Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The biggest wage drop in decades. Largest 3 month decrease in % terms in more than half century.
The Biggest Wage Drop in Decades
The 1.2% drop in hourly pay in the United States between October 1, 2008, and January 1, 2009, was the largest three-month decrease, in percentage terms, in more than half a century. In fact, since 1960, there have been only two other declines — in 1994 and 2004, both measuring just 0.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
My Podcast Testing Podcast "A Twittering We Will Go!"
via thejjway.com
HI there! I'm testing to see if podcasts will post and how they will look.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Recession delivers a double blow to many charities - Yahoo! News
NEW YORK – For many social-service charities across America, the recession has delivered a staggering one-two punch. Sharp drops in donations and investment income have been coupled by soaring demand for their services.
The casualties so far include countless needy clients losing assistance and thousands of nonprofit workers who've been laid off. Some local charities have shut down; even many of the largest nationwide operations have made painful cutbacks in staff, spending and programs.
"Nonprofits are generally at the whim of the economy ... but we've never seen anything like this," says the Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. "Increasing numbers of our own volunteers and employees have been forced to become clients of our services."
The cutbacks are forcing charities to rethink how they operate and make changes that are likely to outlive the recession. Nonprofits, like regular businesses, are learning to do more with less. Those that survive will emerge more efficient.
"It gives you a mindset to be more creative," American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown says. "We're thinking even better and more innovatively than we were 10 months ago."
Numbers help illustrate the magnitude of the challenges.
Giving to social-service charities fell by 12.7 percent in 2008, according to the Giving USA Foundation, and there's been little evidence of a resurgence so far this year. Simultaneously, many state and local governments are cutting back on funding for nonprofits or delaying payments as they struggle to assemble their budgets.
That double hit to charities' revenue comes at a time when the national poverty rate has reached an 11-year high of 13.2 percent.
Nonprofit officials hope giving levels will rise once the recession ends, but for now many are thinking hard about how to use their dwindling resources.
"We can't be in recession — there are too many people relying on us," Brown says.
Brown's organization laid off 371 staff members across its national affiliates — 10.5 percent of its work force — and chose not to fill more than 200 vacant positions. To save money, it's cut travel costs and promoted resource-sharing among its affiliates.
World Vision, which aids disadvantaged children and families worldwide, has intensified efforts to thank donors and enable them, through high-tech improvements, to keep track of how their donations are used.
And some local Salvation Army branches resorted to deploying their red kettles — normally reserved for the Christmas season — to raise money in July.
"This is the most financially challenging period of time we've had," says Major George Hood of the Salvation Army, who was among the national officials who opposed that move yet understood it because of the branches' desperate financial situation. "We're committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done."
The American Red Cross in Greater New York cut its staff from 186 to 145 earlier this year as private donations fell by 25 percent. Leaders of the chapter insist that emergency response operations will not be affected, but say they will spend fewer resources on planning for future disasters.
The chapter, like many across the Red Cross system, has always made extensive use of volunteers, and is now relying on them even more, spokeswoman Marianne Darlak says.
Nationally, the picture regarding volunteering is mixed. Many nonprofits report a surge of volunteers, including recently laid-off people looking for meaningful tasks. Yet according to a report last month by the National Conference on Citizenship, based on surveys of 3,889 people, 72 percent of Americans have cut back the time they spend volunteering and performing other civic activities — largely because of the recession.
Some charities are examining their priorities and scaling back. CARE, one of the biggest U.S.-based international aid organizations, is now focusing on empowering impoverished women. Its headquarters staff has been reduced by 43, and the remaining 255 employees saw their pay cut.
"Absolutely, it's a very useful process — to rethink and prioritize," says Kymberly Wolff, CARE's senior vice president for resource development. "What many nonprofits do is become very scattered, trying to do all things for all people. This crisis has forced us to become very strategic, and concentrate on serving those who need us the most."
Some once-flourishing local charities have been unable to survive. Family Services of the Mid-South, a 115-year-old nonprofit, is closing this week after transferring a few of its programs to other agencies. The Destiny Foundation of Central Florida, which ran a children's clinic, thrift store and food pantry in Orlando, has suspended its operations and may close.
A recent survey by the Human Services Council of New York City, encompassing 244 local nonprofits, found that 60 percent had seen some decrease in public funding and 73 percent reported reductions in private donations. More than half had laid off staff in the past year, and 35 percent had eliminated programs.
One of the city's oldest and largest charities — the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service — has laid off about 50 of its 550 employees. It's also eliminated a program that helped disabled people make the transition from welfare to work, and scaled down a program that's helping kids from troubled homes avoid foster care.
Reductions in both donations and city funding were to blame, says executive director Alan Goodman.
"It's like being nibbled to death by ducks — a little here, a little there," he says. "The end result is we have less money and fewer staff."
Goodman says becoming "leaner and meaner" is of limited consolation when he looks at the big picture — and wonders if more government support is needed to rescue the charitable sector.
"You'll find a whole lot of smaller nonprofits will just go out of business — totally wiped off the face of the map," he says. "Some of the most robust ones will weather the storm, but I don't think anyone will come through it unscathed."
via news.yahoo.com
Efficiencies matter.
Simple Blogging Faceoff: Tumblr vs. Posterous
Last week, we decided that it wasn’t enough to just wonder which web browser was better; we had to settle the matter in a battle for the ages. So we pitted Mozilla Firefox against Google Chrome, gave them some ammunition, and left it up to you to decide who was the victor. In the end, Firefox beat up on Chrome, 4600 votes to 3310.
Everyone had so much fun with the web browser faceoff though, we decided that we had to do it again. So it’s time to take two of the web’s most popular apps, put them in the ring, and see which one is the people’s choice. Our competitors this week? Two of the most popular simple blogging platforms: TumblrTumblr
.
This isn’t the first time we’ve put these two web services in opposite corners: we compared the two in a head-to-head comparison (Posterous won, but not by much). Since then though, Posterous has added custom themes and Tumblr broke 255 million pageviews.
So which simple blogging platform deserve to earn the title of winner of this week’s Web Faceoff? The answer to that question is up to you. Cast your ballot in the poll below. The voting booth will stay open until noon EST on Friday, October 2nd.
And don’t forget: once you vote, let us know your logic and reasoning in the comments.
Who would win in a fight: Tumblr or Posterous?Tumblr
Posterous
Tie: I just can't pick between the two
Who would win in a fight: Tumblr or Posterous?(polls)
via mashable.com
Woot! A poll on Posterous! Vote Now if you like Posterous!
What a Declining Business Media Means to CEOs
The business media, which expanded greatly during the Internet bubble, is now mired in deep economic crisis. Condé Nast folded Portfolio in August 2009 and McGraw-Hill is said to be close to a sale — or closure — of Business Week. The surviving business magazines, including Forbes and Fortune, are much thinner after the collapse of advertising in 2009. Newspapers around the country, even in major metropolitan areas, are suspending publication of stand-alone business sections and downgrading their coverage. “Many of them have downsized their staffs and reduced the space allocated to business news; in the process, they are losing some of their most experienced business and financial reporters and columnists,” says Myron Kandel, founding financial editor of CNN.
To be sure, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and the Financial Times remain active, and Bloomberg News and ThomsonReuters are strong and growing. But even at these (and other) relatively healthy business news outlets, there is a decline in the quality of business coverage. Older, more experienced journalists are being pushed out to cut costs and are being replaced by younger, less experienced reporters. Those journalists who remain on the payroll are often trapped behind their desks, obliged to feed information to the publication’s website and provide video versions of their stories, rather than cultivating sources and delving into the reasons why a merger has taken place or a company is shedding a business. Online sites that cover business are often superficial; they react to rumors or chase the headline of the day. They very rarely offer insightful business coverage.
One might argue that the weakened state of business media doesn’t matter much; it’s simply an overabundant commodity in a tightening market. And many people believe that journalism, by its nature, has an antibusiness bias; why mourn its loss? But the consequences for business decision makers are three-fold, and grave.
First, it means that business coverage could become more negative toward profit and enterprise than it is today. “Young journalists may be too inexperienced to ask the tough questions,” says Alex Jones, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who runs the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard and is the author of Losing the News: The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2009). “But they are equally vulnerable to being manipulated by people who are bad-mouthing the corporations.” Criticism of corporations will be less nuanced, less aware of context, and less insightful. Competent, complacent, and craven companies — or divisions within companies — will all be tarred with the same brush.
Second, the decline in business journalism gives corporate decision makers less of a platform to display and test their own company’s strategy. “It means that there are fewer opportunities for a CEO to get his or her story into the media,” says CNN’s Kandel. “Where are the stories about companies that are innovating and doing good things? They’re not being covered the way they have [been] in the past.”
But perhaps the worst effect is the most subtle: Corporate leaders now have fewer opportunities to learn from one another’s experience, or even to know what’s going on in their regions and industries. Business news increasingly appears on websites and blogs — a far more fragmented, fast-changing, narrowly focused, and unpredictable media environment. The kind of judgment, insight, and broad perspective (even on narrow how-to topics or gossip) that routinely informed a business article is invaluable — but much harder to come by now.
What specifically should a corporate leader do differently in this environment? The first priority is to maintain the visible public presence of his or her own company — to build its reputation as a reliable entity, in a time when the integrity of many companies has come under scrutiny. This means applying the tenets of honest business practice, not just talking about them. Internal communications departments should start to assess how the changes in the media landscape affect their company and industry. Then figure out which news outlets have the most experienced, credible reporters and editors and reach out to them directly, before a major story breaks, to simply sit down and talk through the state of the industry. Or go even further. “If I were a CEO, I would seek out the smartest and most experienced journalists I could find and allow them to do serious and in-depth reporting about my company,” says Harvard’s Jones.
Do you think we're replacing solid journalism with social networking?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Come Sit A Spell
An open rocker on a front porch. It’s an open invitation for those strolling by. Our lives become so busy and stressful at times that we often forget to “stop and sit a spell.” When do we take the time to allow our minds to recharge?
This week I began hosting Vision Grand Rapids, LjjSpeaks! Less Stress More Success! on WJRW 1340 AM. Peter Bergman, author of Point B, a Short Guide to Leading Change, talked with me about his “18 minute plan for managing your day.” The take-away I learned from Peter is to stop what you’re doing every hour and schedule one minute to refocus. This ensures you’re working on your goals versus swerving off course. I now have an alarm in my iphone to remind me to take time to refocus and reenergize.
Every Monday at 2 PM in the afternoon I hope you’ll take the time to reenergize with me on WJRW 1340 AM. My radio show is just like that open rocker on a front porch. It’s an open invitation to come sit a spell. Relax, listen, make comments, and join in on our front porch conversation.
This week I began hosting Vision Grand Rapids, LjjSpeaks! Less Stress More Success! on WJRW 1340 AM. Peter Bergman, author of Point B, a Short Guide to Leading Change, talked with me about his “18 minute plan for managing your day.” The take-away I learned from Peter is to stop what you’re doing every hour and schedule one minute to refocus. This ensures you’re working on your goals versus swerving off course. I now have an alarm in my iphone to remind me to take time to refocus and reenergize.
Every Monday at 2 PM in the afternoon I hope you’ll take the time to reenergize with me on WJRW 1340 AM. My radio show is just like that open rocker on a front porch. It’s an open invitation to come sit a spell. Relax, listen, make comments, and join in on our front porch conversation.
Involve Me And I Learn...
Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” The true art of communication and learning takes shape with involvement.
We all have a desire to be involved. If a person feels left out they often bring a negative attitude to a project. Negative attitudes can translate into a loss of time and money.
The speed of technology has brought quite a bit of “telling” into our strategies. “Tell IT to fix it.” “Tell Sara to do that.” “Tell me how you want it done.” How often we ignore the training manuals and expect someone to tell us how to use the new software or productive toy we just purchased. After we’re told, we often forget the most important points of the instruction and become frustrated instead of liberated.
We learn something new when someone takes the time to sit down with us and involve us, and this happens at any age.
My oldest son was complaining that his younger brother did not know how to take out the trash. I asked him why he felt this way and he said, “I told him to take out the trash, and he started bringing it down to the curb! Geesh Mom! It’s not even trash day!”
I asked my oldest son if he ever demonstrated to his younger brother the entire process of taking out the trash. Did he show him that taking out the trash meant doing more than bringing barrels down to the curb on trash day? That taking out the trash is something you do every day. You empty full containers from inside into the large container outside and then on the day the garbage trucks are due to arrive you make sure the outdoor container is on the curb ready to be emptied. I also asked him if he showed his younger brother that when you empty a trash container inside you need to refill the inside barrel with a plastic liner?
My older son stared at me like I was from another planet (a clean one I’m sure) and he shook his head and walked away. Later that day I saw my younger son putting new liners in the empty trash containers inside. I smiled and knew someone had involved him a bit more than telling him to “take out the trash.”
All of us can involve others to help us make our work more productive. Benjamin Franklin may have been proud of the involvement that led to completed chores in our house. If we bring that same level of involvement into our workplace it could be the key to a transformation! Ben knew something about keys too!
We all have a desire to be involved. If a person feels left out they often bring a negative attitude to a project. Negative attitudes can translate into a loss of time and money.
The speed of technology has brought quite a bit of “telling” into our strategies. “Tell IT to fix it.” “Tell Sara to do that.” “Tell me how you want it done.” How often we ignore the training manuals and expect someone to tell us how to use the new software or productive toy we just purchased. After we’re told, we often forget the most important points of the instruction and become frustrated instead of liberated.
We learn something new when someone takes the time to sit down with us and involve us, and this happens at any age.
My oldest son was complaining that his younger brother did not know how to take out the trash. I asked him why he felt this way and he said, “I told him to take out the trash, and he started bringing it down to the curb! Geesh Mom! It’s not even trash day!”
I asked my oldest son if he ever demonstrated to his younger brother the entire process of taking out the trash. Did he show him that taking out the trash meant doing more than bringing barrels down to the curb on trash day? That taking out the trash is something you do every day. You empty full containers from inside into the large container outside and then on the day the garbage trucks are due to arrive you make sure the outdoor container is on the curb ready to be emptied. I also asked him if he showed his younger brother that when you empty a trash container inside you need to refill the inside barrel with a plastic liner?
My older son stared at me like I was from another planet (a clean one I’m sure) and he shook his head and walked away. Later that day I saw my younger son putting new liners in the empty trash containers inside. I smiled and knew someone had involved him a bit more than telling him to “take out the trash.”
All of us can involve others to help us make our work more productive. Benjamin Franklin may have been proud of the involvement that led to completed chores in our house. If we bring that same level of involvement into our workplace it could be the key to a transformation! Ben knew something about keys too!
Change Our Headlines!
The following headlines are from today’s Grand Rapids Press printed edition. There are 20 pages to the front page section on this day. I did a JjWay survey, meaning non-scientific, and discovered that over 80% of the headlines had negative or neutral description words. That means if I start my day reading the headlines I am already 80% behind on feeling good about the day ahead. How can that possibly help me as I head to work or take part in family activities.
All of us have our own headlines to create today. If we find ourselves creating headlines that make the front news section then we need to change our story, font size and caption. We need to be 160% positive to combat the 80% negative/neutral that comes our way! Let’s do it together!
Main headlines include:
Post It Note on Front: Foreclosed Home Auction 300+ Michigan Homes Must Be Sold!
The post it note covers up I’t a Great Day For Quarterbacks
Current Danger
Richer Half
Now to see how match game plays out
Spring Lake crash kills teen boy
Mental state likely to be issue at trial in girls abduction
Support ahead to save for retirement
Annie get your lawyers
Missing boy found alive - in hidden room at grandma’s
Please don’t feed the wild burros
Godmothers now part of crime syndicate
No Kindle: no problem; ebooks easy to get
Sony plans e-book reader with wireless downloads
Neighborhood watch moves to YouTube
Tainted cookie dough heightens urgency for reform
Study: Hormone therapy for prostate has dangers
Doubt cast on value of cancer indicator
Planned home births said safe
These days we all are gadget geeks
Scary texting ad is popular but it is effective
Heating your home should cost less this year
CIA-Blackwater ties raise more concerns
Burqa bashing may cover up bigger fears
“Civilian surge” into Afghanistan is just starting
Has Conservatism committed suicide?
Tweeting your way through the apocalypse
Going to school on swine flu
Breaking their word, and breaking the CIA
Is Lansing making choices you can live with?
Maybe these jobs weren’t so odd
Howlers on fringe should drive us crazy
Captives in the Hermit Kingdom
GOP tries to recruit it’s own ‘death panel’
In Afghanistan, we must know when to stop
Criticize, but don’t be judgmental
Sideline story headlines include:
Movie money hits home here
Idols visit Allegan Fair
Obama wants your nest egg to grow
The gas gauge
43 suspected militants killed in Khyber region
He’s innocent, brother says
Tour boat sinks, 15 die
Wildfire threat reduced
Candidate family killed
Folic acid can harm your liver
Who’s across the table
Herbicide a greater risk
Ibuprofin tops in study
Saving your feet
Recalls
They said it
Winners and losers
So why are headlines important. They make us stop and consider if we want to read more.
Let’s change our headlines, font size and captions together - and write our own story that will transform our work and life!
All of us have our own headlines to create today. If we find ourselves creating headlines that make the front news section then we need to change our story, font size and caption. We need to be 160% positive to combat the 80% negative/neutral that comes our way! Let’s do it together!
Main headlines include:
Post It Note on Front: Foreclosed Home Auction 300+ Michigan Homes Must Be Sold!
The post it note covers up I’t a Great Day For Quarterbacks
Current Danger
Richer Half
Now to see how match game plays out
Spring Lake crash kills teen boy
Mental state likely to be issue at trial in girls abduction
Support ahead to save for retirement
Annie get your lawyers
Missing boy found alive - in hidden room at grandma’s
Please don’t feed the wild burros
Godmothers now part of crime syndicate
No Kindle: no problem; ebooks easy to get
Sony plans e-book reader with wireless downloads
Neighborhood watch moves to YouTube
Tainted cookie dough heightens urgency for reform
Study: Hormone therapy for prostate has dangers
Doubt cast on value of cancer indicator
Planned home births said safe
These days we all are gadget geeks
Scary texting ad is popular but it is effective
Heating your home should cost less this year
CIA-Blackwater ties raise more concerns
Burqa bashing may cover up bigger fears
“Civilian surge” into Afghanistan is just starting
Has Conservatism committed suicide?
Tweeting your way through the apocalypse
Going to school on swine flu
Breaking their word, and breaking the CIA
Is Lansing making choices you can live with?
Maybe these jobs weren’t so odd
Howlers on fringe should drive us crazy
Captives in the Hermit Kingdom
GOP tries to recruit it’s own ‘death panel’
In Afghanistan, we must know when to stop
Criticize, but don’t be judgmental
Sideline story headlines include:
Movie money hits home here
Idols visit Allegan Fair
Obama wants your nest egg to grow
The gas gauge
43 suspected militants killed in Khyber region
He’s innocent, brother says
Tour boat sinks, 15 die
Wildfire threat reduced
Candidate family killed
Folic acid can harm your liver
Who’s across the table
Herbicide a greater risk
Ibuprofin tops in study
Saving your feet
Recalls
They said it
Winners and losers
So why are headlines important. They make us stop and consider if we want to read more.
Let’s change our headlines, font size and captions together - and write our own story that will transform our work and life!
Heat of the Moment Anger Often Burns Others
I watched the replay of Serena Williams outburst at the US Open. She was angry and she let the lines-woman know it.
I watched a badminton game between two competitive brothers the same weekend. The younger brother took the loss and grabbed my camera as he stalked away. He did not want to be "seen" defeated.
I heard of Kanye West's rant when his "choice" didn't win the Music Video Award.
All three; Serena, my youngest son and Kanye showed immediate heat of the moment passion when their anger exploded for all to see and hear.
Some are reporting today that Serena's outburst is the best thing to happen to Women's Tennis because it has everyone buzzing about it.
My son will no doubt change his perception of his loss so he can keep his pride intact.
The true victor of the Music Video Award will never get back her time to bask in the moment of a victory- spoiled by Kanye's tantrum.
Heat of the moment anger is fun to watch. We all talk about it at the water cooler the next day. It's like an accident we can't keep our eyes from. But deep down we know what it feels like when we are the ones to "go off" on someone or something when we are on the losing end. We feel guilty and our anger simmers. And then everyone is talking about us.
Winning is easy. Lifting the trophy is easy. Reaction to losing or feeling cheated out of a win is very difficult. The more often we hold our head high and rise above the anger of the heat of the moment, the better off we will be as professionals.
In business and life we volley back and forth throughout the course of our days. We win some and we lose some. It is how react to losing that keeps us in the game and will lead us to a victory. Game on.
I watched a badminton game between two competitive brothers the same weekend. The younger brother took the loss and grabbed my camera as he stalked away. He did not want to be "seen" defeated.
I heard of Kanye West's rant when his "choice" didn't win the Music Video Award.
All three; Serena, my youngest son and Kanye showed immediate heat of the moment passion when their anger exploded for all to see and hear.
Some are reporting today that Serena's outburst is the best thing to happen to Women's Tennis because it has everyone buzzing about it.
My son will no doubt change his perception of his loss so he can keep his pride intact.
The true victor of the Music Video Award will never get back her time to bask in the moment of a victory- spoiled by Kanye's tantrum.
Heat of the moment anger is fun to watch. We all talk about it at the water cooler the next day. It's like an accident we can't keep our eyes from. But deep down we know what it feels like when we are the ones to "go off" on someone or something when we are on the losing end. We feel guilty and our anger simmers. And then everyone is talking about us.
Winning is easy. Lifting the trophy is easy. Reaction to losing or feeling cheated out of a win is very difficult. The more often we hold our head high and rise above the anger of the heat of the moment, the better off we will be as professionals.
In business and life we volley back and forth throughout the course of our days. We win some and we lose some. It is how react to losing that keeps us in the game and will lead us to a victory. Game on.
It's all about ... THEM!
It began with a question on a text.
“Can you call the school and order me the paperwork for a parking permit for my car?”
I did and replied:
“All set no worries.”
The response was:
“Did you call?”
Sarcastic Reply:
No, I figured it out on my own, how else did I get the info?
Response:
Huh?
Reply:
Yes, I called.
Response:
What did they say?
Reply:
What I said, Don’t Worry!
Response:
Okay, but I am allowed to drive right? I won’t get in trouble?
Reply:
Yes.
Response:
Okay good, That’s all I wanted to know.
Reply:
Glad we got that settled.
Repsonse:
I just didn’t want to get in trouble.
Reply:
No Worries.
Repsonse:
Okay :)
The communication back and forth proves that in pointedly clear communication - you need to take a step back and see where the other person is coming from. In this instance the 16 year old who began the text conversation was worried sick she would get a “boot” placed on her car and so she was triple checking with her mom to make sure that she could get a permit ordered from school. She was told by friends the “boot” began that day.
When her mom called the school they told her that permits for sophomores weren’t out yet and no “boots” would go on the car until at least 2 weeks into the school year. (16 year olds are the last to get permits following Juniors and Seniors and if there are not enough - the sophomores are out of luck).
The mom sent what she thought ended the conversation “all set no worries,” but obviously, this was not enough information for the sincerely scared sophomore who thought for sure her car would be “booted” that day.
When we communicate we need to keep in mind where the other person is coming from. A stressed out teenager will need to be spoken to direct, with no sarcasm and even told repeatedly, so she or he will know you are taking them seriously.
A stressed out colleague may need to vent a bit to be able to get the day started. Your “discussion” may not be on their radar screen because they may have received a speeding ticket on the way to work.
Before jumping to conclusions about someone being rude, uninterested, angry, uncaring or unsympathetic, put yourself in their shoes and try to understand why they are acting as they are.
If you start a conversation off and think “it’s all about them” you will be amazed at how much better the conversation can go. When we open up to their needs we open up new doors that may have been closed.
It IS all about them!
“Can you call the school and order me the paperwork for a parking permit for my car?”
I did and replied:
“All set no worries.”
The response was:
“Did you call?”
Sarcastic Reply:
No, I figured it out on my own, how else did I get the info?
Response:
Huh?
Reply:
Yes, I called.
Response:
What did they say?
Reply:
What I said, Don’t Worry!
Response:
Okay, but I am allowed to drive right? I won’t get in trouble?
Reply:
Yes.
Response:
Okay good, That’s all I wanted to know.
Reply:
Glad we got that settled.
Repsonse:
I just didn’t want to get in trouble.
Reply:
No Worries.
Repsonse:
Okay :)
The communication back and forth proves that in pointedly clear communication - you need to take a step back and see where the other person is coming from. In this instance the 16 year old who began the text conversation was worried sick she would get a “boot” placed on her car and so she was triple checking with her mom to make sure that she could get a permit ordered from school. She was told by friends the “boot” began that day.
When her mom called the school they told her that permits for sophomores weren’t out yet and no “boots” would go on the car until at least 2 weeks into the school year. (16 year olds are the last to get permits following Juniors and Seniors and if there are not enough - the sophomores are out of luck).
The mom sent what she thought ended the conversation “all set no worries,” but obviously, this was not enough information for the sincerely scared sophomore who thought for sure her car would be “booted” that day.
When we communicate we need to keep in mind where the other person is coming from. A stressed out teenager will need to be spoken to direct, with no sarcasm and even told repeatedly, so she or he will know you are taking them seriously.
A stressed out colleague may need to vent a bit to be able to get the day started. Your “discussion” may not be on their radar screen because they may have received a speeding ticket on the way to work.
Before jumping to conclusions about someone being rude, uninterested, angry, uncaring or unsympathetic, put yourself in their shoes and try to understand why they are acting as they are.
If you start a conversation off and think “it’s all about them” you will be amazed at how much better the conversation can go. When we open up to their needs we open up new doors that may have been closed.
It IS all about them!
The Tude Matters
OK, you know who you are.
You are the person who belittles others without knowing them.
You have a “bad”itude.
You are the one who lends a helping hand without knowing who you are helping.
“You have a “grat”itude”
You are the gal who looks at new ideas and says disparaging things about them
You have a “mad”itude.
You are the guy who cheers on his kid - and all those on the team.
You have a “dad”itude.
You are the professional who looks at what others are doing and complains versus jumping in and collaborating.
You have a “sad”itude.
You are the colleague who asks why something isn’t working - and then really listens and tries to make things right.
You have a “can-do”itude
You are the individual who won’t listen to constructive criticism without turning it against the person sharing their thoughts.
You have a “I’m So Bad”itude.
You only jump in when the wave of positive comments will look good on you.
You have a “Fad” itude.
You are mean spirited.
You have a “Brat”itude.
You smile when someone does something nice - encouraging them.
You have a “glad”itude
You bring donuts to share work.
You have a “ironcladfriend” itude
You bring donuts and don’t share them at work.
You have an “eee-gad” itude
You hum when you work.
You have a “doodad” itude.
You stay in your cubicle three days in a row.
You have a “nomad”itude.
You say inappropriate things to anyone at any level.
You have a “cad”itude.
You include others in ideas and workload.
You have a “add” itude.
You read this and chuckle (and will try to eliminate the bad)
You have my kind of “attitude”
You are the person who belittles others without knowing them.
You have a “bad”itude.
You are the one who lends a helping hand without knowing who you are helping.
“You have a “grat”itude”
You are the gal who looks at new ideas and says disparaging things about them
You have a “mad”itude.
You are the guy who cheers on his kid - and all those on the team.
You have a “dad”itude.
You are the professional who looks at what others are doing and complains versus jumping in and collaborating.
You have a “sad”itude.
You are the colleague who asks why something isn’t working - and then really listens and tries to make things right.
You have a “can-do”itude
You are the individual who won’t listen to constructive criticism without turning it against the person sharing their thoughts.
You have a “I’m So Bad”itude.
You only jump in when the wave of positive comments will look good on you.
You have a “Fad” itude.
You are mean spirited.
You have a “Brat”itude.
You smile when someone does something nice - encouraging them.
You have a “glad”itude
You bring donuts to share work.
You have a “ironcladfriend” itude
You bring donuts and don’t share them at work.
You have an “eee-gad” itude
You hum when you work.
You have a “doodad” itude.
You stay in your cubicle three days in a row.
You have a “nomad”itude.
You say inappropriate things to anyone at any level.
You have a “cad”itude.
You include others in ideas and workload.
You have a “add” itude.
You read this and chuckle (and will try to eliminate the bad)
You have my kind of “attitude”
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