Bird's Eye View

Why Are Finishing Schools Not Finished?

Is it possible?  An article in a recent Financial Times entitled "Nice Girls Finish First" says that finishing schools are once again flourishing.  For those of you who have never heard of them, they were schools decades ago where young women were taught the art of behaving gracefully as they prepared for their adult life which, it was assumed, meant they would be married off to an eligible, well heeled young man, and live happily ever after. 

The Women's Lib movement changed all that, or so it seemed. But here's the FT reporting that once again parents are looking for ways to give their daughters (it doesn't mention sons) the opportunity to have whatever tools are needed to lead successful adult lives. This time around, it's assumed these young women will end up working for a living. But there's a twist. As one internet mogul, John Marshall, says, "We're entering a period where many jobs--even professional jobs--will eventually be replaced by technology and book learning will mean almost nothing. The only stability will come from social skills. I want my children to learn posture and public speaking, manners and grooming." 

I was dumbfounded to read this, but then recalled a couple of years ago when I conducted several "webinars" after my book Smart Talk: The ABC's of Authentic Conversation was published. During those on-line sessions, in which the participants were mostly aspiring professionals at firms like Accenture, IBM, PWC and the like, people told me they felt insecure in business conversations, about knowing the "right" thing to say in office situations, the best way to approach the new boss and introduce one's self, and the like. I realized then that business-social skills do not come automatically to young people; let's face it: few families sit down regularly to have dinner together these days, occasions where young people used to learn much of what they know about the art of conversation. It's a thing of the past. Most young people have been raised on the internet and often prefer using email or text messaging rather than get up and talk in person to a colleague in the next cubicle.

I recall, too, several years ago when a businessman speaking as a guest at Hamilton College was asked by a parent in the audience for advice on which business school classes he recommended to students wishing to  work at his firm some day. He replied they should take no business classes; instead, he advised they focus on getting a great liberal arts education.  As he explained it, "The young people who work for my firm are all smart and can pick up what they need to know about business particulars pretty quickly.  The question most important to me is whether they can engage in an interesting conversation when seated next to me on a plane during a business trip."

So maybe this finishing school business isn't so far-fetched. 

Le plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.                                                                                                

Apple, the King of Customer Service

                                                    

                                                    

This post is a guest post from Jay Chalnick, who leads Business Development for our Wf360 team.  He's both a great marketer and a great observer of the customer service scene. Here's what he said about his experience purchasing the new Apple iPod phone today. Sounds like a far cry from the Staples approach, doesn't it? (Blog July 11th)

"Susan and the Gang:

Wanted to try to capture some of this morning's experience for you in case you wanted to share the positive experience I had at the Apple store while waiting in line for the iPhone 3G. Although I've had enough (mostly unrelated) technology issues today to warrant throwing my laptop, phone and anything else that beeps, buzzes or whistles out the window, I wanted to at least capture a few points you may want to share with your blog's readers:

- Apple has their shit together.
- They had PLENTY of staff, handling everything from lining people up around the mall (Stamford Town Center, Stamford, CT); to handing out bottled water; to greeting customers; to chatting with customers; to handing out literature; to discussing details of your forthcoming purchase; to handing out Starbuck's bottled frappuccinos. You might think that the same staff handled more than one of these tasks, but no, they had different staff responsible for different aspects of the customer experience. Very impressive.
- I was # 69 in line when I arrived just before 7am for the opening at 8am. The line started to move swiftly at 8am. I was inside with only 10 people ahead of me by 8:45. I was met by a greeter at the front of the line at 9:30, by my personal shopper a minute after and I completed my purchase 5 minutes later. I was out of there by about 9:40 am.
- The conversations that occurred on line were incredible. Apple this, Mac that. IPod this, iPhone that. This is what our Brandversation is all about!

                                                      

Some novice Apple users were there (own just one iPod with 70 songs and no other Apple product...yet!). Some power Apple users were there too (owned 4 or 5 laptops/desktops, Apple LCD monitor, iPod x3, first generation iPhone in hand, you get the point). Every three to four people held their own Apple conversation throughout the line of 200+ people. Unreal.
- One hitch... as noted in many reports online already, at around 9am or so this morning, Apple's iTunes server prevented phones from being activated in the store. (Evidently, this is why it took from 45 minutes for me to go from #10 on line to #1.)"

Hope someone from Staples reads this...

Gen Y and Amanda

                                                               

Amanda posted a comment to my "Saying No to The Boss" piece the other day.   She said:

"...I have looked at Susan's blogs from the past and I find she likes to "put down" the up and comers of Gen Y. I work in investments, put in long hours when needed, but find I have a great balance in my life. This does not make me less devoted to my position and my boss definitely does not feel that way. We have much to learn from old generations, however, I'm not keen on being spoken down to. Susan appears to have the perception that the Gen Y'ers are lazy and could give or take a job. Not true!"

                                       

Amanda, I didn't make myself clear, because your interpretation of my Gen Y perspective is not at all what I've intended.  Fact is, I have Gen Y people on my team and am an admirer of how they're conducting their professional lives.  What I meant to say is the opposite of how you interpreted my post (so, shame on me for being so poor a communicator!).  Gen Y people I know do a pretty good job of ensuring their lives have a good balance between the office or workshop, the playing field and the dance floor. What I was trying to say is that I fear with additional responsibilities and, yes, aging, they may fall into the same trap I was decrying in my post. We need to ensure that leaders take seriously the fact that our companies and organizations need to be rewired to accommodate the more humane, the more fun and potentially more creative way to do things that doesn't require the insane kind of work patterns that end up hurting people's health, crushing their spirit and rendering workplaces a lot less innovative.

                                                      

Thanks for calling me on my error, Amanda. Print out your blog comment and put it somewhere on your desk so you'll see it a year from now, five years from now...and later.

Hold the Phone

Let's talk Customer Service.  Specifically, "local" customer service.

An experience our team had this week with Staples would make any sane person cry.
We are regular Staples customers.  Good ones.  They've got the stuff we need to run our business, like photocopy paper, pens, pencils, supplies of all kinds...you know.  You probably buy the same stuff from them.  So far so good.  They usually have what we need and they charge fairly for it.  But this experience removed the fuzzy feelings we've had about our Staples friends.

We had an emergency strategy session yesterday and needed--quickly--a new flip chart easel pad.  We are about 12 blocks from the closest Staples here in Manhattan.  And in Manhattan, one doesn't drive to the store...you take a taxi.  We have staff people here who, when it's important, can jump in a cab, pick up whatever is needed, and get it back here in 20 minutes.  Much better than waiting for a delivery.  So, the smart thing to do was to give the local store a call to make sure they have the easel pad before our beloved Sun Young got into a taxi (to avoid finding they were fresh out of easel pads...something that has happened before).

So Laura Kim, who heads our team, called the store.  Someone answered and said yes we have it, but then wasn't so sure so she said she would go check.  After 10 minutes on hold, another person came to the phone and answered, as if she was fresh to the call, and the same thing happened.  Ultimately, Laura was put on hold 8 (yes, EIGHT) times...(at one point, Laura called on her cell phone to see if she could get a "fresh start" on the call.  No dice.)  On the last go around, Laura said quickly "PLEASE do not put me on hold"...and the next thing she heard was "Hold, please!" and that hated muzak starting all over again.  The whole thing took nearly a half hour.  We ended up sending Sun Young in the taxi and luckily, she came back with the easel pad. 

What a waste of time that call was.  And what an expensive one in terms of our good will.  There was no Staples conversation with us, the customer.  It will be remembered as the "Hold, please" call.

Saying No to the Boss

I've got a friend who has a senior level position in a highly respected global organization.  She is one of their most senior people, in fact.  It's all exciting: the interaction with important people in countries around the world; the jetting--mostly long hauls to Asia, the Middle East, Africa.  The cocktails and lunches with fascinating people of every stripe.

But the job is killing her.  Because she can't say no to any project.  She's had little sleep for the past 60 days because the projects have been so demanding...and there are so many of them.

It ceased to be fun some time ago, yet she continues.  She says she hopes there will be light at the end of the tunnel soon.  There better be: her blood pressure has increased dangerously and she has trouble breathing at times, not to mention her upper back pain.   

I encouraged her to have the conversation with her boss that so many of us--primarily those of us who consider ourselves indispensable--have trouble initiating.  She has become convinced that only she is capable of carrying off these big projects.  She's probably right.  Someone else would do them differently, and more than likely they will do them less well.  But they will get taken care of--somehow--if she is not there.  Our discussion may have helped a bit but I realized in talking with her that I've heard this same tale from others, both men and women.  People tell us how fortunate the company is to have us; how things wouldn't be the same without us; that everyone is grateful we did an "all nighter" so the project finished on time.  But those are not the same people who will be with us in the emergency room when we have heart palpitations from the stress.  And they can't bring back that opportunity we missed to see our son or daughter in the school play.

I'm told that Gen Y people don't have this problem and find discussion about this kind of work in consistent overdrive style far away from the manner in which they experience the workplace.  But I wonder if that is because they are just, well, young.  When the responsibilities start to build, will they shrug them off and tell the boss to get someone else to handle that?  And will they do that in a tough job market? 

Is there a conversation about workload you should have with your boss?

The Clothespin Effect

Peg Jones, a childhood friend from Stevens Point, Wisconsin--that hometown I talk about from time to time where I swear, just as Garrison Keillor says about the mythical Minnesota town of Wobegon (except in Stevens Point it's TRUE) "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average..."

Peg says when I mentioned in yesterday's post the crepe paper we threaded between the spokes of our bicycles to ride around on the Fourth of July, it reminded her of how  on regular summer days we would attach a playing card ("always the joker," she says, "so it wouldn't ruin Mom's deck for her bridge games") with a clothespin to one of the spokes.  I'd forgotten about that.  Made a heck of a great noise as the wheel went 'round...like a little motor.

Another example of how the games and the toys kids make for themselves are often the ones from which we get the greatest pleasure. 

                              

There's a parallel here to the way we operate at work, too, don't you think?  We need to be reminded that when we engage people in designing what they want to work on and how they want to do it, they're much more likely to dig in, get excited, and make it happen.  Duh.

                                          

Have We Gotten Too Showbiz?

                                                   

I spent the Fourth of July weekend in Boston.  We were lucky enough to be staying at the home of friends of ours who live on Beacon Hill in one of those classic apartment buildings that surround the Boston Common.  These fortunate folks have a wonderful place to live throughout the year but on the Fourth of July it becomes even more terrific a location: the roof of the building is the perfect vantage place from which to observe Boston's spectacular July Fourth fireworks display, which comes from a barge off the Boston Esplanade along the Charles River.  Our perch on the top of this rooftop made us feel we had our own private show, and it was a show indeed.

Before the fireworks started, we were downstairs in the apartment, surfing for other July Fourth celebrations in addition to Boston's, which had the Boston Pops in concert, a musical group called Rascal Flatts and many other first class acts. Washington DC's was amazing, too, with Jimmy Smits as the emcee and a parade of stars of all types to sing their hearts out.  Even that inimitable national treasure, the Marine Corps band referred to by aficionados as The President's Own. 

Then there was New Yorks' spectacle, courtesy of Macy's.  FDR was closed off to accommodate people who wanted to get a first hand view.  And of course, there were performers to sing and dance, if 120,000 brilliant bursts of pyrotechnic color over the New York skyline wasn't enough for you. 

I couldn't help but think of my hometown in Wisconsin, where the Fourth of July of my youth meant the day we threaded red, white and clue crepe paper through the spokes on our bicycle wheels and joined the floats in the parade, accompanied by the local high school band and another visiting band or two.  No recent winners of American Idol; not even local "starlets" or models, to impress the local folk.  Just home town stuff, with local veterans marching in their uniforms to commemorate America's birthday of independence.

                                                

Do the big pyrotechnic displays and star-studded casts of Fourth of July celebrations in our urban centers mean the folks in small towns like mine just stay home and watch the big guys on tv?  I hope not.  That would spoil everything, at least for this nostalgic American who wants to keep the Normal Rockwell image in her head of how we celebrate our nation's holidays.  I'd take that local parade any day.  Even if I had to give up the best seat in the house in Boston to be there.

The philosophy of a simple phone call

Hi, my name is Nina Pollozek, a student from Munich Business School, Germany and I have the great opportunity to do my internship at Wf360 in New York City.  I have been here only a couple of weeks and already have a better understanding of US business culture.
At my internship at Wf360, I have the opportunity to work for MyVetwork, the online community for active and returning vets, their families and friends. Aside from my other responsibilities, I spend a lot of time on the phone answering and making calls. It is very interesting to see the difference in how one communicates on the phone in the US compared to Germany. 
Here are quick examples of two phone calls to show you the difference: the first is how I answer calls in German offices and the second is what I learned is the stereotypical US phone conversation.   
                                                         

In Germany:
Nina:  Good morning this is Nina Pollozek from Company X, I am calling concerning an order we placed. Could I please talk to Frau Schmidt?
Other end of the phone: What was your name?
Nina: Nina Pollozek, Company X.
Other end of the phone: And who do you want to speak with?
Then this formal conversation and repeating goes on for another minute and then finally…
Other end of the phone: I will connect you…

A very important observation from a German business call is when the weird music is playing, you have to put all of your energy into remembering who you are calling, since most companies in Germany use very similar hold music. The calls are very straightforward, with the sole purpose of the call to be business-focused. This is the case for all the business calls in Germany and therefore, after the 20th call you feel challenged due to the boring repetitiveness. After the 10th day, you start to experience those uneasy sleeping patterns...

In New York:
Nina: Hi this is Nina calling from Wf360. I am calling concerning XX and I would like to talk to X.
Other end of the phone: (very enthusiastically) Oh hi Nina this is person X. How are you?
Nina: Ahhhhm … (looking troubled to my supervisor, because I wonder if this person really wants to know that I slept poorly last night, had a great lunch, am happy because the sun is shining, but annoyed because I have to do laundry today…)
I decide to keep my answer brief and simple.
Nina:  Good. Thank you. (And try to remember the purpose of my call)
Other end of the phone: What was your name again?
Nina: (really happy to hear something familiar repeats): N-I-N-A
Other end of the phone: Oh what a nice name
Nina: (happy to have a nice name, but even more confused) Ahhhhhm… thank you.

The phone conversation continues with more pleasantries from the other end of the line, while I am remaining very formal, being accustomed to the German way, starting to feel (stereotypically German) rude. 

These different types of phone interactions make me wonder which is proper. If business calls are strictly limited to business and dealing with the topic at hand, limiting private topics, it prohibits building a relationship with the other person on the line, like it is mostly handled in Germany. But the question is: Is there a need to build a relationship for the short time of a phone call?   

My experiences in the US are different in that respect. The business culture seems to include a mixture of professional talk as well as more laid back personal conversations. These conversations are task-oriented but flavored with all the ingredients of personal talk. I realize in America, it is all about building relationships even if it is over the phone. I understand now that companies have instilled in their employees the belief that each of them represents the company and its brand, so the way they talk with others over the phone reflects that brand. 
It is nice to know that employees in one of the busiest cities still find time to ask each other how they are yet I find it funny that it can be superficial as they do not have time to wait for an answer to this question.   
Although I have been here a short time, I have already experienced a great business atmosphere which has allowed me to see how Americans interact with others in a business setting and build relationships to enhance the company.  In the end I appreciate the politeness and if people are more polite after saying the three words: “How are you?” I will totally go for it.

 

Troop Talk

My company has teamed up with our foundation, Expand the Circle, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, to help MyVetwork, a key Wf360 initiative.

MyVetwork is an upstart social networking community for military service people, their spouses, families and friends - from all branches, all conflicts, and with special attention paid to the wounded and disabled. MyVetWork's objectives are twofold: 1) to provide veterans and those who care about them with a means to support each other in ways that range from the lighthearted and entertaining to deep and meaningful connection and 2) to create an information exchange where veterans of all conflicts can produce information, career advice, educational ideas, mentoring and other work-related resource to recently separated Vets transitioning from the military to civilian life.  Take my word for it, this group is awesome.  (Disclosure: My husband, John Campbell, is a former Marine officer and he's the one who put together the truly amazing group of active duty and veteran folks working on this.) 

We talked of how we can involve our blog community in ways that will spread the word about MyVetwork and the amazing people serving our country these days.  Regardless of our respective views on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, somehow everyone agrees that everyone's just gotta support our troops.  So here's what we came up with:

We're asking everyone we know to help us donate Flip Video camera's to troops stationed at bases around the country and abroad.  A key component of the MyVetwork community is the ability for soldiers and Marines to share stories, experiences and resources with friends and family through a variety of media, including user-generated video content in which people in the military—and those who care about them, like sisters, brothers, parents, friends—can document things in their daily life and maintain relationships with with the rest of us by sharing their unique perspective with the world. 

The Flip video camera was created by Pure Digital of San Francisco and has been popular with journalists and users alike due to its small size and ease of use. Each unit retails for approximately $100 [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ONDRDU] and allows the user to record up to 30 minutes of high quality video. So for a small donation of just $100 each, we hope others will add to the batch of these dandy little cameras we're sending to support the men and women in the military working so hard to defend our country. We hope our community will respond enthusiastically with individual and corporate donations.

We want to send the first batch of up to 100 cameras to U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia in July and we're hoping to deliver additional video cameras to Marines at Camp Pendleton, California and various other military bases around the country and globe, too.

So if you want to get on board, you can your submit tax deductible donation via Credit Card to Expand the Circle via a paypal widget on the left sidebar in this very blog.  Corporations interested in donating should contact Brent Phelps at supportOurTroops@MyVetwork.com.

Below is the press release to announce the initiative:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Wf360 & MyVetwork Call Upon Community To Support Our Troops With The Gift of Communication.

New York, NY (June 16, 2008) - Wf360 has teamed up with Expand the Circle, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, to support a Wf360 initiative called MyVetwork, an upstart social networking community for military service people.  The plan is to call upon Wf360’s friends and supporters to join Wf360 in donating Flip Video cameras to troops stationed at bases around the country and abroad. MyVetwork was created by a group led by John Campbell of NYC, a Vietnam era Marine veteran who knows first-hand how challenging a career in the military can be and the strain placed upon families kept apart for long periods of time. 

“We created MyVetwork to help our service men and women cope with the day-to-day struggles associated with serving our country. One key component of the MyVetwork community is the ability to share stories, experiences and resources with friends and family through a variety of media, including user-generated video content in which people in the military—and those who care about them, like sisters, brothers, parents, friends—can document things in their daily life and share their unique perspective with the rest of us” states Campbell.

The Flip video camera was created by Pure Digital of San Francisco and has been popular with journalists and users alike due to its small size and ease of use. Each unit retails for approximately $100 [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ONDRDU] and allows the user to record up to 30 minutes of high quality video. “We are thrilled that for a small donation of just $100 each, we can send one of these dandy little cameras to support the men and women in the military working so hard to defend our country. We hope that our community will respond enthusiastically with individual and corporate donations” adds Susan Bird, CEO of Wf360.

In honor of the 4th of July, MyVetwork plans to send 100 cameras to soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia, Marines at Camp Pendleton, California and military personnel stationed at other military bases around the globe.

 

Individuals who would like to contribute are asked to visit Wf360's blog at http://wf360.typepad.com where they can submit tax deductible donations via credit card to Expand the Circle using a paypal widget in the sidebar.  Corporations interested in donating should contact Brent Phelps at SupportOurTroops@myvetwork.com.

MyVetWork is an online community for all US Military Veterans, their spouses, families and friends - particularly those who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, with special attention paid to the wounded and disabled. MyVetWork's objectives are twofold: 1) to provide veterans and those who care about them with a means to support each other in ways that range from the lighthearted and entertaining to deep and meaningful connection and 2) to create an information exchange where veterans of all conflicts can produce information, career advice, educational ideas, mentoring and other work-related resource to recently separated Vets transitioning from the military to civilian life.

Web: www.myvetwork.com

Wf360 is a marketing and communications company changing the “rules of engagement.” Wf360’s corporate clients learn to discard the notion of “telling, then selling.” Instead, Wf360 helps them find the most strategically powerful ways to actively engage their customers and employees, both on- and off-line. Ways that connect them compellingly with the values on which their organization is built. Wf360 is focused on developing and sustaining practical word-of-mouth conversational marketing to build a following of people who live and breathe the client's brand…and willingly become evangelists who influence others to do the same.

We call it Brandversation™.  And that’s worth talking about.

Web: www.wf360.com

 

For more information contact:

Brent Phelps
SupportOurTroops@myvetwork.com
(917) 270-9198

 

 

Sometimes There is Nothing To Say

In honor of the Fourth of July, we've been doing lots of thinking...and some talking...about our US military and what we can do for them.

You may have caught my post a while ago about the women I met in DC at the Summit for Women Veterans.  An amazing lot, all of them.  And I can't wait to see the Lioness film I talked about in that post.

Thinking today not just about those who have served and come back to share the experience with us (as if we will ever understand what it means to be in combat), but also about those who will never return.  Especially the women.  A great tribute to all 110 of the US women who've lost their lives while serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan can be found on today's wowowow site.  Check it out.

Then think of what you can say.  Sometimes, as much as I believe conversation is at the core of human experience, I have to admit there's not much to say.  This is one of those moments.