Category Archives: Business

Business, Impressions, Integrity, Social Networking

Lying in the Electronic Age

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Lies, Lies, Lies
There have always been a variety of types of lies, some cone from a kind and gentle  place, others are motivated by deception, greed, or from psychopaths who simply can’t tell the difference! No morality whatsoever from the liar makes it difficult for the rest of us to differentiate.
Some lies can be for self-aggrandisement, and we all know these people. Bragging endlessly about their fabulous lives and name dropping to enhance their image or perceived self importance.
The down side is that there is no consideration of the potential consequences.
The motivation can be simple or extraordinarily convoluted.
There are kind ‘white lies’ which are meant to spare the feelings of the recipient. If someone asks how something looks, telling them they look cheap, hideous, or fat will not do much to enhance the relationship. Likewise the age old ‘do I look fat in this” well, you just KNOW that you don’t want to tell the truth. It would be unkind and could result in disaster unless the person asking is secure and mature enough to handle the answer. Usually not.
There are lies of omission, to cover up incompetence, lies of one’s whereabouts, lies about one’s wealth, or lack thereof, lies regarding friends, trips, jobs, hobbies, finances, some are insignificant, and  sometimes the response can also be justified if the person asking the questions is inappropriate and rude.
In the electronic age it is even easier than ever to lie, as usually there are no witnesses to see the red flushed face, the downwards glance, the averted eyes, the twitch, the head touch, or whatever the tell. An inanimate screen can’t tell the truth from the lies.
Resumes are enhanced well beyond reality, education, titles and experience manufactured which bear no similarity to reality.
Some lies are exceptionally cruel, spreading false rumours can ruin reputations and careers, often out of sheer jealousy.
Then there is deception or misrepresentation which causes people to believe something which is not true.
Betrayal is another vicious lie. Throwing someone ‘under the bus’ to protect oneself is disgusting, and frightfully dishonest.
Plagiarism or copying someone’s works, be it music, literature, term papers, inventions and calling it one’s own.
Compulsive liars can emerge from a variety of sources. Some have extremely low self esteem and are seeking attention, others have been lying so long they no longer can tell the difference.
There are broken promises, which are a failure to honour a promise or commitment, where there was never any intention to do so. The most common of those being someone saying ‘lets get together for lunch’, or ‘I’ll call you next week’, or,  “ I”m on the phone, I’ll call you right back”, ‘please lend me the money, I will return it tomorrow’…….why say it if you have no intention of delivering?? These are hurtful lies, which other than making the person saying them feel better about themselves, actually hurt the recipient as they create a false expectation.
Fabrication is the lie of claiming a knowledge about something of which you know absolutely nothing.
Bold-faced lies are evil, everyone knows they are absolute lies and they insult the intelligence of the recipient.
There is an old expression, ‘on the internet no one knows you are a dog pretending to be a dog’ , and unfortunately on the internet, it is truer than ever, and really not as funny as it was.
Some businesses have extraordinary web presences, splashy web-sites proclaiming fabulous offices and business competencies. One individual starts a new company every January which he bankrupts every December. This has been going on for 30 years. He re-opens with a slightly different name, with virtually the same logo, but the differences are indiscernible unless you are seriously paying attention. Being an information junkie, we have his ads going back over 30 years, printed, so that it is possible to put them side by side and see the subtle changes.
He proclaims international experience, lavish offices and a vast partnership of senior executives. The truth is, he is living with his mother in law just over the border of Ontario with NO office, having escaped Quebec due to the vast number of bailiffs chasing after him.
His web site is gorgeous, it is meticulously detailed outlining his huge business acumen, however, the truth is far from what the web site portrays.
Just because a company has a fabulous web presence, does not ensure that there is anything behind it. We see many companies with extravagant web sites making claims of successes, but in fact they have $50 per month identity plans in shared offices. The addresses may be impressive, but the reality is not.
Unfortunately, like many things, it is ‘buyer beware’. Just reading the label is not enough.
Then, of course, is my favourite,  LINKEDIN. To say that people lie on that site is the understatement of the year.
We found one small local company where 6 of the 10 employees have the IDENTICAL resume, the most shocking fact is that the President also shares the same one!!! The other employees comprise a secretary, bookkeeper and sales staff.     So, if the President is complicit in this fraudulent practice, how on earth can you trust anything that anyone in this company does or says??
They claim to be Microsoft, Citrix experts……..but I would be terrified of using them.
Another small R & D company with 14 employees shows 10 with identical resumes, all claiming to be SCRUM MASTERS. Again, 10 with the IDENTICAL resume.How is that possible??
We see fabricated education, titles which were never held, jobs where the candidate was fired disappearing completely from resumes, one fellow went so far as to speak of his incredible successes in a job he had held for a mere 3 days!!  He single handedly put together a team of Enterprise Architects and delivered sensational results………..in 3 days??
There seems to be an expectation that these ‘enhancements’ be tolerated, however when someone looks you in the eye and insists that the details are true, without flinching, it is absolutely terrifying to think what else they could lie about. Lying  for some has become an art form.
A couple of years ago I re-interviewed a gentleman who I had previously interviewed on 2 separate occasions. He miraculously had a shiny new MBA on his resume, and the dates and titles did not line up. Titles and dates had morphed, likewise successes.  He lied to my face repeatedly, and was confronted repeatedly. He insisted. I persisted. Finally I took out the 2 previous resumes and showed them to him. The interview ended abruptly.
Personally, having to keep track of lies is way too much work!! I am much too lazy for that!!
We estimate that 60%, yes, indeed, 60% of the resumes posted on LINKEDIN are fraudulent. Unfortunately most of the people doing the first interview do not have the experience or maturity to catch these lies.
As we only work through word of mouth, we have references on the individuals we meet before we meet them, and we do additional personal references afterwards, sometimes as many as 5 if there is any doubt at all.
Dating sites, well I have heard so many horror stories and misrepresentations about these sites it is incredible. One woman actually posted someone else’s photograph. Two men who both know each other were at a party and people were talking about their dating stories. They both met the same woman at different times, only to discover the tall slim blonde was a shorter brunette. She claimed to be a University Professor, and her excuse was that she didn’t want her students to see her photo on the site. This is complete and utter fraud.
So, each of these men took time to go downtown to meet her, paid for gas, parking, cocktails, lost the time,  to meet someone who was not even remotely what they expected.
Co-incidenttally, both men were at the same dinner party discussing their dating disasters, and her name and profile came up. So, everyone at the party heard about this woman’s lies, and learnt her name. Incredibly embarrassing, but very entertaining for the rest of us.
We hear of men posting photographs of themselves from 20 years earlier, women claiming to own huge successful businesses who are seeking a man to pay their rent, it is endless.
The other big lie is Real Estate agents. There are some who spend tens of thousands of dollars advertising themselves in every print form imaginable. Every newspaper, web site, magazine shows their mugs smiling their fake smiles, proclaiming their successes. The give-away is that they hop from agency to agency as they do not actually sell anything, and end up scrapping with the other agents.
One local woman is so unpleasant no will buy from her, but she has become a listing agent due to her endless advertising. She snaps up listings from unsuspecting people who see her face everywhere thinking that she must be incredible. She is. Rude, vulgar and dishonest.
Unfortunately there are many of them out there, it is absolutely mandatory to do research BEFORE signing the listing agreement, otherwise you might find yourself with a house on the market for over a year with no visits whatsoever. The longer it is on the market, the more questionable it is to potential buyers. The market jargon is that the house listing is ‘burned’.
The online presence of many of these agents suggests something far different than the truth. Once again, you can’t believe everything you read.
It is not hard to find a PR company who will enhance your web presence and your web appeal.
Increasingly, many executives, musicians, movie people and others pay a fortune to have an exquisite web presence. For someone in the industry, we know that they embed keywords so that the names of these individuals always turn up in searches.
Their smiling faces and supposed successes are repeated over and over, the poor unsuspecting reader thinking that because it is on line it must be the truth. Unfortunately  it usually is not.
The sad irony is that many highly successful companies and individuals who are highly discreet are overlooked as they refuse to participate in the hype.
Lastly, FACEBOOK. How many people do we all know who have hundreds of FACEBOOK friends but no real friends?? Once again, they have manufactured an image of themselves which is fictitious  but extraordinarily appealing.
One local woman has literally hundreds of friends on Facebook. I actually confronted her one day about it, and inquired where she had met a couple of people she claims are her friends. It did not make any sense to me that they knew one another.   They DON”T.     Whenever she hears a name of someone she thinks is socially important, she immediately sends them a request to be friends, and many people simply accept.  They have never met, probably never will, and would walk by each other on the street.
Apparently this is commonplace, however I find it extremely sad.
Just think how pathetic this appears to the people who are really friends with these individuals, when they inquire where they met so and so, and are told that they don’t know each other. Oops.!!!
So, be careful out there. You could be talking to a dog pretending to be a dog, or worst, you could hire one!!!
Business, Consideration, Impressions, Job Hunting

Millennials and The Job Market

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We hear endlessly how the baby boomers are holding on to their jobs longer and longer and depriving the Millennials from employment opportunities.
This, of course, is utter nonsense. The baby boomers have a business knowledge which no 30 old can even comprehend.

You only have to go to any mall and see the infinite number of ‘help wanted’ signs in their windows, as well as the complaints from small business owners that no one wants to start at the bottom anymore.

Ask most baby boomers how they got their start and you will hear about people holding down 2 – 3 crappy jobs while going to University at night to get a degree. I am one of those.
Did most of us have a career plan ? For the most part, we didn’t even know what that was. Did we have a plan? Some people had a ‘life’ plan, but beyond that, most people had absolutely no idea what they wanted to do in life. However, by working in numerous industries, at one point something jumps out. Many of us continue to work nights and weekends to service clients. The business world does not shut down after 5 pm.

Some of the complaints we hear are due to sheer laziness, others do have merit.
Companies no longer hire dozens of students straight out of University and train them like they did in the past.It is costly, time consuming, and today’s youth do not exhibit the loyalty traits of the past.

But, how is it that the children of first generation immigrants find jobs, buy homes and drive nice cars?? Simple. Because they will do ANYTHING to earn money. No job is too menial, they will hold down 2-3 awful jobs to finance their education and they save, save, save. They don’t expect to wear designer clothes and drink expensive coffees. They often wear hand-me-downs and bring food from home. Some of the stories I have heard over the years about what people went through to come to Canada are extraordinary. From prison camps to just about everything in between. I know many Vietnamese boat people.
These people work hard and NEVER complain. Being in Canada is everything to them.

So, some words of advice in your job hunt:

If you score a job interview,

don’t expect instant gratification. You cannot expect to graduate with no work experience and earn $60,000 or more, furthermore, you are not the only applicant.
* Nothing is worse than interviewing someone who thinks they are too good for the job. You have to START somewhere.

* Your Mother may think you are beautiful, brilliant and special, the rest of us think you are arrogant, self centered and lazy.

* Up-talking and interrupting the interviewer is a guaranteed way to ensure you are NOT hired.

* You have no business experience, yet you sit in the interview voicing opinions on how YOU think the Company could be run better. Really???!!

* If you are even remotely serious about your career, DO NOT tell me about your children or plans to have 5 of them.

* I do NOT care if you think you are green. You are not.

* Having absolutely NO experience of any kind on your resume whether volunteering, or anything else, tells us are extremely lazy and not even remotely ambitious.

* If you turn up for a meeting and are not well dressed, your hair is uncombed or greasy, your hands and nails are dirty, your shoes are unpolished, clothes are not washed or ironed, you do
Not shake hands, do not wait for permission to sit down, do not establish eye contact with the interviewer, and speak to them as if they are stupid, it is over before it has started.

* do NOT tell us how your last boss was stupid. Maybe he was by hiring you.

* If there are no super jobs where you live, don’t complain, MOVE, many of us did.

* Don’t sit in my office and tell me how jealous you are that I get to work in splendid surroundings. I worked 70-90 hour weeks for many years, and continue to do so.

* Just because you actually turned up for the interview does not ensure you will get the job.

* no one cares how busy you are, be on time, or just slightly early. That does NOT mean one hour early. That is rude.

* Playing with your mobile phone, or answering calls during the interview, as if your phone is more important, tells the rest of us you are not even remotely interested, or remotely polite.

* The inability to ask questions regarding either the job, the company or the interviewer does not inspire confidence.

* Telling the interviewer about your vacation plans will ensure that you will be permanently on vacation.

* Do not post a fake resume or fake University degree. Most of us can see past it, and do not want to employ frauds.

* Many companies want to ‘try and buy’ be open to trying a new approach.

* Unless you have a PhD in Astrophysics and speak 5 languages, be realistic about your employment options and salary requirements.

* Don’t tell me you are in a hurry, you are important or you are busy. I will gladly hurry you OUT.

* Do NOT name drop. EVER. I don’t care how important you think you are or who you may have seen from a distance. Unless you are interviewing for a Senior Marketing Role or that of a
Government Lobbyist, it is of no interest whatsoever.
A Variety of part-time jobs, spoken languages, travel, University Degrees, and even a PhD are wonderful. Add to that a willingness to travel and learn, and take whatever is thrown at you, will
Guarantee success. Also, remember it is a big world out there with a lot of competition. The world does not stop doing business after 5 pm. Nor does your work day.

If you don’t want Companies to take advantage of you, don’t try and take advantage of them. Salaries, benefits and perks must be earned.
There are endless opportunities out there, it is a big world. Open your eyes, consider the options, EVERYWHERE, and go for it.
You might be surprised.

Business, Impressions, Integrity, Job Hunting, Quality

Hiring in the New World!

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Due to the nature of our business, everyday someone calls me and complains about the lack of courtesy shown by large corporations towards potential employees.
People send resumes through job sites and never ever hear anything from the company again.

The problem with this, is that often these are the same companies selling to the very people they are ignoring. Whether a financial institution, clothing retailer or grocery chain, the lack of response can often result in the individual taking their business elsewhere, and telling their friends, which results in hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue, simply because no one considered following up with a response.

The rhetoric that there are too many candidates and not enough time is not valid. A simple, polite form letter is at least a beginning.

Some large corporations have such outrageous hiring practices that they have rendered themselves impenetrable, the employees hiding behind their ludicrous policies in some cases are arrogant beyond belief, on one hand publicly decrying the difficulty in recruiting new talent while all the while putting up huge barriers. Massive arrogant, unimaginative HR departments who hide behind policies and voicemail. The instigators hiding behind meetings, outrageous rules, systematically blocking out new ideas and small creative companies who could bring them the imagination required to help compete in a fast paced global economy.

Having only ‘preferred vendors’ who meet ridiculous criteria, often set out by the vendors themselves to limit the entry of new players onto the field. Smaller players who are creative and have a different approach are not even reviewed, which is outrageous. Many use software packages to receive and filter resumes based on ‘key words’, but that eliminates all those who did not know what the critical ‘key word’ was. Someone may have extraordinary experience and imagination, but as they are missing 2-3 keywords on a resume, they are overlooked.
This is people being evaluated, not widgets. Understandably, if it is a technical widget which must be exact to the millimeter, that is one thing, but humans with varied knowledge, educations, experience and life history cannot be evaluated this way. Using software to go through resumes is insanity. Part-time employment, awards, international travel or experience, a variety of spoken languages, hobbies are not evaluated. The ability to learn is not. Like many things, if you have experience in a variety of industries, learning a new one is not a big stretch. Someone who has worked in complicated manufacturing can easily understand banking or retail, it is simply a matter of learning a new vocabulary and applying the ability to learn.

The other problem with these huge HR departments is that recruiters are trying to work cross industry. A 24 year old clerk with no business industry experience is simply not qualified to interview engineers, accountants, lawyers and IT professionals. Each of these specialties seek different skill sets, and only someone from the industry can understand the differences.
The example I have been using of late is the new replacement of the Champlain Bridge. There will be a requirement for a multitude of engineers, Structural Engineers, Seismic Engineers, Oceanic Engineers, Engineers specialized in Cement, Steel, Load Bearing and Balancing, and more. These people MUST be interviewed by their peers, not a 24 year old with no experience in the industry.

We need to put the hiring back in the hands of the Managers, so potential candidates can be evaluated and hired by their peers. Likewise doing references, as HR or a background checking company will NEVER get the type of references someone will acquire by going through the back door. The best references are NOT official. They are off the record.

Creative, competent, motivated people are the key to a successful company.

Proper hiring can be time consuming, expensive, but can make or break a company’s success. The knowledge base of every company walks out the door at night, and hopefully returns the next day. Without the people, there is no company. People need to be hired and managed with respect and decency, not treated with contempt.

Preferred vendors, price wars on recruiters and consulting firms, job boards, on-line job boards are not the best way to seek out the brightest and the best, they are the way to seek the mediocre, and the job hoppers. The best people are usually not seeking employment and need to be sought out and wooed. They must NOT be treated like a commodity.

Then comes the rhetoric on salary scales. Once again the so called research by HR and specialized firms does not take into account all the possibilities for compensation, as well as the fact that not everyone is motivated by same thing. The one of a kind skill must be compensated as such, and not put into the category of people with ‘x’ years of experience and a specific education.

Currently there is a huge demand for people with ANALYTICS experience, and we actually have interviewed many people with those skills. Someone with NO university education and 20 years of IT experience in 3 companies is NOT the same as someone with a PhD in Physics and Mathematics with 10 years of experience working with advanced technology and having been educated in 3 countries at the best universities in the world, speaking 3 languages and extensive experience developing algorithms to solve a variety of problems.

Trying to suggest that the PhD only has a few years of experience and planning to compensate him based upon years of experience is ludicrous and frankly insulting. The company with the imagination to pay him the REAL market value for his skills will hire a genius, and there are companies out there who will do just that. New York and California corporations are hiring these individuals for $500,000 plus incentives. Offering them $90,000 is simply insulting and ignorant, and will ensure that they will stay for a short while and then be gone, the knowledge along with them.
Our Company is a small independent Consultancy working with Fortune 100 and 1000 clients internationally, as well as funky start-ups. Salary scales range from $100 – 500,000. We meet people from all over the world with extraordinary backgrounds and life experiences, which give them a view on the world and best practices from afar.
For example, we are currently working with one individual with extensive experience in Banking and Mobile applications to seek a position within a Financial Institution in Hong Kong. He is not Asian.

Often we find ourselves seeking individuals with ‘tough skills’. These are people who are highly valued and can bring enormous success to the right company. Why would we want to put them in a corporation obsessed with salary scales based on ridiculous criteria like age and number of years of experience?? A company which does not value imagination or a cross section of types of experience will only seek to pigeonhole people and the bright ones will not thrive, they will leave.

Companies need to recognize that 10 people with 5 years of experience and a Bachelor’s degree are not great criteria for establishing worth.
Have they travelled? Worked abroad? Speak other languages? Held part-time employment? Have super hobbies?
Someone who has worked in a small start-up where people worked on average 50-60 hours a week and had to get involved in just about everything imaginable in order for the company to survive, is not the same as someone who worked 35 hours a week in a huge corporation on one system. So how can a large company even begin to suggest that they should be paid the same?

Whether seeking individuals for permanent or Consulting mandates, all the above criteria MUST be evaluated.

Huge multi-national Consultancies are putting very junior associates on assignments for exorbitant hourly rates into companies to give advice which is frightening. Knowing how to ask questions and write a massive report but having absolutely NO industry experience is not a guarantee for success.

A much smaller more nimble firm will have the freedom to seek out the expert with industry experience who may not be the best at writing comprehensive pretty reports, but will certainly understand the issues and can formulate ideas which make sense in the global marketplace of today, and for a fraction of the cost.

How do you want to write your legacy?? Genius like Steve Jobs who totally thought outside the box and hired some of the brightest people imaginable with totally different skill sets, and paid them a fortune, or someone who hid in their office and followed the rules??

Up to you.

Business, Consideration

Customer Satisfaction

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We live in an incredibly fast changing global world, many of the old rules no longer apply, however, many Fortune 100 Companies are exhibiting behaviour which defies logic.

Recently one huge multi-national announced they were removing all land lines from their offices as the under 30 never answer their phones, as well as removing voice-mail. Now one must communicate with them by email.

Clearly I am at a loss with this decision. So, if you wish to call this company, there is absolutely no way to call and find out who does what or how to reach them. The excuse is that they can be reached by email…..but WHO do you reach and how do you find them????
Are we expected to be perpetually on-line??
What happened to real people speaking to real people??
What if it is not a generic question??

Perhaps a more logical and intelligent move would be to teach phone etiquette to these arrogant people who do not think their phones are important enough to be answered. After all, unless I am mistaken, when one works for a company it is to provide a SERVICE……….

We continue to see companies outsourcing call centers to India, Puerto Rico, Mexico and various other countries claiming that it is more efficient…….for whom exactly???
Usually the poor caller finds themselves on hold for 20 minutes before being answered by someone with a thick accent reading from a script, and absolutely no technical competence whatsoever with the product. I have spoken about this before, but the practice continues……..and everyone complains…….
My personal solution??? Do not do business with this corporations, and in our case, we no longer refer them to our clients……
If my call and my time are of absolutely no value to these companies, why on earth should I give them my cash or my endorsement?

Without a doubt, the most incredible customer service continues to be from Apple, humans answer the phone, and spend the necessary time to resolve the problem in a clear and pleasant manner. Wow!! A recent visit to an Apple store about my new mini iPad resulted in 2 staff and a service call lasting 20 minutes, and the problem solved amidst much laughter. It was wonderful!

Then there is the huge retailer who doesn’t make any of their clothes larger than a size 10-12, or footwear in larger than a size 9. They are complaining that their business is not growing, yet the answer is right under their noses. The population are becoming larger, taller, and with this, they are losing as much as 40% potential growth in this market. They have also turned over 65% of their executives and staff in the last year. Everyone is to blame for the lack of growth…….but……..have they actually looked at they size of their potential clients and realized they are not only not serving them but offending them in the process?
I tried to make a few purchases, unsuccessfully I might add. I will never return to their stores.

I spoke to a Senior Vice President of that particular corporation on more than one occasion, unfortunately his area is not on the design side of the business. He also voiced his frustrations, and finally has decided to look for opportunities elsewhere…..lose, lose, lose. ….

Another high-end retailer constantly asks its clients for their email addresses so they can be sent promotions and event invitations. I have personally been asked no less than 25 times, they ask at the cash with each purchase, and as yet, nothing. Nada, niet. Nope. Nary an invite. I know many others who have voiced the same objections, and who are equally offended. Just how difficult is it to add a name to a list??
What have many of us done?? Sought out high end designer clothes and shoes elsewhere.

Or the grocery store with the surly cashiers who actually find it funny that clients wish to be served in English….simple solution, shop elsewhere. Unless it is a blizzard and I do not wish to drive more than 5 minutes, I will absolutely NOT go to their store, they have lost tens of thousands of dollars in business from me alone, and I have told many other friends where to shop for better prices and lovely service.

Target, Future Shop and many others are closing their doors, unfortunately no one seems to be educating the floor staff that the client is king. If someone has gone out of their way to come to your store to look at something, drop what you are doing and go serve them. Chatting about your date, your meal, or your boyfriend is not important. If the client comes to the store on more than one occasion and is not served politely, it is unlikely they will ever be back. They will go to the competition and if they are well served they are forever gone.

In my case, I travel several miles for groceries where I am served with smiling faces in English, get prices which are on average 50% lower, yes, really, free parking, and in one case, unlimited free plastic bags or small boxes to carry my merchandise. Who could ask for more??!!

Retailers and Restaurateurs bemoan the fact that their clients are not loyal, yet they never stop to consider that it is poor service or inferior merchandise driving them away. When portions are forever shrinking, the quality of the food is inferior , service is unpleasant and condescending, people will give the provider a couple of chances on the chances it is just an off night, then it is OVER. How many of us have frequented a restaurant, introduced our friends, hosted events, in my case LOTS and LOTS of events, having been the President of DPMA and hosting monthly lunches, huge Christmas parties, conferences,client lunches, birthday parties, then seen someone who is loud and pushy be offered complimentary drinks and appetizers, then order the cheapest meal on the menu, and seen this repeatedly? I no longer frequent ANY of these establishments, if you do not understand the value of my custom, or show any signs of appreciation, I will not be back.
I know at least 3 of these establishments have gone out of business, and I heard one other is probably on the way ….
The message to be learned?? You have to thank the huge client, and not reward the cheap noisy one.

So, is it that people like me are not loyal or is it that we are simply fed up of poor customer service??

Recently I have been cleaning up my huge desk drawer of the business cards I amassed all over the world, and yes, I have more than a huge drawer full. They are in business card holders arranged alphabetically, and are overflowing. I am absolutely gob-smacked at the number of huge corporations, restaurants and hotels which no longer exist. However, upon deeper reflection, the restaurant staff in many cases were arrogant, they made people wait unnecessarily, and had a process of seating the ‘beautiful’ people in the best tables while making others wait indeterminably. The problem more than ever, particularly in my industry which is high tech, the young male 30 year old teckie millionaires tend to be shy, dressed in jeans and sneakers, they are certainly not the ‘beautiful people’, but they can buy them all out before breakfast.

So they receive poor seats, even poorer service, and never go back. So the arrogant clip-board person at the door with the haughty attitude will become unemployed when the word gets around, but unfortunately all the other staff do too.

The concept of ‘Secret Shoppers” seems to be lost. It used to be that shops and restaurants would send poorly dressed people into their stores and restaurants to eat or make purchases and report back about the experience. This practice seems to be lost, and should seriously be re-instituted quickly by any establishment which is service oriented.

Yes, you have seen some of these issues discussed before, however it appears that as service declines, it is more important than ever to be vigilant.

Business, Consideration, Impressions, Relationships

Impressed by their Title

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If it isn’t obvious by my blogs, I am a student of human behaviour, the human condition providing endless sources of entertainment and consternation.

Human behaviour never ceases to intrigue, every day someone I meet shares some tidbit which leaves you with your mouth flopping in the breeze in shock.

From mind-numbing rudeness on the telephone, or those who somehow think they are too busy or important to return phone calls, yet they have absolutely no clue as to the reason for the call. People are reserving multiple tables in multiple restaurants for 15 people and do not have the common courtesy to ring up and cancel the poor restaurant they deem as unimportant, leaving restaurant owners holding the bag for staff and food which goes uneaten, and an empty table being eyed by some poor group who did not reserve but are being turned away. Beyond unethical behaviour.

There seems to be a malaise in the marketplace, many people are commenting on it, from various walks of life. People are holding positions clearly above their capabilities, and are spending their days scrambling to cover up their incompetence, and instead of working with others to improve their knowledge, surrounding themselves with other equally incompetent individuals, all of them scrambling to retain their titles and fat salaries, and being rude to anyone they consider below their station in life.

This morning a friend with a PhD in Bio Science rang me up for a chat. Apparently the CIO at his previous company just let go 15 individuals who did not kow tow to her and her directives. This department ironically is 8 years late in implementing a project, and well over $50 million over budget. It will finally be implemented this year simply because those working on it are so fed up they have taken it upon themselves to ignore most of the directives and are just doing it. The CIO is grotesquely incompetent, and blames every possible thing that goes wrong on her staff. She has burned through some amazing people, many of those who have left are fabulously talented, and could not work for her. How she has managed to stay in office is seriously questionable. We constantly hear the expression ‘do you know who I am’ ?!??.. She is one of those….

Having been rendered speechless by this person I did references on her and was rolling on the floor laughing at some of the comments, including that one of her biggest accomplishments in her previous company was leaving!!!!

Whether someone is pushing for a table in a restaurant, running a project, in a line, one unfortunately hears these words far too often. I have a friend with delusions of grandeur who never stops telling everyone ‘I’m a XYZ. (family name) …..almost no one knows this family name, and yet one hears this constantly as if it is somehow supposed to impress…

The irony is that inevitably these self-important individuals are not remotely important or successful except in their own minds..
Growing up in England one was reminded constantly NEVER to name drop or self- promote, that it is the height of bad manners. In America, people are doing the opposite, and, frankly it is tiresome.

The Lady, Countess, Lord, are apt to come across as boring and unsuccessful. Yet one hears low level clerks in shops or companies dripping with condescension. The 21 year old shop clerk in an antique shop I frequent is by far one of the rudest young men I have met in a long time. Bristling with arrogance and condescension, interrupting people to give his opinions, and over talking if one has the audacity to try and ignore him. He is broke, living in a shared apartment, however, the strut and voice of authority with which he speaks would leave you wondering if he was so rich and successful he had earned the right to be so mind-numblingly rude.

If someone has to interrupt others to try and indicate their importance, then it is clear they are simply rude, selfish bores.
Courtesy and manners have seemingly been out of favour for a while, particularly with the youth, however it is interesting to note just how many people are complaining, and making a point of ignoring the ignoramus.

Years ago I came up with the ditty, “the bigger the strut, the bigger the loser”, which couldn’t be more true than today.
No one cares who you think you are, or tell us you are, your behaviours speaks volumes, and yes, we are watching…

Business, Consideration, Impressions

…..more on telephone arrogance….

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Does it ever end??!

Just when you are sure you have heard every possible story of rude behaviour, some incredibly arrogant person drops a line on you leaving you speechless, falling on the floor!!
The latest in the litany of rude telephone behaviour is where some low class, arrogant jerk wants you to text BEFORE you call to tell him :

You will be calling
Why you will call.
Seriously??

I can’t imagine what goes through their minds to think that they are actually that important.

Then, there is the middle manager who insists you call his secretary and tell her what it is you want so that SHE can decide if your call is important enough for him to take, but you are already ON THE PHONE WITH ME YOU MORON!

Where on earth do they come up with these ideas??

Every day I receive a call from a friend telling me about the newest slight, if these morons think people don’t talk about them, let me tell you, I am getting calls, I know who you are, and some of my friends want to include your nonsense in my BLOG as they are so insensed with the rudeness. Many would LOVE me to include names, but I promised this BLOG would be confidential.

I once again called someone about a job opportunity, and was told to call back his secretary…..!!! Really?? You want me to tell your secretary I am calling you about a new position?? I think not…..however, your inane arrogance has insured I will never call you again, and you now have a huge note in my files to KEEP AWAY !!
The joke of course, is on this individual, who isn’t earning even close to the compensation being offered, but, hey, he is such a big shot with his secretary doing his screening, that he just lost a potential increase of $100,000!!!

So, Mr Arrogance and Self-Importance loses, as there is no way I would consider an individual who thinks so highly of themselves. The arrogance, and lack of good judgement and grace was amazing.
Grace, ah yes, a lost art. Clearly non whatsoever attributed to this individual, and yes, people notice, and yes, people talk, and some of us take notes……copious ones…..
Two hours later, I rang up two gentlemen who are extremely successful company Presidents, and, low and behold, both answered their phones themselves, and chatted with me. Lunch is planned with one of them upon his return from London England in 2 weeks. Hmmmm……….

So, there are obviously polite, smart people out there who understand phone etiquette, and simple good manners…..

This unfortunately, is probably my third BLOG on telephone etiquette, I had never expected to be penning another one, but with all the people I speak with in a week, someone always succeeds in surprising me with another anecdote which throws you off your chair….

Very few successful people I know have not complained about the phenomenal lack of telephone etiquette. When will people actually smarten up and think?? Regardless of how many contacts you have in Linkedin or Facebook, if you are mindlessly rude on the phone, the word will get out, and you are better to hang on to your crappy little job because at some point, the phone calls will cease, and with them the evaporation of interesting opportunities.

Respect and courtesy towards others goes far, thinking you are above everyone and are somehow special, well, it gets old, fast. There is always someone richer, more successful, better looking, more popular, more polite, more connected, than you are, and so manners tend to stand out.

If you cut yourself off with mind-numbing rudeness and condescension, people will and do talk, and at some point your phone will cease to ring. Guess you got your wish!!! We are all thrilled to leave you alone in your imaginary ivory tower with your imagined servants…….

So, why is it I can reach multi-millionaires, billionaires in 1-2 calls, and they are thrilled to speak with me, and often meet with me, yet some low level individual thinks they are a GOD?? Where on earth does this come from??!!

Secretaries who are rude to callers and interrogate them, and please, do not insult my intelligence and tell me that your boss knows you are this rude, bosses who think they are too important to answer their own phone, yet are simply low level Managers in huge corporations who can be fired on a whim, someone, please, explain to me where this self-importance comes from.

Over the years I have done very high level fund raising both politically and for various charities. Almost EVERY company President has called me back, promptly, and either participated or explained why they cannot.
I have put together tribute parties and brought people together from thousands of miles away, from Embassies, Companies, Judges, Lawyers, Company Presidents, Doctors, Senior Politicians, they ALL return my calls, and politely explain why or why not they will attend.
Some of these individuals earn $100,000 per DAY, yet they return calls. And THAT is why they are successful.

They have learned that not returning a call can result in losing the opportunity of a lifetime, with just that one lost call.

One of the most impressive executives I have seen is Billionaire Sir Richard Branson of Virgin UK. He is open, available, fun, and wants to hear from you.
He is approachable, successful, and has a great sense of humour.

The key in that comment is successful.

So, why is he approachable, and someone earning $100,000 is not.!!???

I will leave you with those thoughts………

Business, Consideration, Impressions

Another Missed Shopping Opportunity

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We constantly hear about retailers complaining about the new on-line shopping and how they are missing out on huge transactions, but one must also seriously wonder what the executives are doing in some of these corporations, certainly they are not spending time on the floor to see how their staff treat potential customers. And therein lies the problem.

I have written before on this subject, and must admit to being totally amazed at how little attention is paid to this issue. Lots of complaining, virtually no action.

Statistically, the cost of replacing an established, good customer is  extremely high, people are not loyal any more, and life is much more  transient than ever before.

Today is Sunday, it was a beautiful, bright sunny day following a couple of days of horrid weather.

I am in the office working as I have meetings back to back with Senior Executives and this is the only chance I have to do paperwork and  clean up the office before the week starts, as we have some VP’s  coming to visit this week.

Yesterday, I drove downtown in dreadful road conditions to meet a girlfriend for coffee at a high end retailer. Service was lax, although the restaurant was full, prices are high, and there was a queue.

From there we headed upstairs to shop, perhaps I should re-phrase, she accompanied me, as i was in fact the potential client, outfitted  in a silver knee length mink  coat, black cashmere turtleneck, black  Ralph Lauren Jeans, Hermes H Belt, Chanel Glasses, and expensive  jewelry, no handbag.You get the picture, not wearing rags.

We shopped the most expensive boutiques in the store. In at least 2  boutiques, I was totally ignored. One young lady was totally focused  on her social life, another was fawning over a 20 year old dripping  with attitude, in another boutique, one staff member was chatting with  her friend, and they were engrossed in a conversation about how  difficult is is to find a good man.

I was not even asked if there was something I needed. As a 5’10” blond, I am hardly invisible, yet service was not forthcoming or offered.

End result, I spent NOTHING in the store, except for the coffee, and not for lack of interest.

I looked at 3 pairs of shoes, $650 each. NOPE. No assistance, no offer  to see if they were in my size or whether I wanted to try them on.

I looked at belts , $1000 each, in another boutique…….TWICE, and  was never offered assistance.

I looked at handbags, $1000 – 2190.00, you guessed it, no assistance, no offer. no acknowledgement of my existence.

In my jeans pocket was $700 in gift cards for the store left over from Christmas, plus a great deal of cash.

I spent less than $20 in the store in the 2 hours we were there, because no staff member was interested in serving me.

As someone who is visual, auditory, tactile, and extremely attentive, my observations were people being served were for the most part pushy  and arrogant, yet the important fact the staff missed was they had NO  SHOPPING BAGS in their hands, which of course, is the litmus test. how  many bags from which boutiques were in their hands. None. Nope. Nada.  But they certainly received lots of attention.

One extremely rude woman monopolized 2 sales staff while she fussed over pricey silk scarves and chatted with her equally classless  friend. They were loud, they were crass. yes, I have already said that. I entered the boutique from 2 different doors on 2 occasions to  look at belts…….yet they were served by 2 people for a long period  of time. They exited empty handed.So, had they ever intended to make a purchase?  They certainly  received a lot of attention while they discussed the merits of this  scarf and that one. They exited empty handed. Had they been serious shoppers, one of them would have made a purchase, but they were made  to feel ‘special’ with all the attention they received, so they stood there, played with the staff and the scarves, and had a chat.Judging by the quality of their clothes and jewelry, it is  questionable whether they were ever serious, but they were certainly made to feel important.

As someone who travels, and has offices in 2 major cities, both in  prime downtown locations, I am one of those who has many options, in  fact, the world is open to me.

Between major cities around the world and the explosion of high end on-line retailers, there is more choice than ever before for our fashion  dollar. I receive mailings from New York, Toronto, Miami, London,  Paris. and Hong Kong. Some of the things are substantially cheaper than here in Canada.

Today, there are more and more business women like me, earning their own money, and spending it with retailers who make us feel appreciated.

Every time your arrogant condescending staff offend us or ignore us and we walk out of your store empty handed, it is that much harder to get us back in your store.

If you are doing that to people like me, you are MOST CERTAINLY doing it to people who are clearly not well dressed, yet certainly in my industry, high tech, few people are well dressed, and there are lots who  are multi-millionaires. The nerd in the torn t-shirt and sneakers may be worth $50 million. You just offended his girlfriend.

She won’t be back.

The female law student you just offended won’t be back, in 3 years she will be earning well in excess of $100,000.  She has shopping choices too.

Now, what was that complaint you made about the explosion of on-line shopping again????

Business, Consideration, Impressions

Your telephone skills speak volumes about who you areŠŠ.

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Our Consultancy is admittedly a small funky group of people who enjoy working together. Our clientele ranges from Fortune 100 to start-ups with very cool technology. Our assignments vary from seeking Angel or Venture Capital, Corporate reorganizations, Executive Search and IT Consulting.

Most of us have done extensive fund raising for various charities as well as politically, certainly I have, as well as being on numerous Boards of Directors.

Recently I hosted a couple of cocktail parties to introduce some of my friends to a local Photographer who has a fascinating eye, and has done some exceptional night photography.

One of the huge diferentiators with our Consultancy, is that, unlike many corporations who have voice mail where it is difficult to reach a human ever, our telephone is always answered by a human being except if is absolutely impossible or totally disrespectful to whomever we are with. Our clients love this, and we receive calls literally 7 days a week. One cannot manage a business between 9 and 5, during five days of the week.

There seems to be a new trend with lower level employees, including lower level managers in large corporations to either never answer the telephone or only answer when they see the call is from someone important within their own company or a family member. Some hide behind incredibly rude condescending secretaries who interrogate one as to ascertain the level of importance of the caller. Yes, admittedly, often on the instructions of their boss, however, the level of rudeness is hardly appropriate. I struck one of these individuals last week who queried, ‘is she expecting your call?’ when told the answer was no, she then told me to send an email outlining the reason of the call and they would decide if they deemed the call sufficiently important. Seriously??!! I let the arrogant secretary know that I indeed had the individual’s home number, that the interrogation convinced me that I was no longer interested in speaking with the woman in question.

One of the most striking discoveries I have made is that the more successful and wealthy the individual, the more likely they are to answer their own telephone, and if one is obliged to leave a message, it is usually returned within the hour with an apology for the delay. How senior are we talking about?? Well, one gentleman calls me from the air in his private jet, flying around the world to conduct business, another, who has travelled half way around the world twice in the last 2 months, another just returned from Europe, but always returns my calls 24/7 unless the time difference doesn’t allow it. Average net worth for these individuals?? Anywhere from $10 million to $1 billion.

For them, a lost phone call represents a lost opportunity. You can NEVER assume you know the reason for the call. You can NEVER assume that you actually know who the person is on the end of the telephone. Some of the least well dressed, most soft-spoken individuals are the most successful. Just because someone appears to be one thing, doesn’t mean that is in fact who they are. My friends and clients have certainly shown me that first impressions are undoubtedly very often wrong.

The joke is, the people who seem to believe they are too busy or too important to answer the telephone are usually the ones who are the least successful, earning anywhere from $40,000 to $150,000 per year.

The moral of the story?? Don’t behave like you are too busy or important to answer the telephone. You simply do NOT know the reason for the call at the other end of the line. They may never call you again.

Business, Consideration, Integrity

Busy in Meetings

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…….And still more on the subject…….

Have you noticed that some people are perpetually in meetings and always are heard to exclaim loudly (heavy sigh!!) how over-worked they are, and how they have to bring work home at night?

Have you ever asked the question as to ‘why they are in the meetings in the first place???’ !!?

Daily in large corporations, emails go out en masse to everyone even remotely involved in projects. Many insecure individuals take this as an invitation to attend, even though they will not participate or contribute to the success of the meeting, and inevitably scurry off to yet another meeting, increasingly stressed out as the day progresses, and the work is piling ever higher on their desks. By the end of the day they escape to the sanctity of their homes, exhausted, exasperated and having accomplished absolutely nothing during their business day.

What needs to happen, is that Managers take control of their meetings along with the attendance, and question the validity and presence of most of the individuals. More ‘stand-up’ five minutes with fewer attendees, and a shortened agenda, as well as an official ‘note-taker’ of action plans, and the mandate to actually follow-up the status.

There is the unfortunate impression among many people that being invited to never-ending meetings is an indication of their importance. This is a colossal waste of time and resources. Canada is considered as a country which is in-efficient compared to many others, our productivity is fairly low. Cutting meetings to focus on delivery of work is certainly one way.

Once attendees realize that someone is mandated with following up on attendees and deliverables people will stop attending endless meetings, and there will be an improvement in the efficacy in corporations.

Business, Consideration, Integrity

Hiding Behind the Secretary

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If you have a sense that there is a continuing theme in my recent articles, you are absolutely correct.

I speak with endless people in a day, from all walks of life, and interestingly, from a vast cross section of industries.

The common theme which runs through many conversations these days is the total lack of civility and respect for other people, and the endless game playing as people strive to give the impression of being more important than they really are.

There is a very thin veneer of politeness on the surface, but with only a small scratch of the surface one unearths a very shallow shell.

We hear people constantly complaining about how busy they are, how tired they are, how over-worked they are, yet these are the same people who take their holidays, their lunch hours, which usually run well over an hour, and are inevitably out the door by 5pm, and unreachable.

So the question is, what is it that they are in fact doing all day long???

Middle Managers are hiding behind secretaries who screen their mail and their calls, and who rarely  are polite about it. Callers are interrogated as to who they are and the reason for the call, and whether or not Mister Self Importance knows them or not, in such a condescending fashion as to ensure the caller never calls again.

There are some statistics being quoted these days that it takes 7, yes 7 calls before someone calls you back.

The perceived prestige of the Manager, at least in his mind, is that he is a Senior Executive, Master of the Universe, and that his precious time is not to be wasted by anyone inferior to him.

This incredibly arrogant game playing is just that. If one looks at some of the most successful entrepreneurs, the joke is, of course, that almost of them answer their own phone. I know numerous individuals who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, some of whom were millionaires by the time they were 18 years old.  Do you actually think they would allow a secretary to screen their calls and ascertain who was important enough to speak with them? They would be horrified at the mere suggestion, one lost call could represent a business deal which would represent millions of dollars. How on earth is a secretary capable of judging the importance of the call??

Do you really think people like Warren Buffet, Donald Trump and others would allow this type of behaviour? Certainly not.

The most striking thing I have learned is that the more successful the man, usually the more accessible.

Steve Jobs of Apple always had an email address at Apple where he could be reached. Ideas for new products always appreciated. How else to drive the development of new innovative technology than to listen to the ideas of your clientele. ………Steve@Apple.Com

He was one of the most creative innovative men in the world, he took simple products and made them so simple that no instructions were required. They were totally instinctive…

When I acquired my new iPhone, using it was obvious, easy and a joy. The applications available in the hundreds of thousands speak for the incredible success of the product.

Yet, daily we are confronted by middle managers, who are employees and not the creators of companies who have such delusions of grandeur that for some obscure reason, they lock themselves away from the world, trying to give the illusion they are the Masters of Industry, all the while they are in fact isolating themselves from reality, and proving to some of us how totally inconsequential they truly are.