Tag Archives: respect

I’m a Role Model? When Did that Happen?

By Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com

In the past weekrole model, three different younger professionals have told me that they look up to me as their role model. These have been unsolicited comments from younger people I know in different fields and who don’t know one another.  It strikes me that somewhere along the line I have morphed into being a person who younger people respect and even want to emulate. Does this mean that I am now a sage? A Wise Woman? Perhaps.

I have learned a thing or two over the years, I suppose. I have accomplished some things too. I’ve raised daughters who have blossomed into remarkable young women. I am married to a man who adores me and who is the love of my life. I live comfortably.  I’ve made contributions to my community. And despite the usual bumps and bruises along the way, I’ve managed to keep my sense of humor and even all of my own teeth. I’m no spring chicken. So, I guess it does seem plausible that I am now a role model.

This is a humbling realization. The weight of that responsibility is just hitting me, and I am awed by it.  It turns out that my own success and the way I’ve carried myself through my life has mattered more to the younger people around me than I’d ever realized or imagined.

How Professional Are You at Work? A Self-Quiz

By Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute (www.bluepencilinstitute.com)

The followinshutterstock_61745026 (2)g characteristics relate to professionalism in the workplace. Answer these questions to see if you exhibit a high degree of professionalism.  Answer yes if you demonstrate these characteristics or behaviors at least 90% of the time.

1. Do you have all the skills required to be successful at your job? If not, are you in the process of learning them?

2. Do you communicate well with others?

3. Do your managers deem your behavior to be professional? Does your manager approve of your attire, the hours you keep, the way you conduct yourself in general? Does he or she seem comfortable coming to you with special projects or to discuss problems or ideas?

4. Do you have a high level of integrity?  Do you tell the truth at work? Do you see tasks through to completion and avoid cutting corners?

5. Do you practice the Golden Rule? A true professional treats others with respect and expects the same from them. Do you return borrowed items right away and in good order when you’re done using them?

6. Do you live up to your commitments? In any job, you agree to do certain tasks. Some tasks you must do routinely, without being asked and your employer may ask you to take on other responsibilities. A real test of your professionalism comes in your ability to meet all these commitments while upholding the standards of quality and timeliness set by your employer. Individuals  with a high degree of professionalism make promises to themselves and to others about what they will and won’t do. They keep those promises.

7. Do you report to work at the agreed-upon time (or early), ready to work, and with a cooperative and positive attitude? Do you willingly pitch in during times of staffing or other crises?

8. Do you avoid conducting personal business while at work?

9. Do you take full responsibility for the results of your efforts and actions?

10. Do you continually seek self-improvement and self-awareness by looking for opportunities to enhance your professional growth?

11. Do you keep confidential information confidential?

12. Do you take pride and satisfaction in the work you do?

13. Do you participate in one or more professional organizations?

Practical Guidelines for Communicating Ethically at Work

by Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute (www.bluepencilinstitute.com)

Practicing ethicalshutterstock_9551143 communication at work isn’t always the easiest way to live. Often, you’ll find it easier to say nothing rather than to tell the truth. However, ethical communication means being truthful and upfront and saying what needs to be said, even when that’s difficult. Fabricating false information is clearly unethical, but so, too, is exaggerating or omitting important information that others need to know.

Ethical communication expresses care and respect for others. Everyone in your workplace deserves to be respected, regardless of the individual’s job, socioeconomic status, gender, race, age, or other characteristics. Communicate with others in ways that demonstrate that respect. And, don’t tolerate communication from others that degrades individuals and humanity through the expression of intolerance and hatred.

Career professionals who practice ethical communication also support others as they share information, opinions, and feelings. Be a person who supports diversity of perspective and freedom of expression in your workplace. Believe wholeheartedly that unethical communication threatens the well-being of others and the integrity of all communication in your workplace. Be a thoughtful listener and keep an open mind to those around you.

Badmouthing your employer or colleagues is unethical communication. Even after work hours, you need to be very careful about what you say about your employer and to whom. Avoid negative communication about your workplace in a public place where your conversation may be overheard. The most ethical behavior is to keep your thoughts to yourself or to address important matters directly with the individuals involved, at appropriate times, in an appropriate place, and in appropriate ways.

Finally, a career professional who communicates ethically maintains confidentiality. Once you’ve agreed to work in your profession or your place of business, you’ve also agreed to abide by certain policies and procedures for maintaining confidentiality. Breaching these rules, except with prior and appropriate permission and under very special circumstances, is unethical communication and carries with it severe consequences. You have an ethical duty not only to keep things confidential by not sharing them wrongfully, but also, to safeguard confidentiality by making sure you’re not overheard and by keeping documents from wandering eyes.  Be careful when handling confidential documents or computer files to ensure that others without need don’t have access to the information. Close doors, keep your voice low, and do whatever else you must do to ensure confidentiality.

Answer These 12 Questions to Decide If Something is Ethical

shutterstock_6308023At some point in your professional or personal life, you may face a difficult challenge and wonder whether what you are considering to do or not do is ethical. It can be very difficult to balance multiple points of view and competing demands to come up with an ethical decision. And, in life, we often find ourselves in an ethical gray zone or feel that no one answer is clearly the most ethical.

Below is a set of 12 questions you can work through when you find yourself in difficult situations such as these. Use these questions to help you consider all of the sides of the dilemma and the ethical consequences of what you are considering to do or not do.

1.    What are the potential consequences or outcomes of this  action or decision?

2.    Who will benefit?  How and to what extent?

3.    Who might suffer? How and to what extent?

4.    What is my motivation personally for doing this?

5.    What is my motivation for my business or employer for doing this?

6.    Is it legal? Or, might there be legal consequences?

7.    Would I like to see this on the front page of the newspaper or on the six o’clock television news?

8.    Will this increase or decrease my respect for myself?

9.    Will this increase or decrease the respect others feel for me?

10. Does his feel right in my body? Does it cause my stomach to tie in knots? Am I losing sleep over it? Do I have clammy hands? Tension headaches? Other physical symptoms that indicate that this doesn’t feel right to me.

11. Does this decision support or damage our business’s culture and values? Would I want this done or said to me? Would I want to be treated this way by another person or by another business?

12. If I told this to the most ethical person I know, what would he or she advise me to do? Would my mentor or hero approve?

For more information about our personal and professional development products, programs, and coaching services, please visit our website at www.bluepencilinstitute.com. — Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute

Hello, My Name Is Laura

Woman smileHave you ever had a job that required you to wear a name tag? I serve as the pianist and music specialist at an assisted living facility on Friday mornings and even though I’m there only a few hours each week, my work requires me to wear a name tag. In fact, everyone on the staff wears the same lightweight plastic name tag, from the president on down, giving us all a common identity and a sense of belonging.

Wearing a name tag is not a daily habit for me, so I sometimes forget that I have mine on when I leave the facility. When this happens, and I stop somewhere to run an errand or get a bite to eat, the same thing inevitably happens. Someone I don’t know in the store, bank, or restaurant starts to talk to me. “Hi Laura,” “How ya’ doin’, Laura” or “Can I help you, Laura?” are typical remarks. Sometimes, someone will ask, “Laura, where do you work?” or “Laura, what do you do?” People are much friendlier to me when I’m wearing my name tag. I’ve noticed that they’re more likely to talk to me, to ask me a question, or to smile at me than when I’m not wearing my name tag.

We are issued name tags at conventions, corporate events, and social functions. Don’t we do that so people will be friendlier to one another? A name tag breaks the ice and helps people connect. It enables us to remember one another and makes the awkwardness of first introductions just a bit easier. Name tags can also provide information that can stimulate conversation. For example, a name tag can tell where you are from, what organization you represent, or your title. I’ve noticed that the employees in a local grocery store wear name tags that have something personal on them and an invitation for customers to ask a question. For example: “Hello, my name is Bob. Ask me about the Dallas Cowboys” or “Hello, my name is Denise. Ask me about running marathons.” The employees have told me that these name tags work like a charm in stimulating interesting and friendly conversation with customers.

My point is this: If there’s an opportunity for you to wear name tags in your workplace, wear them. People would be friendlier to you and more likely to strike up conversations. They’d be kinder to you, too. It would be much harder for someone to cut into a line in the company cafeteria if the person next to him could say, “Hey, Michael, we have a line going here.” Name tags remove the anonymity that many people hide behind to excuse rude or unkind behavior. Name tags would make it a lot easier for your clients to know who you are and in larger organizations, for you to know your colleagues in other departments and divisions. And think, too, about wearing your name tag when you’re out visiting client sites and whenever you are doing business on behalf of your company. You’ll see. People will open up to you more when they know your name. — Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com

My Presidential Office

shutterstock_92470540A few years ago, I was working in an organization where most of my coworkers and office visitors were amazed by my office. There were no files lying about, no bulletin boards crowded with messages and to-do lists, no plastic or metal organizing trays on my desk to serve as in- and out- boxes for stacks of paper. In fact, it probably looked to some as though no work at all was ever done in my office. That was unusual in the culture where I worked; I was the only person in my organization to have such an office. Even our president and his Number Two were usually buried under paper.

Mind you, work most certainly did occur in my office – plenty of it, in fact. I had the justly-deserved reputation for being one of the most productive employees in my organization. So you may wonder, how was this possible?

The answer is simple. I made a commitment to keeping my office free of clutter and loose papers. I arranged my work in such a way that my desk was always empty except for the one project I happened to be working on at the moment. Even so, I put the evidence of that work away before I left the office for a meeting or lunch, at the end of the day, or before I prepared for a scheduled appointment with an office visitor. That way, I was able to greet every visitor to my office and start every day with a clear desk.

Now you may wonder, why did I do this? My decision to keep my office free of visible paper stemmed from a formative experience early in my career. About 30 years ago, I was serving as a freelance writer for the president and CEO of a mid-sized cable television company in central Pennsylvania. The company published a quarterly client newsletter and it was my job to interview the president of the company before each issue and ghost write his article for him. This was an unusual opportunity for me because I was in my mid-twenties and had one-on-one meetings with a very powerful corporate leader. There was no other person even close to his stature who spent that kind of time with me back then.

The president’s office was tastefully decorated with a matched suite of cherry wood executive furniture. Behind the important-looking desk, which dominated the room, was a huge and high-backed black leather executive chair. The president was always seated on this thrown when I entered his office, and then he’d stand, smile, shake my hand, and greet me warmly as he offered me a seat. Always, the president had a clear desk with no papers in sight. Behind him sat a large closed credenza and I always imagined that piles of papers were hidden behind its closed doors. But I never knew.

The president would always begin our meeting by saying something like, “Lovely to see you again, Laura.” He took great care to call me by name. He would then engage me in some chit chat so the two of us could catch up. He’d tell me about his horses and I’d tell him about the book I was working on. Then, without fail, he would ask me if I would like something to drink and when I said yes, which I did once I got to know him better, he would press the button on his intercom and say, “Marge, would you please bring Laura a Diet Coke?” And like magic, Marge would appear in seconds to place before me on edge of the desk two leather coasters, and on them, a cold sweating can of Diet Coke and a glass filled with delicate cylindrical ice cubes. Marge would leave and after these pleasantries, the president and I would get down to business. We would talk and I would ask questions and take notes to help me write his article for him.

Every time I met with the president, I was impressed that such a successful and powerful person had so much time and attention just for me. I couldn’t figure out how he managed such a big organization with hundreds of employees without having even one piece of paper anywhere in sight in his office. In fact, I was so dazzled and confused by this feat that I told my father about it one day. Dad had worked in large corporations for most of his career and knew the behavior of presidents and other people at the top very well. “They’re all like that, all the highest-level executives,” my father told me. “They’re always well-mannered, beautifully dressed, and perfect hosts when you visit them. Always, they ask you if you’d like something to drink and always, they seem to have lots of time for pleasantries,” he said. By contrast, mid- and lower-level managers – people like my Dad — are the “worker bees” of the organization, he explained. They’re the ones buried under stacks of papers and who haven’t got time to breathe, let alone chit chat. “Think about it,” Dad said. “Does the President of the United States greet visitors to the Oval Office with lots of notes and memos tacked to a bulletin board? Do you expect that he’d have piles of papers covering his desk?” But somewhere in the White House, there’s some poor “low level grunt”, Dad said, closeted away with all the papers. It’s like that in the corporate world, too.

So how do they do it? The highest-level executives have secretaries to handle all the paper for them, Dad said. They ask Marge or Joan or Mrs. Someone-Or-Other to bring this file or that to them on command. Then they do what they have to do with the file and give it right back to her. “Presidents don’t deal with filing or calendars and they don’t have to keep track of things for themselves. That’s the secretary’s job,” my father explained. How wonderful to be a president, I thought.

I had no secretary to manage my calendar or files for me where I was working. No one screened my calls. And I was not a president. Still, I made a decision when I began to work in the organization that my office would be a “presidential” office. Right away, I bought doors for my open bookcases to hide all the things I didn’t want visitors to see – papers, my purse, and the phone book, among other unsightlies. I also bought myself a high-backed black leather executive desk chair to replace the blue fabric-covered computer task chair provided by my employer. I make good use of my file cabinet and also had a holding area hidden from view for a large pile of projects in progress. That and my sheer determination enabled me to keep my desk clear for office visitors.

Again you may wonder, why do I do this? Certainly I was not a president – really I had much more in common with the worker bees – and I had no one to help me. There were several reasons. First, it is a wonderful thing to be received in a presidential office. One feels that he or she is important and special and that a cordial host is ready and able to be of help and is truly interested. I saw it as a big part of my job to be such a host and to help to my office visitors. My presidential office was welcoming for them. Second, a presidential office gave me a certain mystique among my colleagues. I believe that my office, in combination with my professional wardrobe and bearing, helped me snag several promotions for which others were passed up. We’ve all heard the old advice that we should dress for the job we want, not for the one we have; I also kept an office for the job I wanted. And third, if truth be told, I got off on acting presidential and giving myself a presidential office was part of that. I believe I was more effective and productive because I enjoyed being in my clutter-free and welcoming work environment.

One of my colleagues told me the once that she could never keep her office the way I kept mine because she has too many things to do. I didn’t believe that and I still don’t. I worked harder than the majority of people around me and juggled an amazing number of projects at once. Two of my colleagues later took over positions I previously held, one in my actual former office. The first thing they both did when stepping into my vacated job was to put up a bulletin board and cover it with paper and then to muck up their desks with file folders and stacks of paper. No, my colleague who felt she has too many things to do to stow away the papers was making a choice. I made one too.

Some say clothes make the man. That’s true. But I also believe the office makes the man – or woman. Worker bees are rarely promoted to top positions in organizations. They get stuck in the mid-level. To be an executive, one must create the aura of an executive. The office is a huge part of that. Come visit me even today, in my new office. I’ll offer you something to drink and we’ll chat before getting down to business. You’ll see what I mean. – Dr. Laura Hills, President, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com

Working, Living, and Surviving in the Fishbowl

FishbowlThe other day I had a meeting with a colleague in my home. That’s not unusual. However, on that particular day, one of my adult daughters happened to be in the house visiting us. I realized as I spoke with my colleague that my daughter could probably hear our conversation. Now, there was nothing within that conversation that was private or confidential; we could have just as easily had that same conversation in public over lunch or coffee or even shared what we were saying directly with my daughter, had she been interested – which she wasn’t. But just knowing that my daughter was in the house and within earshot changed the dynamic of our conversation.  It made us feel self-conscious. And I think we both restrained and edited our conversation because my daughter was there.

That’s the nature of the beast whenever people share an office, work in a cubicle, or otherwise conduct their business in front of other people. It’s hard when you’re the bystander in those situations not to listen, not to notice what’s going on. But we have an obligation to try. That means we can’t glance or peek at something or strain to overhear a conversation. We can’t read memos or faxes that are lying around in other people’s workstations, even if they happen to be in plain view. We can’t stand behind coworkers seated at a computer monitor and read what is on the screen, without their permission. And certainly, we can’t make comments about the phone and face-to-face conversations we can’t help but overhear.

Be mindful of what you’re doing if you work or live in a fishbowl. Every now and then, have the grace and sensitivity to shut your ears, shut your eyes, and swim behind a rock. — Dr. Laura Hills, Blue Pencil Institute, www.bluepencilinstitute.com