Intuition is not always reliable

Chris Brogan is a blogger I have been following for some time. He’s operating in the social media space, but also offers a lot of practical content that I find motivational.  In a recent post, he discussed the concept of “mind-reading,” which means you’re trying to guess what the other person is thinking. The operative word is “guess” because you could easily be wrong.

Instead, he suggests that it’s better to just to say directly what you want to know — or what you want them to know — cutting out  misinterpretation. From his post:

For instance, you can walk up to someone and say, “I’d love to introduce myself, if this is a good time.” That takes your worry away that the person might be thinking now isn’t a good time, because instead, you’ve given them the opportunity to say that maybe you can connect later. Make sense?

Another way to do it is to communicate more of your position so that the other person doesn’t try mind-reading you. Remember, you’re not the only one doing this. So, for instance, you might say, “I’m usually a bit quiet during negotiations, but please don’t let that silence seem like I’m upset. I’m actually quite excited about this opportunity.” See how that puts everything back in their hands?

This is so helpful. There are many times when I’ve wanted to approach someone, but was waiting for visual cues altering me that they weren’t too busy. Why not just ask? Or when I’ve hoped people understood that I was acting a certain way because it is my nature — why not just tell them?

A reason for lots of people to smile

People, we are making a recovery. The economy added 230,000 jobs in March, and unemployment inched down to 8.8 percent. Of course, things are still more dire here in Los Angeles, but good news is good news because much of the recovery is built on perception and momentum. You’re feeling optimistic about the future so you buy a piece of furniture and the furniture maker has increased revenue so he goes out to dinner — it all works its way through the economy. We are all connected. Our friends at the LA Times ran a headline today: “Job growth lifts outlook on economy.” We’re trying to do our part.

Under umbrellas bundled up — the spectators that is

I have never been so proud of my fellow Angelenos as seeing thousands of you brave the cold rain last Sunday to complete the Marathon. What an accomplishment. It’s not just the physical stamina required but the mental toughness as well, even on the fairest of days. During a torrential downpour it would be easy to quit midway through the race, to make an excuse, to give up. But no, according to the Los Angeles Times, this Marathon had a record 97 percent finish rate. Bravo!

Bottomline: If you’re not sure how much time to allot, ask. Is this a high priority? How much time should I put into it? Should I color code and P-Touch the files or just load them into the closest available filing cabinet? Your boss will appreciate being asked because people rarely do.

What was once extreme is becoming mainstream

Sure, why not? It’s not as if the color of your nail polish renders you unable to walk, the way the height of your heel could. Just make absolutely sure you are in accordance with the corporate culture. Attorney in a Century City law firm? No way. Bookkeeper in a small family firm? Most likely yes. PA on a commercial shoot? Pretty much mandatory, I think.

Just remember the rule of thumb — if you want to progress within the company, emulate the dress of the managers. If you look like them, then they’ll feel more comfortable issuing you a promotion to join their ranks. If you’re climbing the corporate ladder and none of the managers even wear nail polish, maybe rethink green. You want to be taken seriously and not look like a goth, but on the other hand, your clothes, jewelery and body art should express who you are as an individual. As I’ve said before, if you have to twist yourself into a pretzel to fit the dress code of a company, it’s probably the wrong job.

The Great Recession is way worse than we ever imagined.

What a thrill to open my newspaper over the weekend and see the headline: “Hopes surge as job growth rises sharply.”

The folks at the Times reported that February 2011 might be the point when the country “finally turned the corner.” With the addition of 192,000 people hired nationwide, one prominent economist described the recovery as reaching “escape velocity.” Sure, only 12,500 of those were in California, but hey, it’s a start. There are too many people suffering from unemployment, underemployment, or from working like a dog because so many others in the office were laid off — we need this thing to end.

Whether it's iCal, iPad or a paper tablet, the concept is the same

Always put a couple of quick and easy things on your list so you can cross them off and gain momentum for the day. This zaps the hopeless feeling of “I was busy all day and didn’t get anything done.”

IDEAS:
• Freshen up your email signature
• Print out that contract and put it in outgoing mail
• Return a phone call
• Refill your frequently-used office supplies
• Read a career-related blog post like Tim’s Strategy or a short piece in the Working Smart section of Working World to kick up motivation a notch.

Leave your suggestions for 5-minute or less easy cross-offs by clicking on comments.

Scenes from the first Great Depression

Maybe you’ve heard the term “jobs numbers” on the news, as in “jobs numbers sent the Dow soaring” and wondered what the heck the hoopla was about. The Bureau of Labor, a giant government agency in D.C., does a survey each month to determine how many people were hired (or let go) during that 30-day period. Of course they don’t ask every employer, just a sampling. They break it down into government vs. private sector hiring, farm vs. non-farm, seasonal, temp and permanent, and every other permutation possible.

The findings are released on the 3rd or 4th of the following month. These numbers are a Big Deal. Here’s what happened in January: Employers added 36,000 workers to payrolls across the country and unemployment dropped from 9.8 percent to 9 percent. According to Bloomberg, “The drop from November’s 9.8 percent marked the biggest two-month decline since 1958.” People, this is good news! We’re not there yet, but at least we’re traveling on the right freeway.