The seasons they go round and round – age, experience and idea leadership

[Blind people examining an elephant*]

I recently became the senior member of the English staff in my college. I remember joining the staff a few years ago  as the youngest member, filled, possibly overfilled, with ideas and enthusiasm. The 30 or so years between those two points in time have passed without much noise. However, as my mother would say, with age comes philosophy. Comparing my work situation then and now, I see how they are both are outlier positions but yet bring positive values that should not be automatically dismissed but instead seriously considered.

Each society and profession has its peak years. For example, in some sports, the high point of a career is between the ages of 22-30 while some professions view the peak of competence at around 50 or even older. Clearly, colleagues below and above the peak years do not have the same status. Their perception of matters is often viewed as non-mainstream, whether as being “new-fangled” or “old school” although the correlation is far from 100%. As such, colleagues tend to place less value on their views, which can create some pain, if not anger because such employees are not taken completely seriously, whether justifiably or not. For example, many recent graduates are eager to apply new technology or approaches to a given problem but the existing staff is very skeptical of these novelties. Likewise, the old-timers in the group have no patience for many changes as they don’t see what is wrong with the old system or why they have to deal with a certain issue. Such employees, whatever respect they receive, are still outliers in terms of their point of view.

Yet, in practice, for an organization to grow and cope with a dynamic world, it needs both tendencies, i.e., to push forward and retain proven methods. Mainstream colleagues have a natural tendency to maintain the status quo with small changes to deal with relevant changes. By contrast, new blood sees the whole picture without any assumptions and can identify a fundamental issue that is being missed. On the other hand, older colleagues, generally but not always less enthusiastic about technology and change, often restrain overambitious plans, making them more effective. Thus, a broad mix of employees in terms of tenure is a recipe for success.

Unfortunately, depending on the organizational culture, the leading voices often completely reject both points of view. It is far more convenient and comfortable to do as what was done before without controversy or join the bandwagon of change without criticism. This choice reduces external disagreement and dissonance. Even if it is unreasonable to completely adopt a certain point of view, it is quite probable that it contains elements of truth that should be taken into account. These positive values not only enrich the program and work team but also motivate all members to actively participate even if their view is minority.

Based on my work experience as a teacher in a large team, I can say that an effective leader respectfully and seriously considers all opinions and not only listens to them but also applies any relevant elements in the final decision. Not only does such balance improve any plan or decision, it motivates all members, young and old, to actively participate in all decisions.

The seasons do progress. All of us started our careers as newbies where-ever we are in our careers now. As such, mutual respect and serious consideration of outlying views is an effective strategy for creating a dynamic team. Everybody identifies a different aspect of an elephant. It is the combination of perspectives that creates a clearer impression of the truth.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

Picture credit

One-eyed and canny – Why you should and can market your service through public speaking

 

[one-eye*]

All businesses, especially freelancers, seek to market their services with the maximum efficiency at the lowest cost. One of the least used techniques is speaking at conferences and other public events. Not only is it one of the most effective ways of making a business known but it also involves the least financial investment, making it available to the most cash-starved freelancer. Moreover, the challenges involved with public speaking are far less intimidating than they seem. In practice, racking some courage and investing some time can efficiently and effectively lead to many new customers.

["Concentration" game" with two penguins shown]

The spoken word, especially face-to-face, is the most effective form of marketing. In reaching out to potential customers, the goal is to create a positive impression such that they will remember your name when they require that service. Written materials, whether advertisements or informational posts, have limited effectiveness since the average person sees thousands of words every day. Thus, it takes extraordinary text and/or timing to leave an impression on any given individual. By contrast, potential customers have a significantly better retention of spoken words. Adding a face and a personality further strengthens the impact of any message in that we remember not only the content but connect it with a specific person. Thus, an oral presentation to an audience, especially a live one as compared to through video means, leaves a strong impression, the goal of all marketing efforts.

[small red purse]

The financial cost of public speaking is potentially the lowest of all forms of marketing. Advertising, whether in written media such as newspapers or audiovisual forms such as TV, can be quite expensive, far beyond the budget or justifiability of a small service provider. For the most part, only major corporations invest in regular advertising on these means. By contrast, expressing your message orally and directly involves very little direct cost whether the forum is a conference or a social media such as TikTok. In some cases, the conference even pays the presenter. Public speaking mainly involves a time investment for planning, preparation and performance. All businesses regardless of size and budget can choose to invest that time.

That speaking directly to the public is an effective means of marketing is intuitively clear to many if not most freelancers and other business people. Their issue is the ability to actually stand up (or sit down as it may be) and do it, whether out of the belief that they have nothing to say, are not natural speakers, will make a fool out of themselves or they are simply too shy. Based on my 30 years of experience teaching public speaking, these issues are either irrelevant or easily managed, meaning that almost any person can make a professional oral presentation.

[Owl on thick book]

For reasons of insecurity, doubt or ignorance, many knowledgeable people do not recognize their own expertise. Yet, due to their background or natural tendency, they find a certain task to be quite straightforward and obvious and assume that others find it similarly easy. In practice, each person is unique in terms of talents and weaknesses. The result is the terms simple and complicated are subjective, i.e., personal. Therefore, many peers and potential customers will appreciate clear information on a given subject because they do not understand it or need more information. While it is true that that given speakers may not be the only or even the best source of information, they are the expert in that place and time. Thus, even entrepreneurs with little business experience can educate their peers and customers on specific matters, thus creating a positive image of themselves. It is merely a matter of identifying a relevant subject.

[ball with a scared face]

The myth that only natural speakers should make presentations also discourages potential quality speakers. From my long experience teaching public speaking to first-year engineering students in Israel, the percentage of people with a natural gift of gab is quite small, clearly less than 5%. However, with minimal coaching and practice, a very high percentage of normal-range individuals become effective public speakers. Moreover, it is important to remember that even professionals are nervous before the actual event. However, they have learned that this tension is acceptable and manageable. Likewise, business people wishing to market themselves and their services can manage their worries and make an effective presentation even if they are not especially gifted in that area.

[genius at work sign]

In practice, for the most part, speaking proficiency involves managing nerves, proper preparation and appropriate subject matter.  In terms of avoiding black out, the key is ratio is nervousness to preparation time. In other words, the more insecure a person is about public speaking, the more that person needs to practice. When “showtime” comes, the practice pays great dividends. I actually practice much more now than I used to as I want better results. Preparation involves understanding and organizing the material and smoothing out and mastering the connection between the various topics in the presentation. Once a lecturer is certain of the entire content, it is possible to focus on and connect with the audience. As for subject matter, most people cannot fake expertise. People speak with confidence on those matters that they thoroughly understand and enjoy discussing. With proper psychological and physical preparation as well as subject choice, the scary monster of standing up in front of people turns out to be a manageable process.

[shy woman]

Many people with much knowledge to share do not speak in public they believe their lack of comfort or shyness does not allow it. No business person, freelance or salaried, feels comfortable in all aspects of their job at any time of their career. In many cases, circumstances force people to deal with their fear of the unknown, whether it is accounting or personnel management. The refusal to face these fears prevents some people from reaching their full potential. It does not mean that the task will necessarily become their favorite but instead it will not interfere with their performance. If a freelancer has no budget for effective advertising and needs more customers, the refusal to speak in public may limit their potential growth. Clearly, not dealing with an issue is a choice but not necessarily an ideal one. As for shyness, many years ago, I was a sales manager for an advertising company and interviewed a certain sales candidate whose speaking skills as evidenced by his interview were so bad that I shortly rejected him as a candidate in my head. However, his answer to my last question completely changed my mind. I asked him to tell me about a special event in his life. His description of skiing in the Alps was so fluid and passionate that I hired him. The moral of this story is that when talking about something they enjoy, people forget their shyness and become effective public speakers. A person can be very shy at home and in social situations but project a strong presence in certain work situations. Any person can be persuasive.

[frog with crown]

In short, despite the general perception, any business person can effectively and efficiently make a positive impression on peers and potential customers by speaking directly to them at conferences and public events as well as on video social media. It is possible to overcome issues such as lack of experience and innate fear of public speaking as these issues are quite manageable. A person does not even have to be the leading expert either. When speaking directly to people, the presenter becomes the primary source of knowledge. As the expression goes, in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed are kings, which makes for great marketing.

 

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credits: Pixabay

Foreign teaching

 

[Inca king and queen*]

As Susan Dray wrote in one of her recent posts, going on vacation is a great opportunity to observe and learn not only ways of conducting life but also conducting business. On my just completed family visit to Los Angeles, I visited many commercial establishments, not always by choice, and gained valuable insight how to attain high prices and create a distinctive brand as well as a negative lesson on how to lose potential customers, which is no less important.

[clothes rack]

One business lesson reinforced by this trip was the vital connection between high prices and personal service. I took my 95-year mother to an upscale clothes boutique and watched for an hour and a half how the staff of three women made each of the customers feel like a queen. They greeted them by the first name, carefully choose their clothing, brought it to them in the dressing room, complimented them when appropriate and let me them choose at their speed. When it came to pay the bill, they gave each a discount, more symbolic than anything else given the income status of these women, thus providing each of the customers the feeling that not only had they bought beautiful clothing but paid less for it. It was clear that these women would return when they again needed an outfit for a special event. The store was able to sell at high-end prices because it had sufficient help, treated their customers professionally and friendly and created the image of a good value in terms of quality and price.

[donut assortment]

On the other economic scale, I stopped for a snack at one of the umpteen small donut shops in Los Angeles. Their names, physical layout and menu are essentially identical. However, one distinguished itself enough to lead me to return with its spirit of its service, quality of its food and unique atmosphere. The woman at the cash register had a huge smile (despite opening the shop at 05:00) and exuded genuine warmness. The bagel sandwich I ordered was both tasty and far less expensive than its Starbucks cousin. What really sold me was the classical music in the background, a Chopin concerto if I identified it correctly, which made my breakfast even more pleasant. I certainly did not expect that atmosphere at a donut shop. I then noticed that most of the customers were regulars that ate their donuts and sandwiches in the shop, attesting to the hominess of the place. Despite being at a first view a carbon copy of countless other similar business, this donut shop was special and personal, an ideal for all business in competitive fields.

[newpaper ads]

As a reminder of how not to run a business. I picked up a local weekly newspaper whose target audience would be quite relevant to me. Unfortunately, their lack of urgency and interest made sure that I would never spend any money on advertising in it. I called the advertising manager in the morning but was told that she was on the other line and would get back to me shortly. Shortly never arrived but I called back again that morning. She answered and provided me with several pricing options. I asked her to send the specifics to my email, whose spelling was confirmed over the phone. She then told me that she would send me the proposal “that afternoon”. I failed to understand why such a 5-minute task would need to be postponed to the afternoon but was still willing to be tolerant. More than a week later, I had yet to receive any proposal. As my late father would say, that is no way to run a railroad. Customers appreciate promptness and urgency. If they are not important at the sales stage, they will most probably not exist after the sale.

[coffee and patisserie]

As a side note, company names are important even if ignorance can be excused. I stopped at a cozy little expresso shop, filled with couches and cushions, and ordered a coffee and a pain au chocolat. (I can highly recommend the latter). The name of the café is La Laiderie, which had bothered me every time passed it previously. The reason finally clicked: laid means ugly in French; To be fair,  the name is actually composed of the various first names of the owners’ children. While appropriate in LA, the name faces some issues in other places. I suppose many other establishmen names do not travel well.

As the expression goes, a word to the wise is sufficient. Even experienced entrepreneurs need occasional reminders of correct business practice and the importance of making customers feel like kings and queens. It is far less expensive to do this by observing others than making your own errors. As the essential rules of business are essentially identical worldwide, a perspective person can even learn when touring abroad. Now, I am happily back home and back to work and just a little wiser from my trip.

Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

All pictures via Pixibay.