Melanie Shires, otherwise known as Biz Coach Mel is a nonprofit marketing director and Arizona State University business development mentor who provides vital business development and digital marketing strategies to help those she teaches launch their ideas, build their business, accelerate revenue and drive brand awareness.
Melanie shares:
How to shift your perception for someone who is moving from working in corporate to business ownership
How customers are changing how they make purchases
Why many business owners find it challenging to find work-life alignment
What makes a business owner’s brand the soul of their business
Why should someone with a business idea or start-up business hire a business coach
How does digital marketing build better relationships
Thank you so much for listening; please share the podcast with others, follow us on Spotify, and check out Melanie’s services.
Have you ever been in a meeting where at least one person or all attendees have nothing positive to say about anything?
As Managers or Supervisors, having efficient and effective meetings is crucial to running a successful business. Group meetings that aren’t productive waste valuable time and cost the company money.
Let’s explore what may be considered rude behaviors in meetings.
Interrupting the person speaking
Not listening, acting bored, or lack of engagement
Being disrespectful to the speaker
Two people are talking privately among themselves while someone else is speaking
People are just plain hostile to each other
Arguing over whose point is right
Overtalking each other
Sarcastic mean comments to the speaker or each other
Being very judgmental of each other
Participants take everything that is said very personally due to the hostile interaction
Embarrassing the host or leader with malicious remarks
I have been in group meetings where all of these actions have happened, been the target, and participated in some disrespectful behaviors. I am not proud of how I acted; I was discourteous and unprofessional sometimes, but it was acceptable to voice your opinion. Was this behavior a way to conquer and get what was needed? Not really. Did anything get resolved? Most of the time, nothing got accomplished.
What happened to common courtesy, collaboration, and respectfulness towards each other?
How can we change the behavior in meetings?
It takes one person at a time, starting with Managers and Supervisors, to lead by example and reverse this unprofessional behavior.
Here are some tips:
Set up rules of conduct for the meeting(s). Go over them at the beginning of each session as a reminder. Have the code of conduct on the agenda template. As time passes with the same group of attendees, the code of conduct will only need addressing if a new person attends the meeting and reads the code of conduct at the beginning.
When someone says something negative, turn to them and say something positive about the topic or person.
When someone intentionally breaks meeting etiquette, politely remind them or refer to the code of conduct.
As the manager or supervisor, focus on following the code of conduct, leading by example, and positive meeting etiquette will become achievable by all participants.
Redirect the “off-topic” discussions for later.
A set code of conduct and behavior etiquette is essential to successful meetings. Being courteous and respectful allows everyone to speak, be heard, participate, and engage, which is when great results will happen. Be organized and prepared. As Managers and Supervisors, we lead by example; if we are focused and engaged, our employees will be too.
I would love to hear your thoughts as a manager or supervisor on meetings.
If you are struggling with the daily grind and feel alone, a leadership coach like me will help you work through those everyday challenges to continue moving forward to where you want to be.
Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this podcast with others!
Joseph McGuire has been taught in the ancient Chinese skill of Face Reading (Mien Shiang), and Body Language since 1985, initially to healthcare professionals as diagnostic and communication tools. He qualified and practiced as a holistic therapist in several modalities for 30 years. In recent years Joseph has added skills from the fields of negotiation, interrogation and elicitation. His primary focus has been on assisting clients with C-level Interviewing, Negotiation, Executive Communication, Client Profiling, and Sales Team Communication Skills.
He has worked with clients in Pharma, Aviation, TV, Financial Services among others. He has now developed the Behavioral Negotiation Program for business leaders. This provides in-depth understanding of their communication patterns, and how they’re perceived, detailed insights into the behavioral patterns of their counterparts, and real-time assistance in reading the room.
He is highly experienced in the role of confidential, impartial and unbiased observer, and NDA’s are a standard part of client relationships. He has 3 adult children, and currently lives with his partner in Dublin, Ireland.
Joseph McGuire discusses:
Communicating from a place of authenticity, relaxed confidence and clarity
What is Mien Shiang (Face Reading) and how he uses it in his work – He also did a quick Face Reading on Angela and Patti
Some strategies to better communicate with understanding helping his clients with personal transformation
People need you at work for encouragement, inspiration, guidance, and daily support.
You make a difference every day you walk into that building, office, workplace, meeting, or Zoom call.
You have value and help others throughout the day.
No matter what happened in the past, it’s a new day, and you have today and the future to make your staff, customers, clients, and bosses know you care about your job and the company.
Seize the day and continue to lead with purpose, passion, and empathy. You matter! ~ Patti
One day, my husband and I were at Walmart and saw this quote on a T-shirt. I used to be a people person; then people ruined it! ~ unknown.
I held up the T-shirt and told my husband; I am buying this. As a leadership and work-life balance coach, I encourage people not to feel this way. So why did I want to buy the T-Shirt?
Well, I had many days that I felt this way in Leadership.
Have you ever felt this way?
I know I did throughout my career, especially when knee-deep in the day-to-day grind of (Bull Crap). There were days I would go home and think, why am I doing this? Am I even making a difference; why are people so picky, hateful, judgmental, petty, discouraging, and disrespectful? Somedays, Myself included.
How does having a lousy attitude at work affect your reputation, employees, coworkers, customers, and the business’s bottom line?
Do you believe that other people around you at work can jade your perspective toward others, and you start to feel like the T-shirt quote?
What happened to kindness, empathy, praise, encouragement, and compassion in the workplace?
Managers and Supervisors, you can change the attitude in the workplace. One day at a time by your approach towards the workplace, yourself, and others. Once you apply kindness, empathy, praise, encouragement, and compassion to your employees and coworkers, others will notice and, as time goes on, will follow the pattern.
Here are some Self-Reflection Questions About Daily Interactions:
Why is everything about who can “one up” each other? How can this change in my leadership style?
Why is “knowledge power”? How can I share more?
What happened to being genuinely happy for a coworker and recognizing their accomplishments? How and when can I start recognizing others?
Why is being so “busy” acceptable and “ignoring” family okay? How can I improve spending time with my family and friends?
When will these interactions change within my Leadership?
What kind of leadership legacy do you want to leave behind?
It would be so amazing if this T-shirt is no longer valid in the workplace, and people feel safe at work and are inspired and encouraged to be their best with continual support. So Managers and Supervisors, let’s make it happen one day at a time!
On April 10, 2023, I had the opportunity of being interviewed by Carol Blonder of Networking Arizona Radio Show about my unique leadership coaching style. It was a pleasure meeting Carol and doing the interview.
In this podcast episode, we will explore whether perfection equals being an outstanding Manager or Supervisor.
In the business setting, we have been conditioned in the business world to be perfect, which is totally the opposite of imperfect. Everything is about image and how to place yourself to get to the top.
But lately, I’ve heard a lot about perfection, and it is okay to be imperfect, but in the business world, imperfection is something people don’t strive for; they strive for the appearance of perfectionism.
We are taught we need to do this and to do that, and everything is based on perception. We’ve been groomed on how to dress and act, and people capitalize on our mistakes to climb up the corporate ladder. Mistakes are challenging because we need to be perfect. We can’t make mistakes and take risks because errors could happen, so how do people learn if they are scared to make mistakes? Some people won’t take risks or get out of the norm. After all, they are afraid that if they take risks, their mistakes will be out there, and someone else will gain because they made a mistake.
So how do we change this? How do we let people be imperfect so they can learn and grow from those experiences of failure?
We have all met someone who appears to have it all together and comes across as having a perfect life. They post all this fun and fabulous stuff on Facebook about their life. They have a great career, a huge house, a brand new car, and a loving home life from appearances, then, later on, you find out it was all a show.
What about a leader that appears to be perfect?
Is anyone really perfect? Hell no, we all have quirks, habits, and personalities that may sometimes rub someone the wrong way, and we make mistakes; that is what a human does.
Do you respect someone who looks and acts perfect, or do you question their motives?
Who do you respect more, someone who is a hot mess but holds it all together or a fake perfect person always looking to make a great impression?
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should scatter all your dirty laundry at work and not do your job correctly quite the opposite. However, when someone comes across as always perfect and doesn’t admit to making mistakes, it leaves suspicion and a lack of trust. It is hard to build lasting relationships by not showing your human side. You may be called a fair-weather person and much more.
Good leaders admit they are not perfect and make mistakes while genuinely caring about how their actions affect others. They strive to do an excellent job for the company, their superiors, staff, coworkers, and customers. They admit their mistakes, learn from them, and seek not to repeat them.
What are your thoughts on whether perfection equals an outstanding manager or supervisor?
In this podcast episode, we are going to explore the hiring process. The hiring process may cause anxiety and overwhelm, especially if you are overthinking the What Ifs.
Let’s explore this scenario –
It is time to hire – A valuable team member who has taken another position, and it is time to start the hiring process for their job. You think you won’t be able to find someone else who could bring as much value to the workplace or be a nightmare of “The What Ifs.”
As a Manager and Supervisor, hiring can be challenging and stressful at the same time. As a result, thoughts run through your head of “The What ifs.”
What if’s – I choose the wrong person for the position. They have interviewed well and know what to say, but they are not coachable or have a toxic attitude towards customers, coworkers, and me when they come in.
Yes, hiring someone may be stressful for you, your team, and the interviewee. Wanting to make the right decision can, at times, overtake you. Relax, pause and take time to clear your mind to reason. You can make the final decision in a few days.
List the pros and cons of the top two candidates. What did they communicate from the interview and resume (CV), and what strengths does the team want and need from the potential candidate to make the team unit more substantial and efficient? What expertise does this candidate bring that can help the team succeed?
Things to consider in the hiring process:
Have a least one team member in the interview.
How about bringing back the two top candidates for a second interview and having them interact with your team?
Have team members review the job duties and discuss with them an average day. Candidates feel at ease with team members and may open up more.
After their interaction with the candidate, have the candidate meet with you again informally to ask questions they may have. Putting this into action will tell you a lot the more relaxed they are, and you will get more of a feel of their personality.
Later after the top two candidates have come back for the second interview and met with staff, ask the staff what their thoughts are. Remember, they have to work with this person. Their opinions are priceless because they could save a lot of damage to you and the team in the end, and this is where trust and honesty come into play. Do they feel comfortable telling you how they think? Do they feel safe expressing their opinions?
Now you have the ultimate decision and are responsible for it. The team will understand and respect your decision if you have communicated well with your team. Your employees must know that you appreciate their feedback and respect their perspectives.
Some employees may feel more comfortable giving feedback privately, and sometimes the team may want a group meeting to share their thoughts with you. That is where you know you have a team that cares about the job and the work environment and you as their leader.
It is rare in a workplace to have this hiring practice and employees’ honest feedback. As a manager or supervisor, you want to strive for this kind of teamwork and work environment.
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