Business Monday Memo

tt's a well-known phrase, "drawing the linem in the sand', but where did it come from? There are several historical references to this phrase , dating back to hundreds of years, but there's  one that stands out.  On March 5th, 1863 at the Alamo, just before Santa Anna's troops began their final assault, a desperate  Col. William B. Travis told his men that no rescue was coming and offered his men a choice to stay and fight to the death or leave. He then drew his sword and drew a line in the sand asking those who  wanted to stay and fight to cross over. All, but one, crossed over the line and decided to stay and fight. The rest is an amazing point in our country's history.  So what two business lessons can we learn from the brave men at the Alamo? FIGHTING AGAINST IMPOSSIBLE ODDS - The odds were stacked against those defending the  Alamo...200 men ahainst 6,000 of Santa Anna's troops. In business when have you fought against impossible odds? Travis's sma...

 Negotiation...Sometimes, it's like we're gladiators in an arena, fighting for our life or our company's or organization's life. For the most part it's not life or death, but it can be, especially at the moment when it seems everything is falling apart and the days, weeks, and possibly months preparing for every scenario, disappears in minutes. Visualize this...we're in a meeting and it has been going up and down all over the place. We're more than half-way through and it appears to us that we started in one negotiation arena but, now we're in another one. So, what are the three arenas of negotiation? Here they are as taught to me by Dr. Noswal when I was a member of his three person training staff. (CC & LT were the other two) COMPROMISE , COLLABORATION, COMPETITIVE Now, in your head, rank them 1-2-3, with this method, Win-Win , Win-lose, Lose, Lose Here's where some of you are going to disagree. 3) COMPROMISE -Lose-lose  both sides have to give...

In business, especially in meetings, gatherings, or even conversations, feelings & attitudes play a crucial role in communication.. Research shows thtat there are three ways when it comes to communicating our emotions and attitudes.  THE SPOKEN WORD / TONE OF VOICE / VISUAL  The 7-38-55 rule...what is it ? 7%- The Spoken Word. 38%- Tone of Voice 55%- Visual, body language especially facial expressions. Here's the research behind this...Dr Albert Mehrabian developed his 7-38-55 Communication Model that has been hailed by experts in the coaching and training professions. It has even been used in hostage negotiation. Why is this important in business, especially in meetings? When someone says 'yes' but their tone of voice, even their body language says otherwise. This is why holding meetings, when it is financially feasible, is crucial in todays business world.   I would submit that it's not only crucial, but vital to an organizations life.

Imagine this scenario; you and your family or a group of friends are out dining at a restaurant. It's been a great evening with lots of good memories, laughter, and great food. Appetizers were delicious, the wine was exquisite,and the main courses were the best.  A very memorable evening with outstanding service along the way. Now comes the time to pay the bill, so you wait...and wait...and wait. The memory of a great evening  soon starts to fade away with each passing minute. The wait time has now surpassed twenty minutes, as frustration sets in as you contemplate the many things you still have to do.  Things such as baby sitters that still have to be paid, erands that still have to be done, the movie you  wanted to see that has already started and the decision you will make on whether to recommend the  restaurant.  In a restaurant the last interaction, which is deemed one of the most important interactions,  is with the server and the bill. The recom...