Diamonds to You

Your comments and compliments keep arriving and make me so glad and reinforce my decision to create a newsletter. I would love to hear what topics you’d like me to cover in future issues. Also, while I’m thinking of it, please feel free to pass the newsletter on to others you think might benefit from reading it. The more the merrier. If you wish prior issues of this newsletter, please contact me directly.

As you know, all of my business comes from referrals from people who have used my services and from those who know me socially. Please keep me in mind and keep the referrals coming. They are much appreciated.

In this issue, I’d like to offer some helpful information to four types of clients of mine. The first, small professional practices (medical, legal and other kinds) I serve. Next something for personal professional development. Third, some new information for boards, and finally, something for my large corporate clients, especially those confronting major change in their organization.

I am also enclosing an article I wrote recently wrote for ITEX, called: Brief Introductory Speeches for Networking Events

I:   Staff Development for Professional Practices

Doctors, dentists, attorneys, psycho-therapists and other professionals frequently wish they had more time to devote to staff development. As professionals, even though they are responsible for the processes and quality of staff performance, in truth they spend almost all of their time behind closed doors tending to their patients/clients. Thus, they rely on the “office manager” to be the practice manager. Most of the time this is placing a burden on someone not trained to really handle it. This leaves huge gaps. Let me tell you some of what I observe as I start to help these types of clients. Only a few hours with an expert makes it possible for your staff to easily resolve these problems.

The manner in which staff treats patients/clients is variable

When the “doc” is present in the room the staff members are polite and friendly, at other times they are cursory and even patronizing. There is no consistency. One of the doctors recently phrased it as “connecting with the patient.” In her case, she had an assistant that was busily giving information, rapid fire in a staccato voice, without regard for how that information was being received. Hiring people with pleasant personalities is as important as assessing their technical skills.

Other times you hear staff asking patients/clients questions as though the person they are talking to was mentally retarded or senile. This is true as well for the manner in which some administrative assistants and paralegals treat clients. You can easily fix this by role-playing and role-modeling how you prefer to have them treat your patients/clients. The assumption that the professional for whom they work (doctor or lawyer) is far more important than the lowly patient/client often leads to a rude and condescending attitude.

One of my personal pet peeves is asking someone for their chart number before asking them for their name. Patients/clients are not “things” they are people and should be treated with respect and dignity at all times. I recall being up at the Palo Alto Veteran’s Hospital and being introduced to patients by their problem - not their name. In other words, this is a schizophrenic, not this is Mrs. Jones, and we are treating her for her schizophrenia. See the difference?

Redundant and time-wasting processes

I find that much time is wasted in replication of information unnecessarily. when untrained and unqualified staff is called upon to create the forms, procedures and processes with which the office is run, This is time wasted for the staff as well as for the patient/client. Let me give you just a few small examples of many I see.

1. Patients/clients being asked to fill out multiple forms, each of which requires the same basic demographic information (name, address, date, etc.) One longer form with sections would suffice.
2. Patients/clients having to sign privacy forms, non-disclosure forms, or other forms each time they come in. Instead, have a place on the form for a date and an initial when repeated reminders are required.
3. Using the computer and its technology to record deposits, but at the same time taking manual tapes - instead of recognizing that the additional checks and balances are no longer necessary.
4. Law practices requiring paralegals and assistants to complete a standard body of work on all files without a check list from which these assistants could work.

Staff Giving Advice

The worst of all is when staff thinks they are competent to give advice to patients or clients. As we all know, this could cause malpractice, in addition, of course, to being potentially harmful to the person to whom the advice is given.

Recently, an attorney told me about an incident where a staff member told a client to take her child and leave the country, rather than go through the legally required custody hearing. Not only was she advising the client to be in violation of the law, thereby putting her in legal danger, and creating a situation that might have resulted in the child being removed from her custody permanently, she was also putting the law firm in jeopardy for suggesting illegal behavior.

II:   Professional Development

In my work with individuals, whether privately or at their site of business, I often note that people get so bogged down in the details of their day to day activities that they fail to follow through on the things they have identified as important for their own professional development. So here are a few suggestions.

• When working with me, or any other consultant, coach, or mentor, take notes of the ideas you glean.
• When you get back to your desk organize those notes for their usefulness and timeliness to you. Use whatever organizing procedure suits you best.
• As Covey would say, “First things first.” So, rank order your ideas so that you can find a starting place - and make a commitment to make the start.
• Calendar it. Calendar it as you would any other major meeting or appointment. Honor the commitment as you would a commitment to someone else.
• Each day review your list and pick another topic with which to work. Sometimes this will only take a minute or two of your time, other times, it might take hours. If it is a longer task, schedule it.
• If you need to spend a little money on resources to aid your progress, don’t fail to do so. Remember, you are likely to spend that same amount of money on entertainment, toys, clothing, or whatever else suits your whim at the moment that you spend it.
• Budget time and money for your own professional growth.

III:   Non-Profit Boards

At the risk of sounding crass and commercial, may I recommend my books to you? I think both are of great value (see Recent Publications).

Having said that,

• Small boards tend to become too casual in the manner in which they handle meetings and fail to create and use agendas. An agenda allows for an orderly progression of topics. It allows for pre-planning by the executive staff as well as for each board member to have input about topics to be discussed in advance of the meeting.
• Do not compress committees because you have too few people to serve on them. If you need volunteers, encourage and aid your board members to reach out to their friends and colleagues to serve as volunteers on the committees in your organization. That’s how you start a succession plan and grow your board.
• Volunteers are crucial to the success of most non-profit boards. You need systems to find them, motivate them, record their information, and keep in contact with them. Volunteer coordinator is a wonderful role for the right board member.
• Create a succession plan. It’s awful to be in the position to have to beg your board members to serve on the executive board. If you are caught in that trap, you will find yourself having Presidents, etc., who are not competent to hold that office. Plan, train, and encourage.
• Do have board retreats and on-going board training. They are usually far more valuable than brief monthly meetings.
• Finally, take advantage of today’s technology. Instead of face to face meetings for the dissemination of information, use e-mail and the phone.

IV:   Managing Mergers and Acquisitions

The view from the top is often quite different from the view from below. The executives, who are dealing daily with the reality of the merger or acquisition, know the facts, have a sense of what their future holds in the company, and are far less likely to fear a complete loss of security, than the staff working below the executive suite.

Communication is key. However, communication is a double-edged sword.

If you are a publicly traded company, anything you say, or even imply, could be construed as giving away “insider trader” information, since many of your employees will be shareholders.

Even if you are not worried about this aspect, you still have the problem of finding the right balance between being overly-optimistic, or pessimistic in your prediction of outcomes. You need to keep the atmosphere calm, the employees motivated and morale high during a transition that might prove to be painful for some, if not many, of the people you work with and have come to respect.

All too often, I hear executives say, “Just tell them to suck it up and be professional.” Easy to say, but hard to do when you are feeling:

• anxious about the future and what immediate plans you should make
• fearful that you and your family will lose the security they now enjoy
• angry, that the company you served has “let you down”
• jealous, because you know some of your fellow workers will be saved
• guilty, because you think you might be saved, but people needing a salary more than you might not be
• confused, because you feel you aren’t getting the full story and therefore cannot plan - should you stay and see if you are saved, or should you start job hunting now?
• distrustful, because you believe the most senior staff is going to take care of themselves and treat you like a pawn in the game.

Given that these feelings are common in any major change, they should not be ignored, but should be handled by careful interventions designed to help people cope with the emotional as well as cognitive aspects of their personal and professional concerns.

If you think about it, these are often the feelings children experience when their parents announce a move away from the neighborhood, schools, and friends. Helpful parents work with the issues with their children, making it as easy as possible for them to handle their fears and make the transition.

You, as an executive in your company need to accept the same level of responsibility you would as a parent. Because, if you ignore these issues, believing that you are dealing with adults who are professional and will continue as needed, you have your head in the sand. In fact, the people you want to retain will leave first, and others will have a natural slowdown in productivity due to loss of morale and motivation.

While it is interesting to offer a course in “Change Management” - if this course is generalized and recipe formatted it will be too cognitive and not personalized enough for the concerns of your employees. You need to find someone who can work with them by helping with the real-time present situations.

As different departments are getting different messages about how to handle the transition, your people might experience a lack of support from other groups, such as finance, purchasing, contracts, travel, etc. Many people will assume the worst because of their own fears and concerns.

My advice: Don’t just use business consultants designed to deal with “hard issues” such as product integration, also use O-D and Psychological consultants to deal with all concerns of your valuable people.

Brief Introductory Speeches for Networking Events

When asked to introduce yourself, you need to capture your audience’s interest in a brief and powerful manner. This is not the time to be apologetic, or to tell your life’s story. No one wants to know what you did in the past, where you lived, or how many kids you have. They are there to learn what you can do for them. You want to convince them to buy your services or products. Here are some tips:

Planning

• Know what you are going to say, and practice it many times before you have the opportunity to speak at a networking event.
• When attending the event, remember you will be “on stage” representing yourself and your company. Dress accordingly. This is not the time for jeans and ripped or wrinkled shirts. Nor is it the time for your favorite disco outfit. Dress in well tailored professional outfits that fit properly and look good on you. Remember, packaging matters.

Presenting

• Stand tall and take a deep breath before attempting to speak.
• Smile and let your smile show in your voice.
• Be proud, not diffident, and do not apologize for your existence.
• Don’t get cute or arrogant, either.
• Know the purpose of your words and stay relevant.
• Do not go on and on and on and on, do not repeat yourself.
• Remember what you say, and how you say it sells you, and your company.
• Stay Professional
• You only have a minute or two at the most to make your best points and impressions.

Your Marketing Speech

Clearly state:

• Your name
• The name of your company
• A few words identifying your product or service (the title), e.g. massage therapy, graphic arts, management consulting, dentist, photographer, etc.

Now, be somewhat more descriptive, but still brief:

• What is this wonderful product/service?
• How is it unique from others of its kind?
• How will the listener benefit from it?
• How may they contact you to obtain it?

Again, I repeat, please do not take this opportunity to offer your audience the history of what you’ve done in the past, how you chose this particular service, why you are in business for yourself, etc. It deflects from the power of the message you want to communicate - which is about the product/service you are selling at this moment.

These brief introductions, or “elevator speeches” are an important piece of your marketing and sales repertoire. You often have only 30 seconds to 60 seconds to tell people about yourself, as though you were meeting them on the elevator.

Most professional associations and networking groups allow each attendee to stand and make a 30 or 60 second speech. Perfect yours by practicing with friends. Get professional help developing it if necessary. This is sometimes best completed with your business, marketing, or management consultant. You will find this marketing tool to be very valuable throughout your career. Good Luck!

Recent Publications

• I’m pleased to announce that my second book, The “Please” and
  “Thank You” of Fundraising for Non-profits, is now available.
• You can also purchase my other book, Training Your Board of Directors: A Manual for CEOs, Board Members, Administrators and Executives of Corporations, Associations, Non-Profits and Religious Organizations.
• “Finding Success through Succession” an article I wrote for Security Management Magazine can be found in their February 2006 issue.
• “What’s Creating All the Conflict and What Can We Do About It, Part II” is now available in the Women in Consulting (WIC) Best Practices which should be released by them this month.
• For books by Dr. Diamond please visit productivepublications.com
  “Separate Wish List Demands,” in the December 2005 issue of ADA Compliance Guide, published by Thompson Publishing (only available to subscribers of their service). This article is about how to write job descriptions that do not demand unnecessary skills, thereby ignoring potentially good clients.
• Other articles and articles in which I have been quoted recently can be found by a Google search.

So, how can I help you?

Let me again quote a client:

ArLyne is completely qualified to serve as confidant and mentor for senior, mid-level, and professionally degreed individuals. Her breadth of understanding people, conflicts, motivation, and the business cycle have rather uniquely enabled her to add insight and valuable input into many aspects of driving an organization forward in a fast-paced environment.

Let me be your Aufin—your advisor to Kings.

ArLyne Diamond, Ph.D
ArLyne@DiamondAssociates.net