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When Manuel, the sales VP, delivered –on time– the agenda for the three day conference in Palm Desert, his boss rewarded him with a $500 American Express gift certificate and a standing ovation at that afternoon’s meeting. The only problem was this: Manuel didn’t do any of the work. His secretary, Alicia, came up with the ideas. She solicited suggestions from the staff. She rewrote, revised, and creatively designed each meeting, lunch, and breakfast, and she even kept after Manuel to prioritize his schedule so that he’d turn the agenda in on time.

When Alicia heard about Manuel’s rewards, (and heard not a word of praise from Manuel), she very calmly went to her computer, simply put together all her emails to Manny, warning him he’ll miss his deadline, and made copies of all the notes she took, showing (very clearly) that the titles and agenda and summaries were hers, not Manny’s.

Her message to the CEO was clear and succinct: “I don’t mind at all being the eyes, ears, and the brains behind this conference. It’s what makes my job exciting. I would just like some credit for it.”
Every day people take credit for someone else’s ideas, and this causes turmoil in the office. Not only does it damage morale, but it creates an atmosphere of lies and deception, not a pleasant atmosphere to work in.

Based on a real incident, the Manuel /Alicia confrontation turned into an interesting war of words. Join us at 7 a.m.,August 26, 2009 Blogtalkradio.com to hear what happened. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ConsultantInsultant with your questions and answers, We always look forward to hearing what drives you crazy in the office.

The above article was written by Dr. Gary Seigel author of The Mouth Trap. Gary@The Mouthtrap.com Dr. Gary & Brian co-host the Conultant/Insultant radio show on Blogtalkradio.com, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ConsultantInsultant

Please e-mail Dr. Brian at Dr.Brian@DrBrianGrossman.com

Jodie’s boss recently exploded when she told him she was not up to speed on this new software they installed.

“You took a tutorial in it, didn’t you?” he yelled at her. He was obviously frustrated because they were behind in getting the data to the accountant, and the bank was holding back a loan until these figures were turned in.

Instead of having a live conversation, Jodie wrote this email:

“Look, Ernie, I have only been working on this for a week, and the tutorial was only half helpful. I have so many questions and it would be great if I take a whole day class in it at the software facility in Cleveland.
It’s a two day thing but that will get ME up to speed, and we’ll meet all our deadlines that way. I asked to go before. In fact, the manufacturer recommended it and included the tuition in the cost of the software package, but you said we couldn’t afford the time. If you could approve this, I’ll be up to speed as soon as I get back from the workshop.”

Not a bad email? Then, why did the boss get even more irritated at Jodie and turn what could have been a quick, in-office discussion into a battle of wills? How does one deal with all these different issues? Check in On Line at blogtalkradio.com Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 8:00 AM PST for the Consultant/Insultant Radio show. We’ll talk about various ways Jodie could have handled this more effectively.

Ever sent off an angry email to a colleague and wished you hadn’t?
As we all know, whatever we put in writing can be held against us, and it’s not smart, these days especially, to put anything emotionally charged that might ultimately haunt our careers.

1. Save everything you write as a draft first, and never put the peson’s email address in the “to” column until after you’ve read over your writing.
2. Avoid all colloquialisms, metaphors, cliches, and any phrase that could be misinterpreted.
3. Let it sit before you send it.
4. Decide what goes in and what goes out. Is there anything in this email I might some day be held accountable for? Literally, go over every phrase and word.
4. Avoid words like “need,” “should”, “can’t” and “you.”
5. Let your grandmother read it before you send it.
6. Check and see all the famous people whose emails have virtually ruined their careers. Good piece of advice? Whatever you think you might get away with, think again. Keep fiction out of the email.
7. When in doubt, leave it out.