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A few words can go a long way on the job |
First published: Sunday, November 21, 2004
To hear those "three little words"
-- sweet music to the ears, unless you're in a business situation. Go around
professing "I love you," and you are likely to be scouring the Yellow
Pages for a good employment lawyer.
But
there are other cases where three little words can make all the difference in
your professional life, and these are completely safe and appropriate. Saying
them might even improve your work environment. For instance:
Can I help? A co-worker in a bind, a boss under the gun, a looming
deadline: all are situations ripe for a helping hand. Sometimes it's good to
help, even if you don't get any of the credit.
Are you busy? How many times have you been interrupted by someone
barging into your office without an appointment or even the chutzpah to ask you
to put your work on hold while you their "much more important"
problem? This goes ditto for phone calls. I have three other words for the
interrupter:
Can this wait? Usually,
if you actually ask, you'll find the answer is yes. Before you become known as
the office annoyance, get in the habit of asking others if they have a minute.
Prepare to come back later if the answer is no.
You are right. What terrific acknowledgment to bestow on another person,
at the office or anywhere else. People like to be told when they're right, and
their opinion of the person who tells them increases exponentially. Hey,
everyone is right at least part of the time -- and pointing it out makes for a
much more cooperative and productive relationship.
Let's do it. The objective is to get the job done. There are times
when another meeting, another study or another focus group is overkill. Figure
out when the information you have is enough already, and get on with it. I read
somewhere that 50 percent of all work-related meetings are unnecessary, and
therefore a source of frustration for those actually charged with completing a
project.
I'll do it. Don't be afraid to take on tasks that will move the
project toward the finish. If your workload can handle it, take on additional
responsibilities. Not only will you be someone's hero, you will gain experience
and quite probably learn or sharpen some skills.
Great job, (name). I've never met anyone who doesn't love to be recognized
for great performance. It's an immediate morale booster, and even better when
spoken in a meeting or in front of others. Be sure to use these words as honest
rewards, not idle flattery. Otherwise, you'll come off as insincere.
Yes, we can. Do you love a good challenge as much as I do? I'm
particularly fond of showing what can be done rather than proving what can't. A
positive attitude can work miracles, and I'll move mountains to come up with a
new or better way to get a job done.
Let it go. A lost sale or scrapped project is a downer, but it
shouldn't bring down the world around you. As a manager, you need to help your
employees over little bumps and big ones and move toward the next project. Know
when to quit and make sure that you don't equate failure with disaster. Do,
however, learn from what went wrong and file away the knowledge for future use.
I don't know. Yes, I'm serious. It's more important to admit what you
don't know and come off as uninformed, than to try to bluff your way through
and convince everyone around you that you truly are inept.
I love this job. OK, that's four words. But learn the above phrases, and
this one will be easy to say. Mackay's Moral: Those who have the most to say
usually say it with the fewest words.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call me. My
office number is (732) 271-8600, Ext. 220. My cell phone number is (732)
803-3371. Thanks again for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael Sasso
Regional Sales Manager
Ricoh / Century Office Products Inc.
Fax (732) 469-6161