It's Monday morning and as I arrive at work, there he is, a big black cloud of negativity between me and my destination. How could I get passed him and not allow him to suck out the joy I have worked so hard to muster this morning? "Good morning, Joe. How was your weekend?" Joe replies, "Not long enough, filled with too much yard work and I have a pile of projects on my desk that I don't know if I'll get done in time."

Everything Joe shared is true, so why is it so draining to hear? The problem is his focus.

Monday Morning Take Two -

"Good morning, Joe. How was your weekend?" Joe replies, "It went by fast because I worked in the yard all weekend. I accomplished so much, though. It really looks great! I feel so lucky to have a nice home and yard - even luckier to have a job. Looks like I'll be pretty busy this week. I could use some help if you've got time to spare."

The situation didn't change, however, the conversation is upbeat and I'm not drained. I walk away feeling good even though this time I've been asked to provide some assistance.

So what really robs us of joy; the work before us or the focus and attitude we have toward it?

We should think of our attitude in the same terms as our physical health. We hesitate to come to work with a cold or the flu but think nothing of bringing in the deadly virus of a negative attitude. It is more contagious than any infection we will ever encounter because we really don't have to get that close to catch it or spread it. The good news is, a positive attitude is just as contagious and all it takes is a change of focus.

If you focus on what is going well in your life, work, relationships - you fill your mind with the positive and it drives your outlook. If you compliment the positive attitude of a coworker (spouse, family member), you encourage more of that same attitude in them.

Attitude without action loses its power. I often say, "Catch someone (and yourself) doing something right." Be quick and public with praise and slow and private with criticism. This action will create a petri dish that breeds germs of positive attitude that will spread like swine flu in the media.

Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death." Speak words that give life and watch it change your world!

Have I told you how much I appreciate you? I do!

Getting A Read On Clients

Knowing how a client feels about the service they receive is critical to maintaining that relationship. There have been cases where the account executive has asked a client how satisfied they were with how the account was being handled and received good feedback only to have the client pull the account later without warning.

The account executive may have made a common mistake. While they started off doing the right thing by soliciting feedback, they had fallen down in the way they had asked.

There are two keys to getting feedback from clients. First, you need to ask for feedback on the right dimensions. And second, you have to ask in a way that really tells you how they feel.

What you ask about

There is certainly some value in asking clients how they feel about the recent sales performance of their product or service, or the effectiveness of a recent campaign - this is obviously an important issue. By asking how they feel about the effectiveness of a recent campaign, you’re able to bring issues to the surface you were unaware of and you might be able to provide additional context and perspective.

Ultimately, however, sales performance is beyond your control - far better to then move on and also ask about something that you can actually influence, such as the advice/strategy you are providing today or the communication clients have received.

How you ask

The next step is asking in a way that gives you an accurate reading. The problem is that most people are polite, don’t want to hurt your feelings and want to avoid conflict. Asking clients if you have done a good job of communicating over the past will often get you a “sure”, a response that’s not all that helpful in getting a sense of where you really stand and may in fact mask real unhappiness.

Similarly, asking clients after a meeting how they feel about revised marketing strategies will often get you a “fine”, again not terribly edifying. Consider instead asking clients to give you a report card from 1 to 10. At the conclusion of a meeting (or if that’s not possible, a phone call), one way to do this is to say: “I wonder if I could take a minute to get some feedback on the communication you have received from me over the past few weeks. How would you rate the contact you have received from me on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is low and 10 is high?”

Or after you have met to revise a client’s advertising plan, say “Now that we have made these changes, how comfortable do you feel with your new strategy on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high.”

Few clients will give you a score that they see as a failing grade, but some who feel a little uncertain might give you a 5, 6 or 7, thinking that is an acceptable score that won’t hurt your feelings. In reality, if the response is 7 or below, clients are telling you they’re not all that happy. You need to follow up with them by learning more. So you could say “Tell me, what aspects of your plan still leave you uncomfortable?” or ” What kind of changes would you like to see to the communication you get from me over the next few weeks?”

If, on the other hand, you get an 8, 9 or 10, then you can move on with the confidence that you are in fairly good shape with this client.

Even if you get a great score, consider one final question that can yield eye-opening results.

That question: “What one thing could I do in the period ahead to improve your experience working with me and my team?” Having asked that question, sit back and allow the client to fill the silence that follows - you might be surprised by what you hear.

One final note. Not every client is consistent and rational. Just because someone has given you a grade of 8 or 9 does not mean a friend won’t tell them about an agency whose approach moved the sales needle and then they switch agencies.
Those kinds of events are beyond our control. What we need to focus on are the things we can influence - such as asking clients for feedback on the right dimensions and in a way that gets them to tell us how they really feel.

For those of you who are not in account service, remember that everyone is your client and use this approach with your co-workers and managers to know where you stand with them.

Have I told you how much I appreciate you? I do!

An Unexpected Surprise

Have you ever tried to pull some aluminum foil out of the box and the entire roll just jumps right out of the box as you pull? Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The stubborn roll always comes out at the wrong time!

Well, whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? I sure never did until someone shared an unexpected surprise with me. Recently a friend revealed this to me...

Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, "Press here to lock end." Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can't count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.I hope I'm not the only person that didn't know about this.

My friend surely was not the only one who was surprised by the commonly overlooked, yet highly ingenious feature.

When I read this email from my friend, I ran to my kitchen to validate this with my own eyes. After I noticed that every aluminum foil box had this handy feature, it made me think. How often in life is there a wonderful feature right before our eyes, and what does it take for us to notice?

· Do you ever look at a friend but not see him?
· Do you ever listen to team member but not hear her?
· Do you ever think about how much you appreciate your spouse, but not express it?

The key is to look past the role (employee, boss, spouse, vendor) to see the person. Taking this view will likely reveal lots of "hidden features" – skills, wisdom, ideas, perspectives –that we might otherwise overlook. Like the hole in the side of the foil box, seeing all the features people bring to our relationships can make our lives a lot easier... you might be surprised!

The story above came from Lee Colon. It fit so well with what I wanted to share with you next, that I decided to make it my next installment. My challenge to you is to take this 'revelation' and apply it to your work and your co-workers. Are there wonderful assets that you have overlooked because you are too busy focusing on what goes wrong or someones perceived shortcomings?

Catch someone doing something right in the next few weeks. Make an effort to see, hear and express appreciation for those assets. You will not only bless that person, you will recieve a blessing yourself and you might find that your job feels a little less like work.

Have I told you I appreciate you? I do!

Taking the first step

I remember watching McKenna take her first steps. Holding on to a table or chair and then, with encouragement from everyone around her, she stepped out on her own. The commitment was made and there was no turning back. After two steps, she fell mid-stride into the third step. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. Each fall led to stronger legs, greater confidence, and shouts of encouragement from everyone who witnessed her attempts.

In the same spirit, I am launching out with my first blog. My friend, Jean Ann, encouraged me to take what I like doing best - inspiring, motivating and educating - and turn it into a blog for the people I am most passionate about - the staff at Ward.

So here's the first step. I may fall mid-stride, but I am counting on you to encourage me. Your feedback will help me put one foot in front of the other and we can go down this path of growth together.

Your part of the journey is to:

• Interact - Share topics you find value in that can be used to inspire, motivate and educate.
• React - Give feedback so that each post will be more confident and sure-footed.
• Act - Put into action anything that you find worthwhile so that your own walk is stronger and takes you to a better place.
  
  Have I told you how much I appreciate you? I do.