Volume 1, Report 1
from
Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., LFACHE
Rule 31 Listed Civil Mediator
Speaker * Author * Consultant * Facilitator
Website: http://www.twymantowery.com
Email: tt@twymantowery.com
The
Towery Report
Volume 1, Report
1
In this report:
1.
About the Towery Report
2. Milking the Cow
3. Today's Communication Tip
4. Major Business Turnoff
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1. ABOUT THE TOWERY REPORT
When
the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like
a nail.
-Abraham Maslow
Welcome
to the first issue of The Towery Business Report! It is my goal
to help provide you with some additional tools to enhance your life, both
professional and personal. I want to consistently give you some information
you can really put to good use. As you may know, I am a speaker, consultant
and author. Some of the materials we will cover in these issues include:
- - Humorous and meaningful anecdotes to help you make your point with any group.
- - Tips to help you keep your organization in the leadership position you are striving for.
- - Quotes that are often funny, but always meaningful.
- - Business truisms that we often forget.
- - And maybe most importantly, input from the executives that read this report, to be shared by us all.
So hang in there with me, for while I know there are many free e-newsletters out there, The Towery Report is one you can put to practical use put in a binder for a rainy day. You never know when the quotes, anecdotes, business and human stories will come in handy for a meeting, speech, or just plain expressing your feelings.
2. Milking the Cow
"If
I am a gentleman and you are a gentleman, then who will milk the cow?"
-Irish Proverb
The
Enron scandal, even at this early date of investigation, tells us
very plainly that the people at the top were either not milking the cow
or they were bilking the cow. As we have seen our work milieus transformed
from a "working" society to a "white collar" culture, many
of us have
lost our taste for "nitty gritty" work, which can be just as effectively
performed with a white shirt on as a blue one. Has this form of elitism
reached your organization? You? At one time or another we have all been
guilty, but recognition is the first step to change.
"Soon
After the completion of Disney World, two executives were talking
with Walt Disney's wife. One said to her, "It's too bad Walt didn't live
to see this. She replied, "He did see it - that's why it's here."
Walt
Disney never wondered who was milking the cow - he was always first
to sit at the stool. I recently appeared at a book signing in California
and was at a signing table next to a man who had done magnificent illustrations on
a children's book that was selling quite well. He knew everything to know about
illustrations, for he had worked for Walt Disney Studios for many years. He
loved Walt Disney as a boss and a person. He said Walt spent practically all
of his time talking with his employees, finding out what they thought, what
new ideas they had, asking how the company could be better. Walt didn't like
private executive dining rooms, but instead sat down and ate his lunch with
his artists, writers, or imaginative employees. He was a part of every creative
meeting and had no compunction about saying "Lets start at the beginning
again" if the quality, or "magic" wasn't there.
Walt Disney had great vision, but also was willing to put in the hard
work to make it come true. He didn't need to tell people what to do -
he showed them by example. Then everyone milked the cow together.
Twyman's
Keynote Speeches and Other Retreat Topics:
http://www.twymantowery.com/speaker.htm#apopular
3. TODAY'S COMMUNICATION TIP
Know
Your Audience
Have you ever gone to hear someone speak that you were very hyped up about,
only to leave, flat and disappointed, to put it mildly. Usually these are people
who feel so confident about themselves, or their background, or their knowledge
that they don't take the time to learn something about the people they are
speaking to. Even if it is your own company or trade association, interview
a few people to make sure you know where they are at - what is important to
them. No matter how well I know a group, I have yet to sit down personally
to talk with someone that I didn't learn something I didn't know before we
talked. What do you ask them? For starters:
-What are the key issues your organization must deal with?
-What are some of your group's outstanding accomplishments?
-Which potentially dangerous challenges do you face?
-How would you define your organization's culture?
-What will be the ratio of men to women when I speak?
-Do your members like to laugh it up or are they a serious group?
-Has your group ever killed a speaker it didn't like?
I remember
I once drove for almost three hours to hear a popular media
psychologist speak. I had anticipated an insightful, powerful speech,
or I wouldn't have gone to the trouble and expense. What I heard was a
"cookie-cut" recitation of "cutsie" tales that obviously
had been given
a jillion times to audiences all over the country. We were in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, but there was no mention of the city, the sponsoring organization
or any hint that she had taken any time or trouble to understand the group
that had hired her. It was a bore. I vowed never to be that kind of communicator
and have religiously employed the interview technique ever since.
Learn
more about Twyman the Speaker:
http://www.twymantowery.com/speaker.htm
4. MAJOR BUSINESS TURNOFF
In the future I will generally use guest executives to talk about something that dramatically turns them positively or negatively when they encounter that behavior. But I'm going to start. My major business turnoff is when people:
Not Returning Phone Calls
And
it's not just because it hurts my feelings or any such pettiness.
I have worked with people that literally ranked who they would return
a call to in order of supposed importance. This kind of behavior soon
is recognized and nobody respects it. Someone may say, "I don't want to
call her back because I don't want to buy what she is selling." Little
did he guess that this time she was calling to tell him about a great
job opportunity that she thought might be a fit for him. Or tell him about
someone who wanted to buy his product. My experience is that it is easier to
get your calls through to top executives than lower level ones. It is basic
courtesy and good common sense. It's also good business sense.
So that is a pet peeve of mine. What's yours?
5. HUMOR
The struggling owner
of a new business went to see the president of his local bank for a
one million dollar loan. "That's a great deal of money," observed
the bank president. "Can you give me a statement?"
"Yes," replied the business man, "I'm optimistic."
** A good manager hires optimists as salespeople and pessimists to run the credit department.**
Twyman
L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE is a well-known speaker, author,
and management consultant. He is a respected organizational management
authority both in the United States and internationally. Twyman holds a B.S.
degree in psychology/business, a master's degree in medical and hospital administration,
and a doctorate in organizational psychology. He is a Life Fellow of the American
College of Healthcare Executives and a board member of various organizations.
Learn more
about Twyman Towery, Ph.D., LFACHE:
www.twymantowery.com/about.htm
Dr. Towery's best selling books have been used all across the globe, for a host of purposes. From the federal government to large corporations, from national and state associations to Middle School science classes The Wisdom of Wolves: Nature's Way to Organizational Success and The Power of Eagles: Nature's Way to Individual Accomplishment can help you and your organization or group.
Get information
on Twyman's Best Selling Books:
www.twymantowery.com/books.htm