Serge the Concierge

Looking for New Work Pastures? Action beats Introspection suggests Herminia Ibarra Video

Aspiring to a change in work and career in her video Moving out to pastures new (FT), Herminia Ibarra shares some ideas.

What she lacks in passionate delivery and Chutzpah, she more than makes up with clear thoughts on the topic.

If there are 2 strong points she makes, it would be her opening statement that Action beats Introspection and her conclusion spelling Don't get stuck thinking you've got it all figured out...

A quick and to the point Monday Work Etiquette #45.

Last week: A Declaration of Independence from E-Mail by Luis Suarez

A Declaration of Independence from E-Mail by Luis Suarez

You might have read with interest as I did I Freed Myself From E-Mail’s Grip (NY Times, June 29).
I did not know its author Luis Suarez until then.
He confirms his Declaration of Independence from E-Mail via his blog ELSUA on July 4th.

He addresses head on the skepticism that greeted his strategic changes.
Top one seems to be that naysayers consider his choice of replacing e-mail by various online tools (and phone calls when it is best) as adding complexity rather than streamlining the process.

One paragraph explains his approach very clearly:

"For a good number of years most knowledge workers didn’t have the option, nor the choice, for good collaborative tools, but nowadays with the emergence of social software within the corporate world the choice is there. And we might as well make use of it, so just because folks may be sending an e-mail does not necessarily mean I would want to engage through e-mail as well. The choice is there. The choice is from both parties to negotiate & jointly decide what’s the best way of collaborating and sharing our knowledge not just amongst ourselves, but also with the rest of the corporation. And perhaps e-mail is not the best option here."

As for 'hanging out' in different social spaces, I found his comparison akin to a gardener planting the seeds for future harvests or in Luis words:

"All of those interactions I may be doing now are eventually going to pay off really really big time in its due time, when I am not there. When I am away, on holidays, on conference events, off sick, whatever. More than anything else because people from those social networks will help contribute and help me get those answers, without me even being there! Just like I have been doing myself for them when they were not there! That is the ultimate power of the social network!"

Most of my networking these days has its roots in my writing Serge the Concierge.

I admit that I have to tend more to my networks such as LinkedIn and CoWorking (Jelly).

Let's not forget the benefits of meeting people face to face at events such as South by Southwest Interactive.

What works for you?

Stirring the pot for Monday Work Etiquette #45

Related: Taming the Brain and Office Clutter: Online and with Simple Forms

When was the Last Time you Wrote a Letter, a Thank You Note?

That's the first thought that came to mind, a few weeks back when I wrote not one but two letters.
One was to my mother who is computer less and the other to one of my cousins who recently lost her mother.
Using pen and paper made me realize how few letters I have written and mailed in the past few years.
Even getting a Postcard from a distant locale might be nice from time to time.
A handwritten thank you note or request might carry more weight than an electronic message these days.

Clueless as to the proper way to couch your thoughts and words, The Morning News offered some How to Write a Thank You Note advice back in October of 2003.

On The Sideroad, Lidya Ramsey offers her 8 rules of Business Note Etiquette.
Number 5: Poor penmanship is no excuse unless your handwriting is totally illegible especially applies to me.

As she puts it: "The person who receives your note will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will not be grading your handwriting. If your penmanship does not meet your standards, it is never too late to improve. There are numerous resources at your library or on the Internet to teach you to write legibly".

I personally write a draft and then a clearer (neater?) second edition.

What is your solution?

Thanks to Lucy Kellaway for putting this on the front burner with Shock of BPC: before personal computers (FT, June 29, 2008)

That's it for Monday Work Etiquette #44

Last week: Rude Customers (Paris Hilton Syndrome)...Fire Them?

Rude Customers (Paris Hilton Syndrome)...Fire Them?

We all experience moments of frustration when standing in line waiting for our turn.
Some of us jump to the head of the line thinking we are better or more important than others.
We want to be served first.
People have to drop everything in order to cater to us this very minute.
It can turn into an adult version of the 'schoolyard bully'.
Should businesses (and fellow clients-shoppers) tolerate such behavior or just fire rude customers?

In Rude Customers, The Paris Hilton Syndrome we are reminded of a cardinal rule In the corporate environment, it is a mortal sin to answer rudeness with rudeness.
Using rudeness to address such behavior might add fuel to the fire I have to say and give it legitimacy.

I did work years ago for a restaurateur who faced with loud and obnoxious complaints by a customer over the meal served asked him to leave and never come back.

It is posited in not so polite fashion in Two Phrases That Destroyed American Culture on Violent Acres that two pillars of modern customer service are responsible for this state of affair. One is ‘The Customer is Always Right’, the second is 'You have to earn my respect'. Why not treat others like we would like to be treated, she offers and also suggests that we stop looking the other way when customers-clients behave badly.

Seth Godin in The Customer is Always Right reminds us of the unwritten rule 3 on Stew Leonard's famous granite rock: If the customer is wrong, they're not your customer any more.

His solution: "Fire them. Politely decline to do business with them. Refer them to your arch competitors. Take them off the mailing list. Don't make promises you can't keep, don't be rude, just move on."

Minding my manners on Monday Work Etiquette #43

Previously: Make your voice heard...We Think and Mass Creativity

Make your voice heard...We Think and Mass Creativity

The other night as I was driving home I had the chance to catch Peter Day's Interview of Charles Leadbeater (Global Business, BBC World)...

His new book, We Think explores 'the power of mass creativity', its benefits and shortcomings.
He does not want it to be confused with the mass production model of the industrial era.
On the positive side, he notes that "ideas take life when they are shared. That is why the web is such a potent platform for creativity and innovation", on the other hand "it leaves us more open to abuse and invasions of privacy" and "participation is not always a good thing: it can just create a cacophony".

Want to get a taste of the book, the first 3 Chapters are available for free in PDF form on the We Think Site.
It was shaped with the help of over 200 people via a Wiki page..

Food for thought on Monday Work Etiquette #42

Related: Power to the People, Electric Cars Now! from Finland

Admit it! Whether it's a problem at work, in your life and you'll find a solution

I was really touched reading Debt destroyed my family by Samantha Downes in The Guardian (June 9)

She gives a first person account of how the purchase of an Inn by her parents in the 90's brought a personal and financial disaster.

We can be too proud or too blind to admit that pursuing 'dreams' in our work can lead to nightmares.

The main lesson she learned from her painful experience is that "one of the hardest things is admitting that you have problems but once you do, there's nothing that can't be overcome".

The same could be said for companies that encounter problems and fail to acknowledge them.

In this type of situation (as we do when dealing with the death of a loved one) we go through a few phases, denial, sense of loss, grieving and return of hope.

Monday Work Etiquette #41

Previously: Stuck, Uninspired...Jump to a New Project or Move the Roadblocks?

Stuck, Uninspired...Jump to a New Project or Move the Roadblocks?

You might like me hear of or witness firsthand bright/stupid ideas concocted by a company or another.
What could be the cause of it?
A lower level executive or even the big cheese felt the need to start the day with a bright idea.
They got bored with what they were doing, the daily routine, and had to come up with a new project they could fall in love with.
It might just be another symptom of our attraction for constant novelty, a form of attention deficit disorder.

On an individual level, if you feel stuck, uninspired by what you are doing, do you turn your attention to something new, try to move the roadblocks or just rest and wait until you get your groove back?

Thinking aloud for Monday Work Etiquette #40

Last week: Feeling Time Deprived on Memorial Day? Time is In Our Hands

Feeling Time Deprived on Memorial Day? Time is In Our Hands

Since Memorial Day marks the beginning of the summer season here in the U.S what could be a better topic than Time, the perceived lack of it and the pressures it brings into our daily life.
A day like today should be a chance for idle time might instead turn into cramming as much activity as one can as we feel time is fleeting.
What got me down that path was reading Time in our hands by Stephen Cave (in this week-end's Financial Times).
This review of three books on the topic of time pressures leads to a reflection on how we can bring back balance and sanity to our days.
Part of the problem is too much choice. With choice comes responsibility and the need to make more and more decisions when time is actually a scarce commodity.

Quoting the authors of Discretionary time: A New Measure of Freedom, Stephen Cave notes that our tribal ancestors met their daily needs with only a few hours activity.
They might be the true inspiration for The 4 Hour Workweek.
Granted they did not have to work ever more hours for the perceived need for a flat screen TV, expensive college tuition, cellphones and other tech gadgets.

On a personal level, I do not need to look as far back as the cavemen to find times when vacations had real meaning.
I have fond memories of the month long stay in the Pyrenees with my parents and siblings in the summer.

We might all benefit from reading the latest book by Stefan Klein, The Secret Pulse of Time: Making Sense of Life's Scarcest Commodity (in the UK: Time: A User's Guide).
The book main point according to Stephen Cave "is not that we have too much to do and too little time but that we are too easily distracted and do not focus on making the most of the days we have. The solution: unplug the TV, switch off the mobile phone and do something that will stand the test of time".

Leigh Dayton tells us that Stefan Klein's laugh zips down the phone line in an interview for The Australian (February 2008). Only natural as the author's previous book was titled The Science of Happiness.

To conclude If we stop spending our days on time wasters and instead use the hours we regained for something meaningful or just to watch the river flow and enjoy the moment, happiness might be around the corner.

Idle thoughts on Memorial Day 2008 for Monday Work Etiquette #39

Perfect Soundtrack? Time is on my side

Related: Sleep Deprived Anyone? Why I should sleep more?
and Leisure is Vital...Work and Play in Scandinavia

Lost Control Again: Try Anger Reduction...Psychology or Zen?

We all experience moments of frustration at work and in our daily life.
Sometimes they provoke bouts of anger.

Should we try to manage it as Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You suggests by changing the way we express it, work on what caused it and change our timing as to when to discuss touchy subjects.
The piece also reminds us that we cannot control everything. Traffic jams will happen and make us late to work for example.
We cannot either solve every problem that arises.
Avoidance is suggested in some instances (say a kid messy room) and the importance of personal space quoting a working mother "who has a standing rule that when she comes home from work, for the first 15 minutes "nobody talks to Mom unless the house is on fire." After this brief quiet time, she feels better prepared to handle demands from her kids without blowing up at them".

Another approach is highlighted in Feeding Your Demons  by Tsultrim Allione (Little Brown).
Subtitled 'Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict' it suggests that by feeding our demons we can soothe them and convert this energy drain into new fuel.
Her technique is inspired by an 11th Century Tibetan Woman practice.
Wisdom Books offers a synopsis of this tome.



I am not a Buddhist or Zen specialist by any stretch of the mind.
I did think that Feeding your demons was worth a thought.

In some cases changing surroundings might be the best choice for the sake of our health and sanity.

Monday Work Etiquette #38

Previously: Is the Foundation for Good Work Leisure rather than Meaning

Related: Don't Loose Your Marbles at Work, Rickki don't Loose That Temper

Is the Foundation for Good Work Leisure rather than Meaning

Work can become an obsession for many of us, either because we aim to deliver or are trying so hard to find meaning in our daily gring suggests Lucy Kellaway in Aim low to find meaning at work (FT, May 12).
She comments on a recent report from the Work Foundation titled ‘Meaningful work’: what it is and why it’s growing (May 6).
For whatever reason, maybe the need to get some distance with one's work, 'meaning' weaved nicely with Marci Alboher interview of Alison Link on Leisure’s Starring Role in a Complete Life.
It reminded me of a conversation I was part of in May of 2001 where a number of people lamented that questions about who they were and what they were doing focused only on their work, in other words how they made a living, a little reductive some will say.
Maybe it is better for your health ans sanity to look at work as what pays the bills.
You don't take it with you when you leave.
Maybe I am wrong?

Monday Work Etiquette #37

Previously: Quitting your Job, Better a Sweet Lie than a Bitter Outburst