Yael Zofi's Blog, page 6

3 Successful employee actions to influence upwards

Question:What is the secret to influence your manager?

Answer: Become a mind reader!

 

Well, you may not have the capability to become a mind reader (yet), but there are certain practices that are true for all situations. I recommend three successful employee actions that can improve your relationship with your biggest customer – Your Boss!

 

#1:  Keep Your Manager Informed

Progress on projects – give regular updates.
Assignment completion – tell your manager when you finish and ask for feedback.
Anticipate problems – if you anticipate a delay, inform your manager.  Confronting a problem while it is still small gives you a good chance of preventing it from escalating. Don’t cover up a mistake – it’s more difficult to explain why you hid the mistake than why you made it.

 

#2:  Turn Complaints Into Proposals

Don’t just communicate the nature of a problem when you are talking with your manager.

Be prepared to offer a potential solution, even if it isn’t a final one.  Since managers have their own responsibilities they appreciate initiative and problem-solving skills in their employees.
Don’t waste your manager’s time with complaints about a situation.  Project a ‘can-do’ attitude.  Even if you are discussing a particularly difficult issue, act professionally.  Hold your temper and present the facts in as objectively as possible.

 

#3:  Praise Upwards

 

Like everyone else, managers need to know that they’re doing a good job.  How you do it is the key. Keep your feedback focused, specific and sincere. This demonstrates that you can communicate clearly and that you are self-assured.

 

Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this guidance is that changing your working relationship with your manager is possible.  You succeed when you help your manager succeed.  By helping him/her achieve goals, you are more likely to advance yourself as well.  However, you must realize that this is a slow process and miraculous changes are not going to happen overnight.  Just remember, take it slowly and practice consistency, and one day soon you will be ‘managing – up’ like a pro.

 

For more information, check Yael Zofi’s book, TOPS Managing Up.

 

Went to Break My Manager’s Toolbox & Gave Tips on Managing Up in New Orleans

I recently presented at the International Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business (IMA) at their annual conference in New Orleans. It was an exciting 48 hour journey. My session opened the conference Sunday morning, June 23rd, 2013 with a packed room, full of professionals and staff, including those standing in the back.

 

My book, TOPS Managing Up, is gaining momentum again. It actually started as a workshop that I used to run across my Financial Services and Pharmaceutical clients back in the 1990s and 2000s. Then in 2008 a client asked me to get all the materials for free. I declined but offered to turn the workshop into a short guide that can be easily become a ‘self study’ template.

 

Now gaining popularity again, TOPS is on top of people’s minds.

 

Why?

 

My theory on this is that throughout your professional life, a good working relationship with your manager is invaluable in advancing your career. But how do you build a better working relationship with someone with whom you do not share a common understanding, due to differences in work styles, preferences and perceptions?  Add to this, you may not even see your manager on a regular basis, especially if you work on a dispersed (or virtual) team. You are not alone in experiencing these challenges!

 

Management has changed. It is no longer the boss of the 1920s who was ‘managing’. Today’s manager can be anyone, located anywhere, doing anything, and collaborating with everyone.

 

Managing in a new era of modern business is about creating team collaboration, building global relationships and influencing the contemporary boss – virtual or not!

 

My interactive session, Break Out of Your Manager’s Box: Manage Your Manager at the IMA Conference focused on exploring the 4 styles of managers: Trendsetter, Outgoing, Perfectionist and Stable.  We explored strategies to create and improve your working relationship with your TOPS manager, and engaged in a lively dialogue about taking stock of your partnership.

 

Even if you ‘hate’ your manager, you need to break out of traditional thinking and manage up – because it is a RELATIONSHIP, the most critical one to your future career.

 

More next week on ways to influence your biggest customer – Your Boss!

 

Yael Zofi

When to Break My Manager’s Toolbox & Gave Tips on Managing Up in New Orleans

I recently presented at the International Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business (IMA) at their annual conference in New Orleans. It was an exciting 48 hour journey. My session opened the conference Sunday morning, June 23rd, 2013 with a packed room, full of professionals and staff, including those standing in the back.

 

My book, TOPS Managing Up, is gaining momentum again. It actually started as a workshop that I used to run across my Financial Services and Pharmaceutical clients back in the 1990s and 2000s. Then in 2008 a client asked me to get all the materials for free. I declined but offered to turn the workshop into a short guide that can be easily become a ‘self study’ template.

 

Now gaining popularity again, TOPS is on top of people’s minds.

 

Why?

 

My theory on this is that throughout your professional life, a good working relationship with your manager is invaluable in advancing your career. But how do you build a better working relationship with someone with whom you do not share a common understanding, due to differences in work styles, preferences and perceptions?  Add to this, you may not even see your manager on a regular basis, especially if you work on a dispersed (or virtual) team. You are not alone in experiencing these challenges!

 

Management has changed. It is no longer the boss of the 1920s who was ‘managing’. Today’s manager can be anyone, located anywhere, doing anything, and collaborating with everyone.

 

Managing in a new era of modern business is about creating team collaboration, building global relationships and influencing the contemporary boss – virtual or not!

 

My interactive session, Break Out of Your Manager’s Box: Manage Your Manager at the IMA Conference focused on exploring the 4 styles of managers: Trendsetter, Outgoing, Perfectionist and Stable.  We explored strategies to create and improve your working relationship with your TOPS manager, and engaged in a lively dialogue about taking stock of your partnership.

 

Even if you ‘hate’ your manager, you need to break out of traditional thinking and manage up – because it is a RELATIONSHIP, the most critical one to your future career.

 

More next week on ways to influence your biggest customer – Your Boss!

 

Yael Zofi

Break Out of Your Manager’s Box: Manage Your Manager

When: Sunday, June 23, 2013 @ 9:15AM

Where: New Orleans

Credits: 1.50 CEUs

 

A strong work relationship with your manager is key to your success at the workplace. In this interactive session, Yael Zofi, Forbes-featured author of TOPS Managing Up and A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams will discuss her TOPS model of manager work personalities. Find out if your manager is a Trendsetter, Ongoing, Perfectionist, or Stable. Gain practical tips for managing your manager and position yourself as a strategic partner driving improved business performance.

 

Join Yael Zofi’s provocative session, Break Out of Your Manager’s Box: Manage Your Manager at the IMA Conference in New Orleans.

 

During her presentation, Yael will provide tips and techniques to help you:

 

Diagnose your manager’s work style via a short checklist.
Discover 4 TOPS managing up styles that can complement or conflict with your manager’s style, and explore appropriate approaches to influence expectations, project design, change management, and feedback delivery.
Develop 3 effective techniques that turn complaints into proposals.
Learn 5 practical tips for building better upwards working relationships.
Produce an action plan that drives improved business performance and helps you evolve into a strategic partner.

 

Following this presentation, Yael will be available for book signing and Q&A.

 

Join us if you can. For more information see http://www.imaconference.org//index.cfm or contact info@aim-strategies.com.

 

BREAK OUT OF YOUR MANAGER’S BOX: MANAGE YOUR MANAGER

When: Sunday, June 23, 2013 @ 9:15AM

Where: New Orleans

Credits: 1.50 CEUs

 

A strong work relationship with your manager is key to your success at the workplace. In this interactive session, Yael Zofi, Forbes-featured author of TOPS Managing Up and A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams will discuss her TOPS model of manager work personalities. Find out if your manager is a Trendsetter, Ongoing, Perfectionist, or Stable. Gain practical tips for managing your manager and position yourself as a strategic partner driving improved business performance.

 

Join Yael Zofi’s provocative session, Break Out of Your Manager’s Box: Manage Your Manager at the IMA Conference in New Orleans.

 

During her presentation, Yael will provide tips and techniques to help you:

 

Diagnose your manager’s work style via a short checklist.
Discover 4 TOPS managing up styles that can complement or conflict with your manager’s style, and explore appropriate approaches to influence expectations, project design, change management, and feedback delivery.
Develop 3 effective techniques that turn complaints into proposals.
Learn 5 practical tips for building better upwards working relationships.
Produce an action plan that drives improved business performance and helps you evolve into a strategic partner.

 

Following this presentation, Yael will be available for book signing and Q&A.

 

Join us if you can. For more information see http://www.imaconference.org//index.cfm or contact info@aim-strategies.com.

 

Driving Along The Cross-Cultural Highway

“You need to know what it is that you don’t know. You have to open your mind to accept other cultures. When you work with virtual teams, you realize that the global challenges are here to stay.  You can deny it, but it exists just the same, and my job is to get my people to realize that.”

 

- Global Director, Medical Devices Company

 

Today, even if you manage locally, you are always dealing with multicultural elements. To do this successfully means working effectively across diverse communication styles and cultural backgrounds.  What does working effectively mean on a practical level?  It means actively understanding people to influence and motivate them to achieve business results.

 

Reflect back to the Think-Points for each of the five L E A R N strategies for working across cultures.  Working through these activities will point the way to assess team members, and will encourage you to initiate specific actions. Integrating the L E A R N strategies on the preceding pages into your own cross-cultural communications helps you drive confidently down this highway, accomplishing peak performance along the way.

 

Below is a table to help you quickly review which L E A R N strategy will work best with specific challenges within your team.   Populate each column with key information about each member. For Column 3 please refer to the components of the five  L E A R N strategies on the preceding pages (see prior blog posts) and choose the component which presents the greatest challenge for that individual.

 

 

When you have completed this team grid, ask yourself four key questions:

1.    How can I engage my team to effectively communicate across cultures?

2.    What strengths exist on my team?

3.    What areas for improvement exist on my team?

4.    How can I build greater interaction and help members gain greater appreciation of each other?

 

You now have the information you need to create your team cross-cultural grid.  Remember that every individual brings a unique point of view to a shared experience.  Even though facts may stand on their own, our perspectives differ.

 

Enjoy the ride! Yael Zofi

 

For more information and specifics, check the 2nd Edition Communicating Through a Global Lens booklet.

 

 

 

DRIVING ALONG THE CROSS-CULTURAL HIGHWAY

“You need to know what it is that you don’t know. You have to open your mind to accept other cultures. When you work with virtual teams, you realize that the global challenges are here to stay.  You can deny it, but it exists just the same, and my job is to get my people to realize that.”

 

- Global Director, Medical Devices Company

 

Today, even if you manage locally, you are always dealing with multicultural elements. To do this successfully means working effectively across diverse communication styles and cultural backgrounds.  What does working effectively mean on a practical level?  It means actively understanding people to influence and motivate them to achieve business results.

 

Reflect back to the Think-Points for each of the five L E A R N strategies for working across cultures.  Working through these activities will point the way to assess team members, and will encourage you to initiate specific actions. Integrating the L E A R N strategies on the preceding pages into your own cross-cultural communications helps you drive confidently down this highway, accomplishing peak performance along the way.

 

Below is a table to help you quickly review which L E A R N strategy will work best with specific challenges within your team.   Populate each column with key information about each member. For Column 3 please refer to the components of the five  L E A R N strategies on the preceding pages (see prior blog posts) and choose the component which presents the greatest challenge for that individual.

 

 

When you have completed this team grid, ask yourself four key questions:

1.    How can I engage my team to effectively communicate across cultures?

2.    What strengths exist on my team?

3.    What areas for improvement exist on my team?

4.    How can I build greater interaction and help members gain greater appreciation of each other?

 

You now have the information you need to create your team cross-cultural grid.  Remember that every individual brings a unique point of view to a shared experience.  Even though facts may stand on their own, our perspectives differ.

 

Enjoy the ride! Yael Zofi

 

For more information and specifics, check the 2nd Edition Communicating Through a Global Lens booklet.

 

 

 

5 Strategies To Help You Learn About Cross Cultural Communications

“Whether you interact with local or global colleagues, you are always operating in a cross cultural world.  And your biggest challenge on virtual teams is the cross cultural one, a whole other layer on top of the other virtual team elements, one that is always lurking in the background.”   Yael Zofi

The global neighborhood is fast becoming a major factor in today’s economic environment, and so organizations must have people at all levels who can comfortably interact with cultures other than their own. In our shrinking world, as people from various backgrounds/cultures increasingly work together, the need to communicate through a global lens becomes vital. And yet, people are often reluctant to discuss cultural qualities/characteristics. I remind myself that organizations must adapt to this new age where colleagues from many rich cultures simultaneously compete and collaborate.

 

At this critical point in time winning or losing depends on how well their businesses function abroad as well as at home, and that entails molding successful practices to fit new cultures. In doing so, managers are finding that cultural differences in their virtual teams pose special problems that were not anticipated. The good news is that many have developed capabilities to overcome these difficulties that may impede achieving business goals.

 

Below I’ve summarized the 5 cross cultural strategies that will help you LEARN how to effectively communicate across cultures:

 

Strategy #1   Listen

Strategy #2   E ffectively Communicate

Strategy #3   A void Ambiguity

Strategy #4   R espect Differences

Strategy #5   N o Judgment

 

Also, the following tips can help you avoid jumping to conclusions when working with people of other cultures:

Before taking action or letting emotions get the better of you, consider several different interpretations of the behavior/situation in question.
Don’t assume that other people think/behave the way you do. ? Accept the possibility that whatever occurred could be an anomaly caused by any number of circumstances (e.g., someone having a bad day or dealing with personal issues).
Be aware of your personal biases (increase your self-awareness).
Treat people as individuals and not as generalized stereotypes. Refrain from seeing things at the extremes since there are many shades of gray.
Remain positive. Don’t always assume the worst/negative outcome.
Avoid making comments such as, “You don’t understand” or “What’s your problem?” since they may cause the other party to respond defensively.
When communicating with others, use descriptive and non-evaluative language.
Be mindful of terms people use to explain themselves and the world around them, as certain terms have different meanings across cultures.

 

For more information and specific suggestions, check the 2nd Edition of my Communicating Through a Global Lens booklet.

 

Regards, Yael Zofi

 

5 STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LEARN ABOUT CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS

“Whether you interact with local or global colleagues, you are always operating in a cross cultural world.  And your biggest challenge on virtual teams is the cross cultural one, a whole other layer on top of the other virtual team elements, one that is always lurking in the background.”   Yael Zofi

The global neighborhood is fast becoming a major factor in today’s economic environment, and so organizations must have people at all levels who can comfortably interact with cultures other than their own. In our shrinking world, as people from various backgrounds/cultures increasingly work together, the need to communicate through a global lens becomes vital. And yet, people are often reluctant to discuss cultural qualities/characteristics. I remind myself that organizations must adapt to this new age where colleagues from many rich cultures simultaneously compete and collaborate.

 

At this critical point in time winning or losing depends on how well their businesses function abroad as well as at home, and that entails molding successful practices to fit new cultures. In doing so, managers are finding that cultural differences in their virtual teams pose special problems that were not anticipated. The good news is that many have developed capabilities to overcome these difficulties that may impede achieving business goals.

 

Below I’ve summarized the 5 cross cultural strategies that will help you LEARN how to effectively communicate across cultures:

 

Strategy #1   Listen

Strategy #2   E ffectively Communicate

Strategy #3   A void Ambiguity

Strategy #4   R espect Differences

Strategy #5   N o Judgment

 

Also, the following tips can help you avoid jumping to conclusions when working with people of other cultures:

Before taking action or letting emotions get the better of you, consider several different interpretations of the behavior/situation in question.
Don’t assume that other people think/behave the way you do. ? Accept the possibility that whatever occurred could be an anomaly caused by any number of circumstances (e.g., someone having a bad day or dealing with personal issues).
Be aware of your personal biases (increase your self-awareness).
Treat people as individuals and not as generalized stereotypes. Refrain from seeing things at the extremes since there are many shades of gray.
Remain positive. Don’t always assume the worst/negative outcome.
Avoid making comments such as, “You don’t understand” or “What’s your problem?” since they may cause the other party to respond defensively.
When communicating with others, use descriptive and non-evaluative language.
Be mindful of terms people use to explain themselves and the world around them, as certain terms have different meanings across cultures.

 

For more information and specific suggestions, check the 2nd Edition of my Communicating Through a Global Lens booklet.

 

Regards, Yael Zofi

 

Practice “N” = No Judgment When Working Across Cultures

This week we complete the LEARN acronym. Many of you have asked for strategies to more effectively work with and communicate with other cultures as you practice N behaviors of L E A R N.

 

The following strategies can help you avoid jumping to conclusions when working with people of other cultures:

Before taking action or letting emotions get the better of you, consider several different interpretations of the behavior/situation in question.
Don’t assume that other people think/behave the way you do. ? Accept the possibility that whatever occurred could be an anomaly caused by any number of circumstances (e.g., someone having a bad day or dealing with personal issues).
Be aware of your personal biases (increase your self-awareness).
Treat people as individuals and not as generalized stereotypes. Refrain from seeing things at the extremes since there are many shades of gray.
Remain positive. Don’t always assume the worst/negative outcome.
Avoid making comments such as, “You don’t understand” or “What’s your problem?” since they may cause the other party to respond defensively.
When communicating with others, use descriptive and non-evaluative language.
Be mindful of terms people use to explain themselves and the world around them, as certain terms have different meanings across cultures.

 

For more information, check the 2nd Edition of my Communicating Through a Global Lens booklet.

Yael Zofi