Winning Manager Apr/May 2002

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THE WINNING MANAGER - Putting People First
Vol. 5 No. 2, Apr/May 2002 ********Copyright 2002 by Wolf J. Rinke #####################################################
IN THIS ISSUE
1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. HOW TO PERSUADE AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
3. FEEDBACK FROM READERS
4. HUMOR BREAK
5. ABOUT THE EDITOR =================================================== REALITY CHECK
"You develop people just like you mine gold. When you mine gold you don't go into the mountain looking for dirt. You look for gold, no matter how small, or how much dirt you have to push aside." --Andrew Carnegie Source: Make It a Winning Life, perpetual desk calendar, April 1. (FREE just for trying out our new on-line secure shopping cart-see below.) =================================================== 1. NEWS YOU CAN USE =================================================== DON'T LET YOUR EMPLOYEES GO
Lots of productivity and institutional knowledge and investments in training and development goes out the window every time you lose an employee. Smart companies are minimizing this loss by instituting alumni networks to maintain contact with former employees. An alumni network helps former employees stay in touch with their former employer and with one another. Studies show that employees who feel good about their former employers are more likely to: Boomerang-after all the grass is not always greener on the other side. And when they come back they will value you more and have even better skills and experiences. Spread the good word-if they have fond memories they will tell others and generate potential new hires, good will and maybe even new business. Give feedback-alumni can be a great source of impartial information that can help you get better
ACTION STEPS: 1. Make sure that employees who quit, leave on a positive note. 2. Establish an aggressive electronic alumni network that will maintain contact with former employees. 3. Tap into your alumni network to find out what customers are saying about your services and products. Source: www.darwinmag.com

PARADOX IN ACTION
Every action-no matter how well intended-has an unintended, unexpected and often counter-productive side effect. For example Harvard University Professor Michael Jensen conducted an influential study of stagnating stock prices during the 1970th and 1980th. His finding revealed that CEO compensation was totally unrelated to stock performance, which was expected to continue as long as executive pay is not tied to performance. (Disclosure: I am a strong advocate of this concept-see Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations.) Voila, the idea of stock options was born. And what a great idea it was-at least for CEOs who in 2001 received an average of 60% of their obscene pay packages in the form of stock options. Unintended side effect: Unethical behavior a la Enron, Global Crossing, Tyco. Do I need to say more?
ACTION STEPS Appoint a rotating "devils advocate"-someone whose job it is to take the contrary position-in all of your critical decision making meetings. And then listen very, very carefully to what you don't want to hear. Also value and listen to "whistle blowers." (If you find that painful, let me assure you that is a lot less painful than the alternative. Don't believe it? Ask Ken Lay.) Source: The Washington Post, 3/24/2002, pp. H1, 4 & 5. =================================================== FREE PERPETUAL DESK CALENDAR
Our on-line SECURE shopping cart is now up and running and I would like to make it worth your while to try it. Make any on-line purchase of $20.00 or more and I will include absolutely FREE a perpetual desk calendar valued at $12.95. What a deal!!! Log onto our website http://www.WolfRinke.com/Special.html and follow instructions. If you have never been to our website-you owe it to yourself to check it out. We have lots of powerful stuff that will improve the quality of your personal and professional life. Hurry, you must ACT NOW! This really great deal ends on 4/15/02. =================================================== 2. HOW TO PERSUADE AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE =================================================== Getting people to do what you want them to do is an art and a science that you must master if you want to succeed in this era of rapid change, teaming, decentralized controls and doing more with less. Just stop and think for a moment how much of your time is spent attempting to get your employees to do what you want them to do. How about your boss, spouse or children? I outline five powerful principles-I call them laws-because according to an article by Robert Cialdini in the October 2001 issue of the Harvard Business Review, they are based on "deeply rooted human drives and needs…" which have been substantiated in over five decades of scientific investigations. And most importantly-based on my own consulting and coaching experiences-this stuff really works! The Law of Liking: People like people who like them. People who are liked generate affection and good feeling. And people who feel good about themselves are more likely to comply with your wishes. The epitome of the Law of Liking is our 26-year-old daughter Nicole, who has this innate charisma, personal magnetism, or whatever you want to call it, that gets people to like her-even fall in love with her-after just a short time. As a result Nicole has the largest most powerful network of any person I have ever met. And that network is always eager to help Nicole in any way they can. You can achieve the same results by mastering two powerful strategies that will cause people to like you.

Strategy #1: Become an active listener so that you can discover what you like about another person. The reality is that all people are a composite of strengths and weaknesses and it really does not take any more energy to find the good in people than the bad. To make this work use your mental energy to focus on the good stuff in the other person and then let him or her know about it. Maybe she dresses well, is efficient or extremely punctual.

Strategy #2: Find what you have in common with another person and let him/her know about it. Similarities establish a positive bond with others and create goodwill and trustworthiness. For example, research into the buying behavior of people has repeatedly verified that we are more likely to buy from someone we like and have something in common. And even though you may not be making your living from sales, you do sell all the time. You sell your boss on a promotion, your sell your team members on implementing a new system, and you sell your spouse on where to go for dinner.

The Law of Reciprocity: Whatever you give is what you're going to get. It seems so simple, yet so powerful. If you want more of something-may it be love, money, or trust-you have to give it before you get it. Charities figured this out a long time ago. They found that by including a little gift with their solicitation letter-such as personalized address labels-they could almost double the response rates. What works for charities will also work for you. For example, I have found the way I get more trust, love and joy, is to give it first. The result, I've enjoyed an exceptionally positive marriage to Marcela my Superwoman for over 33 years. It works equally well in your professional life. If you want your team members to trust, respect, and cooperate with you, model the behavior you want and you will get more of it.

The Law of Commitment: People are more likely to do what they commit to. I use this Law in my executive coaching sessions. Recently one of my clients was struggling with a highly valued manager-let's call him Jim-who had poor interpersonal skills that interfered with his ability to manage people. I sat down with Jim and his boss Judy and used a powerful technique that enabled both parties to talk frankly about their concerns. During this meeting Jim voluntarily committed to take specific actions that would address the most critical issues raised by Judy. These commitments were signed by both parties and led Jim to take actions that began to improve his ability to manage people. The second key to making the Law of Commitment work is to get it in writing. Somehow people perceive that which is written down more seriously. This was demonstrated in a study reported in 1996 by Cioffi and Garner in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Students, who had volunteered to participate in an AIDS education project and filled out a form to indicate that willingness, were far more likely to actually show up (74%) for the project, than another group of students who also volunteered but did not fill out the form. Only 26% of those students actually showed up. The third key is to make the commitment public. Attend a Weight Watchers or AA meeting and you will see this law in action.

The Law of Expertise: People are more likely to heed the advice of experts. People who are perceived as experts have a greater ability to persuade others. Robert Cialdini reported in an October 2001 Harvard Business Review article that most hospital stroke patients tended to abandon the exercise routines prescribed by physical therapists. Interviews revealed that patients were familiar with the credentials of their physicians-whose instructions they tended to comply with-but they knew very little about the qualifications of the physical therapists. The remedy: display academic diplomas and certificates of the physical therapists in the exercise room. The result: exercise compliance increased by 34%. You can take advantage of this law by making your expertise more visible and by sharing your prior experience and expertise with your team members and customers. A good way to do this is in social settings.

The Law of Scarcity: People want more of what they can't have. Any time you see a "limited time"; "one-of-a kind", "act now" offer, you are face to face with the law of scarcity. (The free perpetual desk calendar offered in this eNL is a great example.) Study after study has demonstrated that that which is less available is perceived as more valuable. My Superwoman experienced this law during our courtship when I attempted to get her interested in me. Nothing seemed to work, until I showed up at a dance with another woman. All of a sudden Marcela become very interested in me. You can take advantage of this Law by letting your employees know that only five top achievers will be selected to be on a certain team, or that only those who demonstrate a certain level of performance during the next six months will be selected for training. Use these five laws in tandem and you will quintuple your ability to persuade and influence people. =================================================== For FREE articles, inspirational messages and money saving offers on books, audio and videotapes that will help you and your organization succeed FASTER visit our website: http://www.WolfRinke.com =================================================== 3. FEEDBACK FROM READERS =================================================== Wolf, I enjoyed your Chrysler car story (see The Winning Manager Vol. 3 No. 6 at www.WolfRinke.com) I thought only women alone looking at cars got ignored. I was ignored when I was looking at a car. There were several sales men and they all acted unconcerned. Later the owner told me that the car had been promised to someone else. Well I went to another city (larger) and the salesmen were hungry. I got good service, bought a car and saved lots of money. Two years later I bought a new $37,000 Avalon Toyota from the same dealer. My husband couldn't believe what happened to me the first time. He wrote the owner of the dealership that had ignored me, a letter telling him the whole story. I received a personal call but the damage was done. Women are powerful consumers and just as capable at studying and buying cars as men. I've been doing it for 30 years. Brenda Hickman If you are in the service business-and who isn't-read Brenda's story again. Then make sure that none of your customer service champions discriminates on the basis of gender, looks or dress or…You simply never know who's got the purchasing power. =================================================== 4. HUMOR BREAK =================================================== HOW TO INTERPRET A JOB AD
"PROFIT-SHARING PLAN"
Once it's shared among the brass, you get what's left.
"COMPETITIVE SALARY"
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
"IMMEDIATE OPENING"
The person who had this job gave notice a month ago. We're just now running the ad. =================================================== 5. ABOUT THE EDITOR =================================================== Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is an internationally recognized management and motivational keynote speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized presentations that combine story telling, humor and motivation with specific "how to" action strategies that participants can apply immediately to improve their management and personal effectiveness. He is also a highly effective management consultant, executive coach and author of 12 books including: Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations available at www.WolfRinke.com To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services call 800-828-9653 or mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com

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