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Casual Articles - How to Give Your Staff PERMISSION to Talk to You
Almost every day, I talk with people who want to start their own home-based businesses. I receive an interesting reaction when I ask people, "What are you looking for in a home-based business?" The most common response I get is, "Umm, well . . . I don't know." Keep in mind that these people have requested information about starting a home-based business. They have taken time and effort to go online and fill out a form, or do some research. And yet, they don't know what they want.At first this puzzled me, but then I began to realize that most of
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’r
The history of the species as described by Evolutionists discuss the theory of hunter-gatherer tribes roaming around, having seasonal patterns knowing where to find the food and transporting themselves by walking. Later agriculture based became prevalent as the most recent activity. And we know from written history of the last 10,000 years that mankind transported them selves for water, food, battle and later trade on the backs of animals, in the hulls of boats and on people powered apparatuses.The first pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock to set up
Ah, the wisdom of curbside observers.
Switzerland. Summer of ’05. I was hosting a workshop at a youth leadership conference. We’d just started our program, so I was only beginning to tell the teenagers about the various reactions I observed in the first few years of wearing my nametag 24-7.
Suddenly, the hand of an enthusiastic staff member shot up.
“Yes sir,” I said.
“Well, it’s not really a question, but more of a comment,” the man explained.
Forty highschoolers turned their heads towards the back of the room as he said, “You know why I like this whole nametag idea? Because it’s like you’re giving people PERMISSION to talk to you.”
The room fell silent.
Wow. Five years I’d been wearing a nametag 24-7, and that word never occurred to me. Permission. I liked it! And in the next few days, I realized why the word PERMISSION was so essential to approachability and communication.
Problems Escalate without Permission
Some people would rather jump off a cliff than talk to a stranger. They’re shy, introverted, scared, uncertain, don’t know what to say and have a fear of being judged by others. So, this means they will not approach you, or feel comfortable being approached by you, unless permission is granted.
The easiest way to give permission is to smile. It’s the simplest front porch known to man. According to Irving Goffman, the father of social psychology, “a smile is the number one indicator that conversation is desirable.” And it might sound incredibly obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t understand the value of smiling as it pertains to giving permission.
Like my old boss, David, the Front of the House Manager at a hotel where I used to work. He was one of those ex-military types that stared people down with his eerie green eyes until they ultimately averted their gaze and allowed him to take control of the conversation. And I swear to God, he never smiled. You could crack the funniest joke in the world, and, NOTHING!
I’m not even sure if he had teeth.
Anyway, because David didn’t smile, he wasn’t giving his staff permission to talk to him. Because he wasn’t giving permission, he wasn’t approachable. And as a result, our team lacked open, effective communication. For example, I once had a problem with my hours, namely that I was working 54 of them in one week as a part time employee! But I never felt comfortable coming to David with my problem because he was just THAT unapproachable. My thought was: I’d rather suck it up and work overtime than have a conversation with this jerk. That’s how unapproachable he was.
But that only made things worse. And as the problem remained hidden from my immediate manager, it escalated. I ended up working eight out of the next nine days in a row (remember, I was a part timer!) and ultimately became so upset that I just lost it. That ultimately resulted in my resignation from the position.
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’re
Step 10 – Acknowledge that no matter what you decide, you will get what you are committed to getting.This is probably one of the most difficult concepts for people to accept but it is absolutely true and you will prove it to yourself over and over again (if you haven’t already). Change is hard and contemplating and then working toward a career change can turn anyone’s world upside down. It is often replete with uncertainties, doubts, and what ifs and sometimes it may feel easier to throw in the towel or go with the safe route. But, in th
The room fell silent.
Wow. Five years I’d been wearing a nametag 24-7, and that word never occurred to me. Permission. I liked it! And in the next few days, I realized why the word PERMISSION was so essential to approachability and communication.
Problems Escalate without Permission
Some people would rather jump off a cliff than talk to a stranger. They’re shy, introverted, scared, uncertain, don’t know what to say and have a fear of being judged by others. So, this means they will not approach you, or feel comfortable being approached by you, unless permission is granted.
The easiest way to give permission is to smile. It’s the simplest front porch known to man. According to Irving Goffman, the father of social psychology, “a smile is the number one indicator that conversation is desirable.” And it might sound incredibly obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t understand the value of smiling as it pertains to giving permission.
Like my old boss, David, the Front of the House Manager at a hotel where I used to work. He was one of those ex-military types that stared people down with his eerie green eyes until they ultimately averted their gaze and allowed him to take control of the conversation. And I swear to God, he never smiled. You could crack the funniest joke in the world, and, NOTHING!
I’m not even sure if he had teeth.
Anyway, because David didn’t smile, he wasn’t giving his staff permission to talk to him. Because he wasn’t giving permission, he wasn’t approachable. And as a result, our team lacked open, effective communication. For example, I once had a problem with my hours, namely that I was working 54 of them in one week as a part time employee! But I never felt comfortable coming to David with my problem because he was just THAT unapproachable. My thought was: I’d rather suck it up and work overtime than have a conversation with this jerk. That’s how unapproachable he was.
But that only made things worse. And as the problem remained hidden from my immediate manager, it escalated. I ended up working eight out of the next nine days in a row (remember, I was a part timer!) and ultimately became so upset that I just lost it. That ultimately resulted in my resignation from the position.
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’r
There is just so much already written about making an income on line and creating your own web site and traffic generation and search engine optimization . . . . . . And there are so many high powered seminars out there about how to make money in real estate with no money down or how to do well in Forex (Foreign Currency Exchange), etc.For the most part, I agree, if at least partly, with all of that. I have been involved in both the making of and the losing of money in all those arenas.Any relatively successful person has had ups and d
Like my old boss, David, the Front of the House Manager at a hotel where I used to work. He was one of those ex-military types that stared people down with his eerie green eyes until they ultimately averted their gaze and allowed him to take control of the conversation. And I swear to God, he never smiled. You could crack the funniest joke in the world, and, NOTHING!
I’m not even sure if he had teeth.
Anyway, because David didn’t smile, he wasn’t giving his staff permission to talk to him. Because he wasn’t giving permission, he wasn’t approachable. And as a result, our team lacked open, effective communication. For example, I once had a problem with my hours, namely that I was working 54 of them in one week as a part time employee! But I never felt comfortable coming to David with my problem because he was just THAT unapproachable. My thought was: I’d rather suck it up and work overtime than have a conversation with this jerk. That’s how unapproachable he was.
But that only made things worse. And as the problem remained hidden from my immediate manager, it escalated. I ended up working eight out of the next nine days in a row (remember, I was a part timer!) and ultimately became so upset that I just lost it. That ultimately resulted in my resignation from the position.
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’r
Often times, the decision to conduct business rests on how a customer interprets your brand identity and brand promise,-- a simple impression, comment, or action, perceived or real. She determines if your service or product is unique and provides the sought-after value. Without accurate articulation of your brand identity and promise, you may lose the advantage of uniqueness and potentially the sale.What is a brand identity and why is it important?Your brand identity is YOU, controlling all the elements that impact your company’s
But that only made things worse. And as the problem remained hidden from my immediate manager, it escalated. I ended up working eight out of the next nine days in a row (remember, I was a part timer!) and ultimately became so upset that I just lost it. That ultimately resulted in my resignation from the position.
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’r
Customer service is important in any business, we all know that and there can be no relevant debate. However what about the groups that the businesses all belong too? What about the Industry Associations or those small business chambers of commerce in each town; do they give good customer service? Should they? Do they have that as part of their mission statement? Sure their vision statement includes supporting their members, but do they give them good customer service.Recently I was in North Carolina and I talked to a regional Chamber of Commer
Because he never gave me permission to approach him.
Signals of Permission
Here are some other ways to give the people around you permission to approach you:
*Make eye contact and greet everybody, even the people you don’t know
*Use adequate pauses in your conversation so people feel comfortable chiming in
*As you exit conversations or meeting, remind people that they can still come to you at any time in the future with related questions or ideas
*Keep your office door open to make yourself physically available, or if not, post your schedule outside the door
*Even if you’re freezing your butt off, don’t cross your arms
*Use the word “permission” in conversations to deliberately remind people that they can feel comfortable approaching you
Ultimately, these interactions are about opportunity: opportunity to hear what’s really going on with your staff; opportunity to really get to know someone; opportunity to show your people that you’re really willing to listen to their ideas and problems. So, think about ways you can grant permission to the people around you. Because if you want your staff to feel comfortable and confident stepping onto your front porch, you’ve got to give them permission to talk to you.
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