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It’s early in the year. My brain is too muddled with sugar cookies to dive into a serious blog. So I thought I’d kick off January with a few TRUE nightmare interviews. My hope is that this will trigger a few memories of your own and you’ll share them in a reply!

Mind if I Eat While We Talk?

Our team was hiring a Project Manager and the interviews had lasted for 3 days. I had just one more candidate to talk to and then I could make my recommendations to my manager. “Sam” showed up in my office looking a bit flustered and explained that I was the 4th person in a row that he had spoken to that day. I knew that. After we got settled, he reached into this briefcase and took out a copy of his resume which he handed to me. Then he reached in again and took out a foot-long Italian hoagie that he proceeded to unwrap on my desk and saw in half with a plastic knife that immediately broke. He swore. “Sorry. I mean I hope you don’t mind if I eat. But they scheduled me over lunch and I am absolutely starving to death. I have to eat this or seriously, I think I’ll faint.” And he did. (Eat it, not faint.) I was flabbergasted. What or who led him to believe that it was OK to chomp through 2 pounds of meat and cheese and onions—lots of onions—while he answered my questions (to the best of his ability with a full mouth)? It was noon and as I recall I was also starving. Should I have asked—ney, demanded–that he give me half? Maybe. Instead I carried on, knowing that he had done me the favor of not making my final decision harder. My office smelled like a deli for an entire week. Who knows. Maybe Sam ended up with a marvelous career in in food service.

We Could Make Beautiful Music Together

Early in my career, I interviewed at a mid-sized ad agency for a junior copywriting position. I knew that I was qualified for the job and had a friend on the inside who had helped me to prepare for the interview. The Creative Director was known to be a bit of a character, a requirement of the role in those days. We met in his office and things were going very well. He liked my background and the samples that I had provided. Then things went sideways.

Him: Just one final question: What instrument do you play? 

Me: (Smiling apologetically) Oh gosh. I don’t. 

Him: You don’t play ANY musical instrument? 

Me: No. I never learned. Why do you ask?

Him: Well, everyone on my team plays an instrument. And every Friday after work, the band—well, my staff– gathers at my house in the city and we jam and drink beers and order pizza. It’s a blast! It’s just something we’ve been doing for the past nine years and it’s really brought us together! 

Me: Wait. The Creative Department has been meeting at your house every Friday after work for 9 years? Wow. Yeah, that sounds so fun. I don’t play an official instrument but you know I could always grab a tambourine! 

Him: (No longer smiling) No, no, I mean a real instrument. I was so hoping you’d  play drums. Our drummer just moved to LA. 

Despite my sunny enthusiasm and assurances that I could make a great WORK contribution to this team, the rejection letter came 3 days later. I guess my Mother was right when she told me I’d regret quitting piano after 6 months. Geesh.

How about you? What’s the worst interview you’ve ever been a part of? Share it in the comments!

The New Year brings tremendous opportunity to make changes within your organization. A simple turn of the calendar prompts us to consider how we can do more, be more, and work more towards the goals we have for the new year or in this case, the new decade.  As you plan and aspire to new achievements this year, you may be facing one lingering question: how do you get others to want to work along with you? You know that a manager is only as successful as his or her team, so how do you kick off 2020 with everyone aligned and aiming for the same things? 

Analyze Where You’ve Been

If you’re trying to look ahead, it’s useful to know where you’ve been.  Take time to evaluate the strengths and opportunities that your team had last year.  Recognize what they do well and what you want them to keep doing. Identify the areas of growth for each person and the team as a whole in the next year.  It helps to know how each person contributes to the overall success of the team.

Paint the Picture of Success

With a clear view of what your team is capable of, share your ideas about goals for the new year. Back your vision with data, and speak with passion when it comes to your plans. The more energized you are, the more they’ll be eager to align and join you in achieving the vision. Show your team how the goals will lead to positive outcomes for each of them and for the team. Make each goals and opportunity tangible with a plan of action of how they are going to successfully get there. The clearer the vision, the stronger the teams’ ability to work for it. 

Remind Them of What They Have Already Achieved

Once you have gained your team’s alignment, they still may wonder if they can realize your vision.  Big lofty goals can sometimes fill team members with fear or trepidation. It’s common for employees to ask themselves if they can really do it. Or to question how they will handle unforeseen obstacles.  Here’s where you can again lead them down the right path. Make a list of past accomplishments and hurdles they have overcome. Remind them of what they have done before. By showing your team how they have performed in the past, you’ll fuel their sense of commitment to continue to perform.  Point out how each individual and the collective team has been successful. Reviewing successes can bolster their confidence and motivate your team to tackle the new priorities, no matter how challenging! 

On Your Mark, Get Set, Say THANKS

One of the biggest drivers of employee commitment is knowing that one’s efforts are appreciated.  Employees are more willing to work hard for leaders whom they trust and whom they believe appreciate their work.  By displaying gratitude for your team and reminding them how much of an asset they are, you will solidify their desire to work hard. How you choose to thank them is up to you. Remember the platinum rule: thank others how they would like to be thanked. For some, that may mean a personal note or a one-on-one conversation. For others, public recognition may fuel their sense of being appreciated. Still others might prefer a small (or large) token of appreciation.  Know how to thank each of your team members in a way that suits them. Be a leader who is known for being grateful, and you’ll see people genuinely give their all for your vision.  

Our team is aligned around one vision for 2020: to serve our clients–existing and new–in ways that help that raise employee engagement. Happy New Year from KDH Consulting!

How many times have you attended a presentation and realized days later that you don’t remember very much of what was said? I bet the answer is pretty often. 

There’s a Native American proverb that says “Those who tell the stories, rule the world” and in the corporate world, that’s truer than ever. With technology competing for everyone’s attention, the speaker’s job has become more and more difficult. Engaging stories can make an audience put down their phones and understand business objectives or cultural aspirations in a way that facts and figures don’t.

After all, from a very young age, we learn that stories are a good thing—we look forward to hearing them and then as we get older, telling them. Stories can inspire, engage and inform, in a memorable way. But where do you find great stories?

Stories stories everywhere.

Start with what you know. For instance, in my 9^th grade English class we studied Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, and were challenged with linking mythology to modern day, a subject I greatly enjoyed. Years later, when I worked on a presentation for a senior leader that was focused on the strength of our organization, you can bet that I included a story around the Greek god Jupiter.

Another deep well of stories lies in your personal experiences and it’s a good bet that your audience hasn’t heard them before. I began a presentation on Leadership with a story about my Grandmother, who led her family from Ireland to Philadelphia in a quest to escape poverty. I could tell by the reaction of the audience that they were listening and engaged.

Powerful messages. Even without princesses.

In the business world, a story can be fascinating even without make-believe and far-away lands. A well-crafted narrative can become a business case for seeking funding or securing resources. It can shape an organization’s culture or serve to orient new employees. You can even tell a compelling story that will persuade reluctant team mates to get on board with a new process. 

Start with the challenge at hand: Is the organization in a growth phase? Facing internal or market-driven activity? Is there a challenge to overcome or an opportunity to seize?  Knowing the situation will help you to find and select the right story for the situation. 

On your mark, get set, story hunt!

Encourage your team members to become “story hunters”—people who listen for stories that bear repeating in the workplace. Here’s an example. One of our VPs was casually chatting with his seatmate on a cross-country flight. As he explained a little bit about our company, she asked him the firm’s top 10 customers were. He wasn’t sure what “top” meant—the top revenue drivers, the longest relationship, the biggest companies? –and it bothered him. Back at work, he gathered a small team and announced that they were going to answer that very important question. Within a year, everyone in the organization was able to name our Top 10 Customers and importantly a focus on top customers became a strategic initiative for the entire division. You can bet that for years to come that VP told and retold the story of his enlightened plane conversation.

If you’re ready to incorporate storytelling into your communications strategy, KDH Consulting can help you get started. You’ll have a treasure trove of stories in no time. And you’ll be able to grab your audience’s attention with 6 irresistible words: “Let me tell you a story.”

Do you know anyone who actually looks forward to an interview? If you’re the interviewee, you’re under tremendous pressure to think on your feet and clearly articulate exactly what you want the other person to understand about you. There’s so much at stake—a job, a featured article, a critical networking connection. That’s probably why fortunes have been made writing about “surefire” ways to ace an interview.

But what if you’re asked to be the interviewer?  You’re tasked with getting critical information out of a complete stranger in a short amount of time. And then you have to use that information to write an article or make a hiring decision. Scared yet?

Being able to conduct an interview in an engaging, professional way is a valuable skill no matter what your field. It takes practice but you can get good at it! The ability to ask good questions and to get back good answers is something that can serve you in your personal life as well (think: new love interests, grumpy teenagers or your new neighbors). For digital natives, this particular skill can be especially challenging. After all, when you’re used to texting and tweeting instead of talking, you might be particularly stressed when you hear that technology isn’t an option. 

4 Skill Starters

What steps can you take to ensure that you get the information you need and encourage your interviewee to go beyond what’s written on their resume or in other background material? How can you facilitate a comfortable, open exchange that provides you with someone’s true essence?

For sure, it takes practice! But though my team’s years of experience, we’ve put together our 5 “BEs” for skillful interviewing. Here they are:

1. BE Prepared. Lack of preparation has ruined many an interview—for the interviewer and the interviewee alike. When you’re the one asking the questions, take the time to do your homework. Being prepared will make you feel confident and signal to the interviewee that they are engaging with a true professional—not someone who hasn’t taken the time to ensure a fruitful engagement. Think about the following:

• Date. Make sure you  schedule the interviewer at least several days ahead of when you need to write your article or make your hiring decision. Be prepared to schedule a follow-up discussion in case you don’t get what you need the first time. Meeting over a meal can be a double-edged sword: while breaking bread together can help you get to know one another, it can be challenging to eat, talk and take notes all at once! Early morning discussions may be the best time to conduct an interview, when the person is less likely to be running late or to have an emergency.  End of day can be more relaxed for the person you’re interviewing—but he or she can also be distracted by events of the day. Be willing to flex to accommodate the best time of day for your subject.
• Time. A 15-minute interview needs to be conducted very differently than a 30-, 45- or 60-minute discussion.  The shorter the window, the more prioritized your questions need to be. 15-minute interviews do not allow the subject to go into any depth which may be appropriate in some cases. If you’re interviewing someone for a job and you need them to meet with several people, ensure that they aren’t scheduled back-to-back for several hours, which can be nerve-wracking.
• Place. Will you conduct the interview live or virtually? In-person discussions allow you to read the body language of your interviewee and to manage the conversation if you detect the person is disengaged or uncomfortable. Virtual interviews can work if you’re listening astutely. Video conferences will allow you to “see” one another but not to make eye contact. 
• Notes. Will you take notes by hand or type on on a computer? Can the interview be taped? If you must interview and scribe, the preparation has to be even more planned. It’s challenging to ask questions, listen, and jot down a person’s responses. Plan for time immediately following the interview to review your notes notes and collect your thoughts.

2. BE Curious. You have to engage and be engaged to connect with the person you’re interviewing.   If you are interested in your subject, he or she is more likely to be more open with you.  Be willing to probe further on generic answers with phrases like, “When you said . . . that was interesting. What do you mean?” or “May I stop you there? You said something that I don’t quite understand” or “I’d like you to elaborate on that a bit more.” If you talk to your subject as if he or she is the most fascinating person you’ve ever met, they will become fascinating.1BE Engaged.  Use good verbal and physical cues during your conversation to make the interviewee more comfortable and to show that nothing is more important to you in that moment than engaging with them. Make eye contact, sit up straight, smile. It’s not only rude but it’s distracting to multi-task during an important conversation. Don’t check your phone or iWatch for pop-up messages. If you get a call, unless you’re awaiting critical news, put on your Do Not Disturb. [And give the interviewee a heads-up that you may have to take a can’t-miss call in advance.]  Throughout the conversation, give encouragement by responding with “yes” or “I see—that’s interesting.” Show him or her that you’re engaged and listening the entire time.

3. BE a translator. Most people are not gifted speakers or writers.  Try to translate what you hear them saying by giving rephrasing what they’ve said. For instance, if someone said, “In my last position, I felt like I was always out of the loop,” you might respond with something like “What I hear you saying is that sometimes you felt uniformed? Do you think you were left out of important conversations? Or were lots of people in the dark? That must have been frustrating!” Then be quiet: give them a chance to say “Yes, that’s right” or “No, that’s not what I meant.” 

4. BE gracious and helpful.  Be polite and gracious when you’re interviewing someone. They’ve given you time – in hopes of landing a job or to provide you information about themselves or their company.  Remember to thank them, offer to answer any questions they have, and to review what next steps will be for them: “Expect to hear from us in the next 3 days” or “I’ll send you a rough draft on the interview by Thursday.”

When it comes to being an interviewer, practice may not make perfect, but it can certainly take you from poor to good and perhaps even from good to great. Practice the Five BE’s and the next time your manager needs someone to conduct an interview, raise your hand. You got this.

Great leaders are authentic leaders. They let their true selves shine through and that’s what makes them so relatable. You’ve heard the saying: Be yourself—everyone else is taken. That’s all true, up to a point.

As a communications professional, I’ve worked with all types of leaders—the good, the not so good and everything in between. Developing a productive relationship with your team lead is all about getting to know each other and for me, that means getting to know their communications style and preferences. The following examples will explain what I mean and yes, I have changed names and other telling details!

Does the truth have to hurt?

Joanne was fairly new to the company but she was proud of her ability to “tell it like it is” and her reputation for bringing “truth to power.” She didn’t like sounding rehearsed or robotic and preferred a more casual approach to her presentations. Unfortunately, that often left me in the dark.

Me: So, Joanne, let’s talk about your upcoming quarterly All-Hands Meeting. What are three topics that we should focus on?

Joanne: I think people on the team are talking about our competitor’s recent merger and what it means to us.

Me: Yes, I hear lots of buzz about that.

Joanne: Folks need to know that we’re in for the fight of our lives. To compete, we’ll have to start major cost cutting initiatives and even layoffs as soon as this year.

Me: Oh, wow. Let’s jot down some talking points—add some upside if we can. And maybe bounce the messages off a couple team members in advance to make sure we’re not causing panic.

Joanne: No need. I know what I want to say. We’re good.

As I watched her talk about the merger the following week, I couldn’t ignore the looks of distress and worry on almost every face in the audience.  Joanne had certainly expressed her perspective as the unvarnished truth but she failed to balance her doomsday scenario with one or two positive messages. I knew I had a long week of Communications Clean-Up ahead of me.

Be yourself but do your homework.

So how CAN you coach a leader toward authenticity, while ensuring that their messages aren’t misinterpreted? It takes planning and lots of conversation. But you CAN get there. Here’s how a former colleague, Kathleen, known for her honest and calm leadership style, handled that same scenario.

Me: So, Kathleen, let’s talk about your upcoming quarterly All-Hands Meeting. What are three topics that we should focus on?

Kathleen: I think people on the team are talking about our competitor’s recent merger and what it means to us.

Me: Yes, I hear lots of buzz about that.

Kathleen: Folks need to know that we could be in for some changes but honestly, it’s early days. Let’s talk about what we do know so far and then ask for questions from the audience.

Me: Yes—in fact, how about if we reach out before the meeting to see what kinds of things people want to talk about so we can be as prepared as possible.

Kathleen: I like it. Let’s work on a 2-minute survey and send it out by end of day. That should give us time to get a handle on what people are truly concerned about—we won’t have to guess.

Kathleen got some tough questions during her meeting. She answered them to the best of her ability and didn’t try to guess what the future might bring. She was fully prepared and came across as confident and assured—which is exactly how she made her audience feel.

When you communicate, you certainly should be your authentic self and express your point of view. You must also do your homework to ensure that what you’re saying is as accurate as possible. Then work with your communications lead to craft key messages that will resonate with your audiences. Above all, keep open the door to productive dialogue to ensure that folks on the receiving end aren’t left less informed or more confused than before you opened your mouth.

Ah, Summertime. Those lazy, hazy days spent poolside or on the beach, filled with picnics and bike rides, bar-b-ques and fireworks. Wait, sorry…that was a few decades ago when I was a kid. In other words, Before Work. We marked the first day of Summer 2019 recently and it got me thinking that I always expect  Summer to signal a vacation vibe at work, too, but then…it doesn’t. In fact, June can be extremely busy. For one, it signals the end of 2Q and all that “half the year is over” implies. Second, lots of folks are trying to get projects completed before they go on vacation. In the case of many of our Global colleagues that can mean the entire month of August out of office. (What a divine concept!) Lastly, if you’re in a service industry, the summer months can spell the difference between a great year and a terrible one.

I used to spend far too many work hours lamenting the fact that I could not be outside enjoying the blue skies and sunshine. Not only would my emotional and mental health suffer but so would my work productivity. But when the weather is lovely and there were so many external distractions, how can you keep Summer Days from turning into Summer Daze? Here are three things that work for me.

 As with every other aspect of work, having a plan is always a good place to start. Beginning in mid-May, my work schedule allows me to take half-Day Fridays so I work a bit longer during the week but have a longer weekend. I rely on my paper planner and calendar to get a bird’s eye view of what I will do with that revised schedule. I’m crazy for colorful gel pens, highlighters and even stickers when mapping out my time. I fill in big project deliverables, time out of office and other special event reminders. #2 

 I come up with  one or two goals that will help me, in the words of Stephen R. Covey, “Sharpen the Saw.” That means adding to my skill set, either physically, mentally, socially or spiritually. For instance, this year I’m taking an online film writing course because I have an interest in all manner of storytelling. I’m also mentoring a teenager in foster care because I want to step up my volunteer work. 

 Finally, I try to add a couple “Summertime fun goals” like spending at least 2 hours outside every weekday, reading as many non-work-related books as I can, and adding a couple new grilling menus to my repertoire. 

Do I still long for the days of my youth when summertime meant 3 months of do-whatever-you-please? Of course. But since that isn’t an option, I make the most of every day and when  September comes—all too quickly—I’ll have a list of accomplishments that makes me jump into Fall instead of dragging my feet and wishing Summer would never end.

How about you? How do you keep the Daze out of your Summer?

I bought a new piece of art for my office recently.  Something about the colors in the canvas caught my eye and I liked how it looked against the black accent wall where I hung it.  I snapped a photo and sent it to my best friend Andrea, a professional organizer and the owner of Smartly Organized, LLC. Needless to say, she has a great eye, so I especially value her feedback.  Her reply: “No wonder you like this so much, Kel. The oars are like your employees—pointed in the same direction, but each one unique.”

Wow–what a cool perspective.  And it’s true. I have a small team of individual contributors with diverse backgrounds, and that diversity helps us to create terrific work for our clients. Each member of the team makes a unique contribution, using her skills and experiences to help deliver on a common goal. Without a doubt, if we all had the exact same educational backgrounds and career paths, it would be much more difficult to bring different perspectives to a creative or strategy session. However, with a teacher, a production expert, a copywriter, a salesperson, a marketer, a creative director, and project manager around the table, we’re able to build on each other’s ideas and fuel innovative discussions in a more productive way.

The power of diversity doesn’t end with the team. We also strive to understand the diversity of those on the receiving end of the internal communications we develop.  Rarely are the organizations we work for homogeneous; they too are diverse in their roles, experience and demographics.

For instance, we were recently challenged with creating a strategic engagement plan for a large team that includes employees from multiple vendors and partners.  Team members have varied tenure and come from many different company cultures. Complicating things further is the fact that co-employment arrangements, parent organizations, and regulations prevent certain kinds of information from being shared with everyone.  

Building an inclusive set of communications for this group was certainly a tall order. But we started by focusing on each person’s unique perspective and the ways in which they help the team to achieve its shared objectives. The more we learned, the easier it was to create compelling messaging and engagements to connect them to one other and their shared goals.  As well, we were able to design communications that helped other parts of the organization to understand what this larger team did and how they contributed to the overall goals of the company. We were able to show that team members were, “pointed in the same direction, but each one unique.” You can bet that I’ll be looking up at my new canvas a lot as we help this client.How do you do to tap into the diversity of your employees?

According to your company’s annual survey,  your employees are “engaged.” But are they?  How can you be sure that folks are plugged in and invested in their work and your organization? Here are 5 Sure Signs:

1. They Show Up. Engaged employees don’t like to miss work.  There may be an occasional unavoidable appointment during business hours – or an unexpected family emergency…kids get sick. But when they can’t avoid being out, they let people know: out-of-office notices, delegates to contact in their absence, even a method to reach them in case of an urgent work matter. Just as quickly, when they are back in the office, they don’t miss a beat and get right back on track. 

1. They find faults—and fix them.  This is different than complaining, which is recognizing something troublesome and stopping there. Without being asked, engaged employees identify plans or processes that aren’t working well and offer alternative ways to address them.  

One employee shared with her leader that his monthly video update was too long. Folks weren’t watching the whole thing and missing important messages. Especially challenging was the part where he read a list of names of top performers.  She suggested that he keep up the recognition effort but via email, not video. That simple fix cut the video length in half and viewers were happy to watch to the end.

1. They look beyond their role.  Engaged employees know that they are part of a broader organization.  They have a vested interest in how the organization is doing overall and pride themselves on knowing how the various departments work together. They make it their business to listen to Earnings Calls—often as a team—and work to understand what “the street” is saying and why.

1. They ask questions. At staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, even company wide meetings, engaged employees come ready to listen, learn, and ask questions—not softball questions but hard, thought-provoking questions. When no hands are raised at the end of a presentation, it’s usually not because there aren’t any questions. Rather, it’s a sign that either everyone is utterly confused or no one has the courage or candor to engage. 

The best thing a presenter can do in that situation? Smile and say, “Surely some brave soul has a question for me!” If there is still silence, then he or she should call on someone, by name. But that should be the exception, not the norm. Don’t ignore this symptom.

1. They treat each other well.  Your employees don’t have to be BFFs, but when they show kindness toward one another, it’s a positive sign that they are engaged and invested in their work environment. Engaged employees demonstrate a sense of caring for one another.  You see it when they know about and mark milestones–graduations, birthdays, weddings, loss of family members, retirements. Passing around a card, celebrating with cake or collecting for a special flower arrangement—gestures big and small add up to human connections that lead to engagement.

Employee Engagement is a buzzword because it matters—perhaps more than ever in this age of technology. Yes, you should keep using surveys and other methods to ensure that your team is engaged. But go beyond the obvious and look for the 5 Signs to be sure!

One of my favorite non-fiction books is The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. It’s a simple but important guide about the power of focus—in the world of business, our personal lives and yes, the business of communications. I must admit, I’m kind of obsessed with this idea. My colleague Kelly knows that this is one of my go-to questions. “I know what you’re going to say, Molly—’What’s the One Thing?’”

“There can only be one most important thing. Many things may be important, but only thing can be the most important.” – Ross Garber

Why it Matters

Recently, I was asked by a client to help communicate an important new initiative to her teams; let’s call it Project X. The problem? The background documentation she provided to me contained 8 objectives, 12 workstreams and 3 new technologies. When we met,  I explained that it would be much more impactful to her teams if she could crystallize the focus of the project. I don’t mean just one talking point or one workstream. I mean the one thing that everyone needed to understand in order to make the initiative successful. After all, although Project X was certainly important, it wasn’t the ONLY thing that her teams were working on. If she wanted THEM to focus, then SHE had to focus.

How to Make it Happen

So how did we get there? I asked her to pretend that she had just presented Project X at an all-hands meeting. Everyone was exiting the room. Quick! What’s the One Thing she wanted them to remember? It took a few tries—this is hard—but we were able to nail a succinct, focused message that set the trajectory for all other communication tactics. It helped her to tell the Project X Story quickly and crisply and it helped her teams to deliver on this important work.

The next time you have something important to say or communicate, I challenge you to ask yourself: What’s the One Thing? It will take a few tries—maybe more than a few—but I promise, it will be well worth the effort.