Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed without MAKING ASSUMPTIONS!

"Don't make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life."
~ Miguel Angel Ruiz

Do you know the feeling when you get up in the morning and everything just seems to be going your way, you feel really good about yourself and your day, ready to conquer the world, but then something happens out of the blue that bursts your bubble? 

Well, this is exactly what happened to me this morning when I received an email from someone that I don't even know. This person pointed out some grammatical mistakes in one of my postings for an upcoming library workshop on a community website. I found it really thoughtful that she went out of her way to let me know, BUT it was HOW she did it that was disappointing. 

Her email was very much written in "lecture style", talking down to me by saying "she is giving me a chance", "giving me a hint" and "she wished me fun in spotting the mistakes". That's the power of words. They can either lift you up or bring you down. 

It became clear to me that she didn't really want to help; she wanted to show how smart she is. At least that's how her response came across.

The interesting part is that she assumed that I made these mistakes without even asking me any questions. If she would have taken the time to ask, she would have learned that the community website posting was written by someone else and that's how the grammatical mistakes happened. 

She could have easily said, "Are you aware that the posting of your library workshop on our community website has some serious grammatical mistakes?" and with that she could have set the tone to perhaps establish a new and meaningful business relationship. 

While there is no question that it doesn't matter who made the mistakes, ultimately these mistakes would reflect negatively on me and my business. What does matter to me however, is the tone of an email or conversation.

It is important to understand that making assumptions can create huge misunderstandings and that's why it is important to challenge our assumptions all the time and better yet, not to make them at all. This certainly is not an easy thing to do. 

I am a second language speaker and I am proud of the fact that I am able to speak and write as I do. Am I perfect? Certainly not, but aren't these little imperfections part of our human existence? I am constantly striving to get better but I also know that certain people think that immigrants are not as smart as they are because their English may not be up to par. However, I also know many people who have English as their first and only language, and they make mistakes too. Having said this, nobody should ever think that just because of their position in life, their title, their age, or their seniority, that they have earned the right to put others down, neither in their business nor in their personal life. 

This small incident this morning made me think how often this happens in the corporate world. People's self-confidence and self-image gets damaged because of people who deal with their own insecurities by putting others down. This really should no longer be happening in highly educated work environments! I see this as one of the main reasons why the majority of people aren't able to live up to their full potential. They have lost sight of what they are really capable of doing.

Here is what I have learned:

1. Believe in the best in people and don't make assumptions!
2. Don't miss out on building great relationships just because you don't know how to communicate effectively.
3. Nobody has earned the right to put others down. 

Believe in yourself and believe in others and the world will be a more sincere and respectful place.

I personally live by the words of Eleanor Roosevelt who said it best, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."  

Manufacturing Success Tips - Make the Decision to Tackle Indecision!

Nobody enjoys Indecision. That's a fact. However, first it is important to acknowledge that wherever you are in your life or business right now, it is because of the decisions you made or didn't make in the past. It's nobody else's responsibility but your own! The good news is that everyone can learn to be more decisive if they are ready to move from being reactive to being pro-active. Your core values play a critical role in the decision making process. Are YOU ready to tackle indecision? If so, please take a look at my video!

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed with ENGAGED LEADERSHIP!

"No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew."

~ Albert Einstein

I am always looking for ways to better serve the leaders in the manufacturing industry and last week I took a leap of faith by hosting my very first webcast. I only invited a small group of people and I have to admit that this experience pushed out of my comfort zone. It is very different speaking to a laptop rather than it is to a live audience.

Under normal circumstances when I speak to a group of people I can feel their energy and it gives me a chance to react if I feel there's a disconnect. Via webcast this is not possible. People may leave early and there is nothing you can do, except to keep your composure because you don't know if they are leaving because they are busy or because they did not like it. 

Overall it was a very exciting experience and I can see how this will be a great platform to interact with my audience worldwide. 

The topic of the webcast was employee engagement and throughout the webcast people had the opportunity to ask questions. One person asked a question that really stuck with me. She said, "Karin, you talk about employee engagement but what happens when disengaged Managers complain about a disengaged workforce and at the same time they may not be aware that they are disengaged themselves?"

Great question, isn't it?

How engaged can managers be with all the pressure that they have to face each day?

Running from one meeting to the next, full focus on delivering quarterly results, usually without ever getting any acknowledgement for a job well done, the pressure from customers, and the risk that one serious mistake could ruin not only their own reputation but that of the company as well. The saying "The higher the management level, the thinner the air gets for people" is still very applicable.

Our unfortunate "do it right the first time" mentality has created an environment of insecurity and low self-esteem. People are VERY protective about their job. Work life is hectic, so how could you possibly expect management to be fully engaged? 

Instead of bursting with positive energy to create a new dynamic, the level of frustration is written on their faces. Their intention may be to create change for the better BUT their actions show otherwise. Wouldn't you agree that this is how people get burnt out?

It is a well known fact that employees will judge management by their actions, and this judgement creates a certain perception. If their perception is not aligned with their expectations, their energy level decreases and the level of stress, frustration and negativity will impact their performance and productivity. Can you see the chain reaction?

Both sides may have the best of intentions but as soon as they have to deal with this kind of a disconnect, it will require time and energy to help them understand each other's perspective. 

It's an emotional game and in order to get the team spirit back, emotions need to be dealt with, processed and released. If a company is willing to work on that, then real progress can be made.

Manufacturing Success Tips - Shift Happens!

We live in a world of constant change. The business environment is very different and although it can be frightening, it's also exciting. There are so many possibilities in our world but so often we can't see the forest for the trees. It is critical that we are up for the challenge and that we are ready to tackle this challenge from another angle. Do you want some great advice? Please take a look!

Manufacturing Success Tips ~ Stress - Do You React or Do You Respond?

How can you manage to get everything done without getting stressed out? You have to understand that not every form of stress is bad. The differentiation between experiences leading to negative and positive stress is defined by the differences between reality (real or imaginative), personal expectations and your ability to deal with stress. Do you want to be in control when the events around you demand too much of you? For some simple strategies take a look at my video.