New Article

I recently wrote an article called “Oh Her? She’s New: A Lesson in Attitude and Performance.” The article talks about how having a good attitude can help you have a better performance at work. I’m very excited about the article and I hope y’all like it after reading it. I’ll post all the locations of the article as I get them but for now, enjoy reading it on ArticleWeekly.com.

 

Also, I’m giving an interview on the article today for VOWS, a bridal magazine, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll keep you updated for when that article comes out as well. Hope you enjoy reading the article and let me know what you think about it.

Question Time

This blog has taken on the form of me posting articles and asking your opinions on them. I now want to enter into new territory by just posing questions and gaining your feedback. I will post questions peridocially and only hope that you find them thought provoking and informational. Any feedback is greatly appreciated as always. So here goes the first question in my “Question Time” series.

People ask me what is the most important element in getting customer cooperation. In my book Gaining Cooperation one of the revolving themes is that people like to be acknowledged. What do you think?

What Makes a Great Manager?

The 8 Characteristics of the Awesome Adjuster available on Amazon.com

In the claims world, and in every profession where managers are used, there are many things that a manager can do to inspire their staff to greatness. I have written about this topic as it relates to the claims world and came up with 8 characteristics of a good adjuster. I believe that a good adjuster should have the correct attitude, desire for excellence, show initiative, use teamwork, provide great customer service and empathy, be great at time management, continue their education, and have strong interpersonal skills.

I was recently turned on to a podcast entitled “How to Inspire Your Staff to Greatness” and found the tips very informational and something that,when taken with my characteristics, will make managers even more effective. The podcast can be found here but I am going to list the 10 points made for you to read in case you don’t have time to listen to the entire thing.

The 10 points are as followed:

1) Adopt the mindset that you want to be more than just the average supervisor or manager

2) Model exemplary behavior

3) Keep your rules and regulations as simple as you can

4) Remove obstacles for employees, contractors, potential clients, etc

5) Find out how the people you are involved with learn the best

6) Make it safe for people to take reasonable risks

7) Help them to find their passion

8 ) Frame everything using motivational language

9) Create a memorable experience for your employees

10) Develop a culture of trust

What are your thoughts on the podcast? Do you think that the points relate to mine? What are some things that you feel make an adjuster better? I’d love to hear your feedback.

More than Just Negotiation

Reading this article made me think about the similarities between it and some of the topics I wrote about in my book The 8 Characteristics of the Awesome Adjuster. In order for an adjuster to come out with a win-win scenario they need to not only follow these guidelines but also realize that they are in the customer service business. This means that they need to understand the concept of showing empathy and understand that having the right attitude about and during a situation can make all the difference. Without those things, a favorable negotiation for all parties would not be possible in my opinion. What do you think? Read the article below and a summary of my book at http://bit.ly/lIAe34 and leave comments.

 

Negotiation: Do you cooperate or compete?

* By Larry Edmonds, Workplace Issues Examiner
* June 10, 2011 12:55 pm ET

Just as people differ in the ways they manage or work, they differ in how they negotiate. Some of us tend use a more cooperative, sharing, “win-win”approach while others tend to work more toward a “winner-take-all” approach. In their classic book “The Manager as Negotiator: The Negotiator’s Dilemma: Creating and Claiming Value,”Lax and Sebenius note that there are key differences among negotiators, including:

· Differences in interests

· Differences in opinions

· Differences in risk aversion

· Differences in time preference

When negotiating, we need to remain aware of these potential differences between ourselves and those with whom we are negotiating. These important differences can often be barriers to reaching our desired goals in a negotiation. Finding common and different interests to create value in the negotiation can be a very effective way to enhance our chances for a lasting agreement.

Generally in negotiations we either work toward cooperating with the others in the negotiation so we can create value or we work toward competing so we can claim value. When we engage in creating value, we tend to strive toward increasing the available resources, toward identifying potential gains for both/all parties or what we commonly call “win-win” situations.

When we negotiate with “win-win” in mind, we are trying to create value so that both/all of the parties will realize some benefit(s) from the end results of the negotiations. In creating value, the negotiators cooperate and maintain a demeanor of openness and creativity. Information is shared, communication is open and clear, and the goal is to develop common interests that can benefit both/all parties.

Conversely, negotiators who claim value tend to treat negotiation as a way to claim the biggest piece of the pie for themselves or those they represent. Value-claiming negotiators generally employ a hard-bargaining approach. This is the style we often think of when we try to negotiate a home purchase or buy a car. These negotiators generally begin the negotiation high, then concede slowly, often exaggerating the value of THEIR concessions and minimizing the benefits of the YOUR concessions.
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In claiming values, these negotiators also tend to conceal important information, argue for principles that imply favorable settlements, make commitments to accept only highly favorable agreements, and are often willing to outwait the other party(-ies).

While it may seem counterintuitive, Lax and Sebenius suggest that value creating and value claiming are actually linked activities. Creating new value can improve the outcomes of both/all parties. This being said, having created new value, these negotiators still must face the task of dividing the pie.

It should be recognized that the competitive strategies used to claim value tend to work counter to the cooperative strategies used to create value. The exaggeration and concealment used by the value-claiming negotiator runs contrary to the open sharing of important information used by the value-creating negotiator to find benefits for both/all parties. At the same time, employing an open, cooperative approach makes the value-creating negotiator vulnerable to the hard-line strategies of the competitive, value-claiming negotiator.

When negotiating, do you tend to use the “win-win” style of creating value or the more “winner-take-all” style of claiming value? Keeping in mind that there are differences between us and those with whom we negotiate can trigger more positive negotiation strategies. After all, it’s quite possible in a business setting that we will have to negotiate with that person/those parties again.