One + July 2011 - (Page 23)

HOW DO I BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE WHO I DON’T GET ON WITH? I asked Dr. Rick Kirschner, author of the Insider’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion (www.theartof change.com), and he started by warning me that we need to keep this in perspective. We communicate just ﬁne with most people, most of the time. So we are talking about a few people that aren’t the way we would like them to be, and knowing how to deal with them becomes an indispensible skill. Kirschner warned that we “should not despair and always remember we have choices. The most common choice is to stay and do nothing, and that includes suffering and complaining,” he said. “A better choice might be to leave, to turn around and walk away. Not all situations are resolvable and some are just not worth it. But you have two other options that are far more productive. First, change your attitude, then change your behavior.” Kirschner said changing your attitude by recognizing “it is not about you, even if it has your >> Paul Bridle Asks the Experts Dr. Rick Kirschner Joe Calloway name attached” will help you distance the issue from the personalities. Changing your behavior means the difﬁcult person has to deal with you, rather than you having to deal with them. WHAT COMPANIES ARE DOING THINGS RIGHT? I put this question to Joe Calloway (www. joecalloway.com), a consultant and speaker who helps companies think competitively, improve constantly and act decisively. He listed three companies immediately: Apple, Southwest Airlines and Proctor & Gamble. “Apple for their innovation and remark- able ability to connect with customers, Southwest Airlines for how they execute consistently year after year and Proctor & Gamble for their unwavering focus on what they believe is important to their business,” he said. I asked Calloway, who is speaking this month at MPI’s World Education Congress in Orlando, what companies need to think more about if they are going to get it right, like the companies he listed. “They need to understand that everything they do, good or bad, comes from the culture that they create,” he said. “Every company has a culture.” By “culture” we are referring to the way people behave in an organization. Behaviors are the visual manifestation of culture that exists in the company. “Does your culture—the way that employees behave with each other and customers—work to advance your strategy?” Calloway asked. “If not, or if you don’t know the answer, then you’ve got work to do. Everything in business springs from culture.” Paul Bridle is an information conceptualizer who has researched effective organizations and the people who lead them for 20 years. He writes and speaks on his research and business trends. Reach him at info@paul bridle.com. mpiweb.org 23 http://www.theartofchange.com http://www.theartofchange.com http://www.joecalloway.com http://www.joecalloway.com http://www.planocvb.com http://www.facebook.com/planocvb http://www.mpiweb.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + July 2011

One + July 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Paradigm Shifts, Part II
Web Watch
Agenda
Thoughts+Leaders
Ask the Experts
Recognizing Community and Organizational Excellence
Overheard
Art of Travel
The Prism Effect
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Using New Tech for Old Purposes
So You Think You Can Dance
Don’t Use Tech You Don’t Understand
Are You In It to Win It?
Anything is Possible
Night of the Radishes
Well Played
When People Come Together, Magic Happens
Size Matters
Building a Better FAM
One Bar at a Time
MPI + CSR
Industry Insights
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again

One + July 2011