Not Just Talk!

Busy as we are with the ongoing responsibilities and pressures of work, it's all-too-easy to forget to show those back home how much we really care about them. Here are some ways to show your significant other how significantly appreciative you are:

• Say thank you?and mean it; say more things that solicit a thank you;

• Go out for a quiet (or boisterous) dinner together; prepare a special meal at home;

• Ask what's new?and really listen to what's said;

• Share more of your time, attention, observations, etc. more freely, more regularly.

Ask the Coach

Question: I can't seem to get my vendor contacts to help me when I really need them to. Can you offer any suggestions?

Answer: During my tenure in the wacky world of telecommunications, there were times when I really needed my vendor contacts to drop what they were doing and give me their full, undivided attention and assistance. It wasn't that I was some ego-crazed customer (well maybe it was!) just wanting to make someone jump through hoops for a laugh. No, there was a systems outage, or a service failure, or some major scheduling problem that needed IMMEDIATE attention, no ifs, ands, or buts.

The way I'd train my newer contacts was to ask them one simple question: "Is it that you don't WANT to help me or you don't know HOW to help me?" It was amazing how clarifying the question could be because, "If you don't WANT to help me," I'd continue in the most respectful of tones I could muster, "then get me your boss so I can get someone on this account who WILL. But if you don't know HOW to help me, then let's talk to your boss TOGETHER so we can get you the resources and support you need to clean this mess up ASAP." Interestingly, I only needed to use this approach one time per person, if that much. I think it helps when people know the choices.

Great Things I Didn't Say!

• "Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

• "The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." -Mike Murdock

• "We cannot become what we need to be, remaining what we are." -Max Depree

• "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

• "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." -John Wooden

• "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -Linus Pauling

• "If fate throws a knife at you, there are two ways of catching it - by the blade, or by the handle." -Oriental Proverb

What's News at GottaGettaCoach!?

Barry Zweibel, president of GottaGettaCoach! was quoted in the June 2003 issue of Wall Street Technology magazine in an article titled, IT Challenge, which looks at motivating staff and increasing moral in the brokerage/information technology arena where slumping trade volumes, cost-containment initiatives and threats of even more layoffs continue.

Web logs, blogs, are the latest thing. And now GottaGettaCoach! has one to call its own. GottaGettaBlog!is chocked-full of insightful information, musing, and links to challenge, inform, and maybe even delight! The primary content of this blog will help managers sharpen their management, communications, and leadership skills, and business executives refine their strategies for handling the increasingly complex business issues they continually must face. Check it out!

The F.O.C.U.S. of Business Coaching, an article written by Barry Zweibel was selected as a Feature Article by both the Online Consultancy Network and LIfeTimeInfo.com.

The Technology Executives Review published How to Improve Your Networking Skills, an article by Barry Zweibel.