What is “normal”?

Since the definition of "normal" is "to conform to what is expected", it depends on what is generally expected. It does appear that most CFO's would expect that, even though this year will be "less bad" than last year, we are in for low growth, high unemployment, and low ROI. ...so since it's expected, it's normal...the new normal...

How do you keep people motivated when there are cutbacks?

I'm from the financial, business, and management industry and how I've kept staff motivated during layoffs, is through open communication. Nobody likes to be surprised. Unfortunately, some of those in management are secretive and think that if they have open communication, employees will sabotage the company.

How do You Put Your Ideas to the Test?

Putting Ideas to the Test

Here’s an “extreme edge” test you can apply before accepting or rejecting a new thought or idea.

First fill in the blanks:

“This thought or idea is absolutely correct because ____________.” List every reason, no matter how small, until you run out of ideas.

Then list answers to this: “This thought is absolutely incorrect because ____________.”

What did you learn? Look for new points of interest or discussion, answers you didn’t expect, reasons to keep or reject the idea. You’ll start to see that great ideas are born and tested at the extreme edges.

Sources: Executive Update, 202-429-9370.

What is a leader’s most important contribution to group culture?

A leader cannot change group culture unless they have the vision to hire individuals that have their desired culture. When the majority of the individuals have the desired culture, they will metaphorically surround the individuals without the desired culture and those other individuals will either change their mindset or will eject themselves. So, in summary, leaders must have the vision to hire those with the right culture and only then will the leaders contribute to group culture.

What can you do to get a faster response from people?

Want Faster Response?

You’ll encourage people to return your phone calls faster if you leave effective voice mail messages. Experts suggest making yours better by:

1. Keeping your message between 40 and 50 seconds. Too short and the message may seem insignificant. Too long and you may rile the other party.

2. Pretending you’re writing your phone number in the air as you recite it. Most callers speak much too fast, which forces recipients to replay the message repeatedly.

3. Speaking louder than usual, enunciating as you speak. Your recipient may retrieve your message in a noisy place like an airport.

Source: Professional speaker Jeff Davidson in Association Management, 202-626-2708.