General | Contagious Commentary by Monica Wofford

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Would you Rather Have a Boss That Talks Too Much…or Too Little?

We’ve all been around those who talk too much and when it comes to leadership, one might argue that talking too much flirts with micro-management. If you’re talking constantly about directions, follow-ups, how-to-do somethings and making sure they do it… now… then you might be talking too much.

But, if you have forgotten to share your expectations for performance, professional conduct, general guidelines or touch base conversations, then you might be talking too little.

Hmmm… your communication with those you have the privilege of leading is contagious in at least two ways:

- - - - You are the model they follow to determine how to communicate with those THEY lead, including your customers
        
        Your mood, tone, and type of communication will rub off on those with whom you’re sharing your message.

So, question number 1: Do you talk too much or too little?
And question number 2: Woudl you rather work with a boss who talks too much or too little?

What are your thoughts?

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Contagious Companies provides training on both Contagious Leadership and Contagious Communication. Are your leadership and communication skills where they need to be?

Contagion: Has a point, but fails to make it…

Contagion Movie Review by the leader of Contagious Companies

Yes, diseases and germs can be contagious, but so is our mindset.

Okay, so as the head of a training firm named Contagious Companies, Inc, I simply felt obligated to see the movie Contagion this weekend. I had, as I always do when I see a movie, hoped for a happy ending and a great plot. Well, what I got instead was a series of actors I enjoy and a lackluster plot and lots of downer thoughts. Hmmm…. Really?

Why is it that a movie of this type would be released, full well knowing that it would elicit fear and likely a significant spike in sales of hand santizer and Lysol, if not ammunition? Maybe that was the point, but as I watched it I continued to look for the parallel of things we talk about being contagious that have nothing to do with a deadly disease.

The truth is fear is contagious. Worry is contagious. And negativity is contagious. For each of you who see this movie, in this, it’s opening weekend, also recognize that when worry, fear, and negativity spreads, it may not kill you instantly, but sure can have an strongly negative impact over time. The same is true for happiness, hope, and joy.

Avoid the trap of falling into old habits persisted by movies of this type and much of our environment and find something positive to spread. That may have been a much better ending to the Contagion movie plot line. What can we do to keep things that will harm us from spreading? What can we do to proactively raise the hopes, dreams, and powerfully positive (mind you, not pollyana pom-pom positive, but real optimism) mindset of each we come in contact with?

Who’s got good news? That, too, is contagious!

Monica

Customers Losing Loyalty by the Minute Due to Employee Confidence!

Are your employees confident enough to provide the service your customers deserve?

Next time you go shopping, dining out, or strolling through your local home repair shop, think about the confidence level of the person you’ve asked for help in that store or restaurant. Then think about how much different your experience has been when the clerk or host or server you’re working with has a high degree of confidence. What does confidence have to do with your shopping experience? A LOT and here’s how it shows up: Read the rest of this entry »

Are you “Jekyll or Hyde” in your Leadership Roles?

If you are “Jekyll and Hiding” all over the place, you’ll lose focus on the desired goal and lose your ability to find a creative solution.

The face you wear at work and the face you have out of the office might be one in the same, but usually it’s different. Wouldn’t it be easier to just be yourself? Well, of course, but somewhere along the way we get sucked into the need to perform a certain way at work and think we have to wait until we get home to “let down our hair” and show the real us. Hmmm… This can confuse the dickens out of those we lead and even if they can’t articulate where the confusion is coming from, some might say they see a Jekyll one minute and Hyde the next.

Clarity of who you are, clears up that confusion. Yet when we contradict who we are and what’s important to us, it doesn’t feel good for anyone. For example, if you feel you should be a buddy to that employee, but company policy dictates “no fraternization”, we end up Read the rest of this entry »

Contagious Leadership Conundrum: Motivating Those About to Retire

Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:50 — 4.4MB)

Don’t you want them to share what they know before they go?

Newsweek called it the “Brain Drain”, but some frustrated and fearful leaders have other names for the conundrum of tenured workers leaving and not feeling motivated to pass their wisdom or experience on to those staying behind in their roles. How do you motivate those about to retire to leave the workplace even better than they found it when they arrived? How do you motivate them to teach what they know before they go?

Make Them Feel Valued

As a workforce fills up with “young whipper snappers” who inherently believe they know everything and they’re all working side by side those who can more likely claim to know nearly everything… at least about a company they’ve worked in for years, the near retirement worker can grow tired of trying to be heard. They can Read the rest of this entry »

Moving Mountains: How to Motivate Those You Lead

Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:00 — 3.7MB)

If motivating others feels like moving mountains, you’re doing it wrong.

Frequently, we receive requests for help on how to motivate people. The truth is no matter your title or tenure, the most powerful motivation is intrinsic or internal to the employee and doesn’t come from you at all. But, if you wish to inspire a motivating environment and mitigate the most negativity from an unmotivated workforce, here are a few simple suggestions: Read the rest of this entry »

The Legal Profession Becomes Contagious!!

Wow, now that’s an opening line! While it’s no surprise that the legal industry is bound by the same reality that everything those working in it do, say, think, believe, and behave IS contagious, this note is a bit more special. The upcoming Association of Legal Administrators Annual Conference & Exposition has given us the honor and privilege of sharing not one, but a DOUBLE dose of Contagious Concepts in their upcoming conference! Yay!

At this amazing event, we will cover both Contagious Confidence™ and Contagious Culture™ back to back. Now that IS a double dose and here is a sneak preview: Read the rest of this entry »