $200?!?)
4. Internet Browser
5. File Systems and Sharing
6. Smartphone
7. Teleconferencing, Video and Online Meetings

If you are not proficient at using these tools you are falling behind faster than you can imagine.

2 prior posts expand upon many of the tools mentioned above including: “Being Connected” and “Being Equipped“, so if you haven’t read these feel free to do so.

I’ll now expand on a couple of items which have not previously been covered…

File Systems and Sharing

Do you frequently exclaim: “I can’t find that file you sent me!“?

To that, I’d ask: “How often do you lose your wallet?”

Please, wake up, this is important stuff 🙂

The basic navigation of the computer includes KNOWING the file system so that as you exchange files with others (via email) you know EXACTLY where they are on your computer and which version is the latest.

A computer is not a black hole: it doesn’t arbitrarily misplace or delete files. Only YOU do that. As such, learning and managing your computer’s file system is VERY important!

In addition, you must be comfortable with the tools for sharing files so that they are:

• Stored in a central location (instead of, and/or as a backup to, your computer)
• Sync’d with your computer
• Editable or viewable by those you authorize

Those working in a corporate environment may have access to tools such as: Sharepoint or MS Office365 / OneDrive. Other great options which I use are Google Drive and DropBox. If you haven’t tried these you are encouraged to do so – for free!

Teleconferencing, Video and Online Meetings

Finally, when you need to hold interactive dialog with a number of (globally) dispersed individuals you need to be self-sufficient at using the following:

• Conference Bridge
• Video Conference Equipment
• Online Meeting Applications (GoTo Meeting, Skype, Webex, etc.)

Some may feel this is pretty basic stuff. I agree 1000%, but…I cannot tell you how many times I’ve observed, in a corporate environment, individuals fumbling with each of these tools. In some cases it seems as if it is the first time they’ve used them. Other times they just don’t seem to get it, after repeated use, and must rely on their admin.

Since the World Is Flat (we are so wired and connected) these tools are absolutely crucial to propel you forward as a competent collaborator!

Don’t let them become stumbling blocks. You WILL be left behind…

In closing…If you feel that you are not competent at using any of the tools of collaboration, have no fear. It is easy enough to obtain training from your company or to invest in training on your own dime, at a community college, high school or even online (which is often FREE)…

Remember: Only YOU can ensure YOUR success, by the investments you make — in yourself!

Become a Competent Collaborator! Not doing so is a DECISION which may prove perilous to your career…