The JF Guest Author Spot
Read the newspaper, watch the television or walk down the hallways of your offices and you may notice a surprising (and alarming) lack of decency. Before I continue, let me say that I am neither a prude nor a cynic, but the increasing lack of courtesy and decency are a problem for us as individuals and as leaders.
Maybe I am over-reacting a bit to the deeply biting and highly judgmental comments being made by people on both sides of the U.S. Presidential election, but I don't think so. The increasingly judgmental and nasty rhetoric by those in the news and on the sidelines raises a significant issue for us in our organizations - How can we cultivate relationships, build teams and create cooperation when these factors are at play?
It's Not About Conflict
These observations aren't meant to imply that we should avoid or support conflict deflecting behaviours. To the contrary, healthy conflict and difference of opinion are needed for us to reach the best decisions, and foster creativity in any group. We all learned it in elementary school - you can disagree and not be mean.
As leaders we want to foster and support disagreement on issues in order to find the best solutions. We want to promote people's passions and opinions, so that they can be heard and be engaged.
But we can . . .
- disagree without being disagreeable
- have opinions without being opinionated
- be passionate without being pushy
And the balance that is found in all of these is decency. If we want to build teams and relationships and have a healthy working environment, we must, as leaders and individuals, strive for decency.
It's About Culture . . . and Results
These behavioural habits are truly components of our culture. Whether we regularly verbally attack our competitors or each other, left unchecked or unexamined, these behaviours become the norm and become accepted. And, like any other element of a culture, it will have an impact on organizational results.
Choose wisely the culture you want to create, and recognize as a leader you play a role everyday in accepting or challenging the prevailing culture. If you want to guard against the decline in decency, or know you need to turn the tide, consider the following actions:
- Be a model. If you want more decent and courteous conversations, be more courteous.
- Expect it of others. Let people know your concerns. Be specific as to your concerns and make sure you talk about why you are concerned.
- Ask for and give feedback. Tell people that you will be giving them feedback - both praise for avoiding the negative conversation and correction when you notice it. Encourage them to give you feedback as well.
- Be consistent. If this is something that matters to you and the organization, don't make it your "cause of the week," but be vigilant and consistent in both your behaviour and your expectations of others.
Experience shows that awareness and consistent modeling will go a long way to adjusting these types of behaviours, especially if they aren't deeply engrained when you begin.
I hope you aren't noticing these problems on your teams, but if you are, I encourage you to consider the steps above - they will help you personally and professionally to change your behaviours and be a leader in the same changes for others.
As a final note - I referenced the U.S. Presidential election at the start of this post. If you are interested in gaining a wide variety of leadership lessons from U.S. Presidential politics, go to http://RemarkablePresidents.com to download a Special Report entitled, Remarkable Leadership and U.S. Presidents.
Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him here
Today's News: I have been keeping myself fully updated with the story of Bob Beck - Bob who? - that's Bob Beck The Plagiarizer. I mentioned it last week? OK, here is the latest from Jill Konrath:
Outing a Plagiarizing Sales Expert
The sad case of Bob Beck: author of Mutual Respect, founder of the "Quid Pro Quo" sales training.
When my colleagues began posting last week about Bob Beck's plagiarism, I was stunned. I couldn't believe any professional would stoop that low.
But the proof was overwhelming. You can read about it here:
Dave Stein: Hey! Stop Plagiarizing My Content!
Charles Green: Plagiarism, Concealment or Coincidence
Colleen Francis: Hey! That Sounds a Lot Like Me!!
So tonight I decided to investigate if Bob Beck had taken any of my content. Within moments, I discovered an article of Kelley Robertson's that had been co-opted and immediately notified him.
Then seconds later, I found the smoking gun! His article called Low Hanging Fruit was a mirror image of my article on The Seduction of Low-Hanging Fruit.
Here are the first six paragraphs from my article:
I remember the first time it happened. It was on a Thursday, about 4 pm, and I was worn-out after a day of cold calling. I hadn't uncovered even one viable prospect. Enough was enough! Time to go back to the office and do some paperwork.
When the phone rang, I answered it tiredly. But by the time I hung up I was a new person. I had just talked to one hot prospect!
Her company was BUYING! Not just looking - BUYING! They needed several new systems to handle their growth. And they wanted to make a decision quickly.
"Can we come in for a demonstration," she asked.
How could I refuse! They came in the following Monday and we spent about two hours together. We discussed their needs and I showed them several possible options. Things seemed to go really well. In parting, they asked me to call back early the next week.
Tuesday morning I left a message. Wednesday and Friday too. My calls were never returned. It wasn't till a week later that I finally got my prospect on the phone. She thanked me for my hard work, fast service and excellent demonstration. Then, very apologetically, she told me they'd selected another vendor.
He writes (or should I say copies) this on his The CEO's Trusted Advisor (ha ha!) blog:
(Note: His blog is no longer on line, but is still viewable in Google's cache.)
I remember the first time it happened. It was on a Thursday, about 5 pm, and I was worn-out after a day of cold calling. I hadn't uncovered even one viable prospect. Enough was enough!
When the phone rang, I answered it tiredly. But by the time I hung up I was a new person. I had just talked to a hot prospect!
Her company was BUYING! Not just looking - BUYING! They needed several new systems to handle their growth. And they wanted to make a decision quickly.
"Can we come in for a demonstration," she asked.
How could I refuse (not applying the Quid Pro Quo Sales approach)! They came in the following Monday and we spent about two hours together. We discussed their needs and I showed them several possible options. Things seemed to go really well. In parting, they asked me to call back early the next week.
Tuesday morning I left a message. Wednesday and Friday too. My calls were never returned. It wasn't till a week later that I finally got my prospect on the phone. She thanked me for my hard work, fast service and excellent demonstration. Then, very apologetically, she told me they'd selected another vendor.
The only difference? He inserted 6 words about his company. The rest of the article is virtually identical. He never identifies me as the author. In fact, he ends the article with:
You will find more stories and tips like this in the book Mutual Respect www.MutualRespect.net To learn more about the Quid Pro Quo Sales Approach visit www.SalesBuilders.com
If it was a singular happening, I'd let it go with an admonition to add attribution. But it's not. It's a clear pattern of behavior. I suspect if I searched more, I'd find other articles that have been plagiarized.
I'll be sending Bob Beck a note shortly. If necessary, I'll get my attorney involved. In the meantime, I don't want any of you to be fooled.
Here are all the links I could find for Bob Beck's sales training business:
Sales Builders: http://www.salesbuilders.com
Mutual Respect: http://www.mutualrespect.net
Bob Beck International: http://www.bobbeckinternational.com
Beck Products: http://www.beckproducts.com
SalesBuilder at Squidoo: http://www.squidoo.com/bobbeck
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/salesbuilders
Also, besides billing himself as a "sales trainer" of Quid Pro Quo selling, Bob Beck also calls himself an international keynote speaker, sales guru, best selling author and trusted advisor.
What makes this so sad is that Bob Beck is probably good at what he does. He didn't have to use other people's words as his own. But he did - and it totally destroys his credibility.
Tomorrow: All about negotiation and power!
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