Three Ways to Always be Professional

When No is a Positive Word

Posted by Roberta Budvietas on Jun 4, 2012 in Behavior, Business, Communication, Mindset, Opinion Piece, Priorities, Purpose | 12 comments

In business we are constantly bombarded with other people’s opinions. We have clients and prospective buyers tell us that they

Words have a power all their own (Photo credit: Lynne Hand)

would buy if only we did….. We have government, banks and other organizations tell us that we must do this or that to succeed in business. We are told that our opinion counts and then no one listens to us.

It’s tough out there!

So learning to say NO can sometimes be a positive thing. Let’s look at some obvious examples and then maybe something less obvious

We all know that taking heroin, coke and other recreational drugs damages our health and can get us hooked on a habit that destroys life, so saying no to the first offer is good. Right?

We all know that for most marriages, infidelity destroys the marriage. So saying no to temptation is good. Right?

We all know that cheating on your taxes, lying to your client or stealing from someone could all come back and cause us major problems even jail time. So saying no to this kind of temptation is good. Right?

But what about the doom sayers who tell you that business is bad and you are doing it wrong? Should you take their advice and say no or should you listen carefully, see if there is something you could learn and then say no to them?

What about the person who offers you the next great way to find clients if you will only pay them $XXXXXXX, money that will put serious strain on your financial well being and also your family and business. Should you say no, right now I would love to learn from you but to do so would put pressure on me. Yes there are guarantees these people give but the real question is are you willing to really follow them step by step. Unless you will follow step by step, you may need to say NO.

And what about the time when you need to balance keeping your word. You promised a client and your child something and suddenly the timing coincides and you can only do one of the things you gave your word on. Who do you say no to? And what will be the consequences of saying NO. Your child may only ever have one award winning banquet or concert or debut but if you explain to the client. they may give you another couple of hours or days. Who do you say no to? And what are the consequences of that no?

When you live in the now or in the moment, one of the biggest balancing acts you need to do is what feels good in the moment and what you committed to achieve. What do you say no to, instant pleasure or gratification or keeping the commitments you made so that people will know you are trustworthy?

Business is about trust and sometimes saying NO, at this time, we are unable to deliver, we are unable to… is better for the business than saying yes and failing to deliver.

Yes and No only work in conjunction with responsibility and keeping your word. And keeping your word is about trust and the relationship. When you value the relationship, you can use no to tell someone the truth.

And when an advisor, a salesperson or an authority tells you that you MUST do something, NO is an option to keep you in control.

So use NO wisely. Stay in control and enjoy keeping your word and having people trust you and your business. Consistency of good performance is what marks a good business. Funny though people accept consistency of bad performance if there is no other choice.

Today look at your yes and no situations and decide who is in control?

Can you suggest in the comments any other times when no was positive for you?

Roberta

Passionate about your success in business

Three Ways to Always be Professional

Posted by Roberta Budvietas on May 14, 2012 in Behavior, Business, Buyer Experience, Change, Information, Mindset, Passion, Passionate Purposeful Performer, Planning, Purpose | 4 comments

Professionalism is a wordthat often gets bandied about when people want someone else to behave in a particular manner and

What is a professional?

deliver a certain level of service. We label certain careers as professional and we often attach salary levels to professionals.

But how can you be a professional and deliver professional service if that is one of the goals of your business?

There are three simple but not easy to do ways to always be a professional but before looking at those lets understand the word professional a little better.

According to the online dictionary, the word professional can be a noun or an adjective. Using it as an adjective it generally describes people in certain professions like doctors and lawyers and is often tied to pay rates or classifications of the area of service like a professional sport. As a noun, the word is used synonymously with expert or skilled practitioner. Practically though a professional gets paid for the service they render.

Professionalism is more than a tangible thing. True professionalism is an attitude. An attitude towards performance and service delivery.

The three ways to always be professional are:

Always keep your word and deliver what you promised, when you promised it and with a little bit more than was expected.
Always treat all parties with respect even when you feel that they are treating you badly. Never lower yourself to street fighting or abuse to make your point. Always maintain dignity for everyone, especially yourself. And that means always doing your best.
Always realize that both sides have an opinion and acknowledge that the other side has their wants and needs too. Accept that you have differences and appreciate that you can only be responsible for what you do and the other person has a responsibility for what they do, say, think and feel. Changing someone else’s mind only happens by them choosing to change based on new information that allows them to rethink the situation.

If you are living to your purpose, acting with passion and committed to performing above expectations, you are a professional. You are giving your best, your expertise, your self. A professional is a real person who uses all their talents, skills, knowledge and resources to deliver the maximum value they can to their clients. They understand that their business is about them, their client and the community in which they live. They understand that a professional is someone who goes beyond the title or role and lives their job.

And a true professional asks for help when performing becomes difficult. A true professional knows that the responsibility for their thoughts deeds and feelings lies within themselves. And a true professional knows that sometimes, you are unable to satisfy everyone.

Dress, position, salary and other quantitative or qualitative measurements are dictionary definitions for success. But since success is a journey rather than a destination, professionalism is measured internally rather than externally and only you can truly determine your own professionalism.

If professionalism is personal, how do you determine if someone you are dealing with is a professional then? Please comment on that and I will do a blog on that topic later in the week. The real business challenge is to know the answer to that question.

Roberta

A Passionate, Purposeful Performer