Mob Rules

Although this isn't particularly about business, it is about klass.

We live in a quaint town that has a farmer's market every Saturday and tries to find other ways to bring more tourists to our area along Lake Michigan. It just so happens that today the city hosted a "Harvest Fest." Local merchants had sales. A petting zoo was assembled in the streets. Eateries were handing out samples. The weather was a fabulous 80 degrees - which in the Midwest in October is, by my standards, the makings of a wonderful day!

My husband, two kids and I ventured down to town and were having a fabulous time taking in the sights and smells. We stopped to admire a man's intricate wood carvings. His work was incredible. He obviously had the patience of a saint or a kindergarten teacher! While in that moment, a lady was at a 4-way stop allowing pedestrians to cross when an overly frustrated man harshly honked his horn. It was as if a record scratched. The crowd quickly grew irate at this man because he was using his horn, breaking the beauty of this Rockwell moment for all of us. Come on, mister. Ease up a bit! But he honked again. By this time, the wonderfully peaceful crowd let this impatient man have an earful. It was as if the lady in front of him was a feeble person we all needed to save from this tortuous man.

Although the crowd was polite with their gestures, telling this man to just relax. He didn't get it. In his hurried ways, he just screamed back at the crowd telling everyone how inept the lady in front of him was at turning. In this moment - that literally was a couple of minutes at the most - I saw a mob form for all of the right reasons and handle themselves with klass, helping to preserve the positive memory of such a wonderful day for all that was standing near that street corner.

I learned the virtue of patience in today's klass!

True Class

Believe it or not, this blog isn't always about a lack of klass. There are people who I've come across in my business dealings that show true class. I have the distinct pleasure of working with an agency run by two dynamic women. (Ironically, they used to work at the corporation where I now work.) Although I'm not sure of the stories behind their departure from the company where I am employed, they joined together and opened their own successful business and provide services to the company for which I am employed.

Both of these ladies are class acts. I can't begin to list all of their qualities but I will try to point out a few that I admire.

• They listen. I mean they truly listen and are interested in what they are hearing.
• They are interested in people as people, not just as employees or clients who are a means to a buck. One day before we got to work, we discussed family. It was so refreshing to have someone care about me as a multi-dimensional person.
• They care about their employees and the work environment. Culture plays a large role in their office. It just so happened that I had a meeting scheduled at their office and when I arrived, they were celebrating two office birthdays with cupcakes and song. It's these little things that make people feel great about working there.
• They are giving of themselves and of their talents. Both ladies volunteer to speak at women's events and even teach classes to prospective women entrepreneurs.

I could go on and on, but I'll finish with an example that touched me and has stayed with me. On a Friday, as work was wrapping up, they had their weekly beverage with their employees. And even though one of the owners had a loss of a loved one during the week, she had a glass with the group and told them all, individually, how great they had done that week. She was visibly appreciative of their work. It may sound like a small thing, but think about how often an employee in a large company is made to feel as if they are appreciated. In the company for which I am employed, it's not very often, if at all. Appreciation is a small gesture that goes a long way in making employees loyal. It also shows that a business owner has a lot of Klass!

What's your experience? Have you worked with Klassy supervisors or agencies? Please share!

Where's the Don to this Roma?

I was writing down notes, planning what I was going to blog on when I passed some ideas by my husband, AKA, Devils Advocate. He said "Don't just talk about it. Just do it. Just do it." The next thing I knew he had set up this blog and told me to get to it.

Although there wasn't much time for talking, we did discuss that this was going to be a joint effort. He brought up the parallel to Don & Roma - I don't listen to talk radio. But strangely, if you have been reading any of these postings, you'll notice that there hasn't been any Don to converse with this Roma. No, he hasn't been on vacation. No, he's not in contract negotiations. He's even made a couple of comments to me already that I've been spending too much time on the computer after the kids have gone to bed. But, hmmm - no Devil's Advocate.

My thinking in bringing this up is that maybe he hasn't been too excited about my business topics. Maybe this will get his attention?

I think there are parallels that can be made to this conversation in business, but I'll save that until another day.

Do you have any comments you'd like to share with the Klass?

Etiquette Question

Okay, what's the deal? I have a notorious "cube" for my office. Four walls and a flimsy door. I only close the door if I want semi-total privacy (you see, I don't have a ceiling). But what's the deal when I'm on the phone and someone comes into my office and sits there until I'm finished with my conversation? What happened to business manners?

Maybe I'm "old school" but I was taught that if you approach someones office and they are on the phone you:

• Wait outside, if you had a scheduled appointment with them
• You come back later or contact them some other way

As long as someone is on the phone, you certainly don't plop yourself down in their office while they are having a conversation. It's RUDE! The only time I'd enter someones office while they are on the phone is if I had caught their eye and they waved me in. Even then, I feel a bit awkward.

Is there a need for business etiquette classes? The only problem, those who truly need the class are probably too ignorant to know they need help!

Have you ever experienced something like this? How did you handle it with Klass? Let me know...

Glass Ceiling

Today's lecture topic is the Glass Ceiling. After having worked in Corporate America for 15 years now, I have believed that there was a glass ceiling. After all, less than 20% of our positions at Senior Manager and above are filled by women. In a business that markets heavily toward women, I'm dismayed by this statistic. It had to prove the theory of the glass ceiling. Right?

I've recently changed my mind (it's a women's prerogative after all) and I no longer believe that their is a glass ceiling. After reading Ladies Who Launch http://www.ladieswholaunch.com they have convinced me otherwise. They bring up some great points about why they don't believe in the theory of the glass ceiling. Namely:

• There can't be a glass ceiling if women don't want to take those positions
• Women don't necessarily aspire to fill those positions because the VP & C-level positions involve very little creativity
• Those higher level positions don't allow for much flexibility
• Read the book to find out more...
  

In the process of searching my soul lately, I was wondering what happened to my drive to move up the corporate ladder? What happened to that fierce competitive spirit? Isn't the money at those levels great?

What I've come to discover is that:

• Balance is more important where I'm at than on a ladder to nowhere
• I can be competitive but I don't have to be fierce. My competitive spirit is directed where it should have been all along, on the competitors. I am more fulfilled when I help my team win rather than just winning alone.
• Yes, the money would be nice, but I don't want to lose my life, the time with my husband, children and family in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. I want to be creative and find a way to be successful on my own terms. If I'm finding a creative outlet for my talents, I will inevitably find a way to make money.
  

In the meantime, the heck with the glass ceiling. I'd settle for a window with a lake view!

Klass, when are you going to raise your hands and join in the discussion? I'm waiting...

Male Hogs

I was in a meeting today where we were planning a women's focused event and just as I had predicted, the two men in the room tried to take over the planning and the conversation. How frustrating!!! The two men belong to a service organization yet they aren't listening to their "customers" - the women in the group. The two men were forcing a logo upon the group when there wasn't a women in the room that liked the logo they presented.

It boiled down, in my opinion, to "kiss ass" and "credit." One guy was a kiss ass who was pushing a logo suggestion handed down by a VP - who also happened to be a male. The other one was dominating the planning because he wants credit for the entire event. Male hogs I say!

The women's event is all about empowering women to take charge of their careers and once again we faced two male road blocks. But I'm not going to let them stop me from doing a great job at my part of the event. I guess that's all I can do, for now.

How would you handle this situation?

Lack of Business Class - Literally

Here's a pet peeve courtesy of a Corporate pal of mine. Traveling for work. But, in this case it isn't just business travel that is at issue. We have manufacturing facilities overseas and some of the product development people as well as others need to travel to Italy occasionally. Apparently we have a travel policy that requires an employee to travel coach on their first overseas trip. On any subsequent trips during the same year, the employee would be allowed to travel business class.

My first observation is that flying overseas for business isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Regardless of whether or not you have a family, business travel requires that you disrupt your routines and essentially you are "working" the entire time you are gone. Granted, there are times when you can get out a bit and see some sights, but it's not the glamorous "vacation" that some non-travelers may perceive it to be.

But on to my real pet peeve. A colleague of mine is making arrangements to travel overseas when another employee said that they needed to go as well. When they found out about the fact that they would be traveling coach, they called off the trip. It doesn't show much business klass when someone isn't willing to do what it takes to get to the goal. Especially when the task is only flying coach. That says to me that this individual was only in it for the trip and not for the good of the project. Stay home. The project didn't really need that type of dedication anyway!

I'd love to hear your business pet peeves. Or do you have any suggestions on how I can flush this business-class-flying snob out? This klass isn't a lecture so I encourage your feedback!

From the Devil's Desk

Devil here! How are y'all doing today? I've been in the corporate world for 15 years, similar to Miss Opportunity. My views are a little more realistic - I won't say pessimistic since reality is what it is (as I see it). You can interpret my views on some things as negative or the opposite to that of Miss Opportunity, but that is how you interpret that facts as I give them to you. I tend to be more cautious.

When I hear things I think are 'too good to be true' or just don't make sense I turn into a Tasmanian Devil. My head starts to spin and my mouth spews forth faster than any human can interpret what I am saying.

As you, the readers, or Miss Opportunity puts ideas out for discussion, I will give you my view as an EX-corporate gerbil. Sure, the money was great, but the rest of the experience was less than inspiring. I now run my own business. I treat my employees like they are as valuable as gold. I know I can't do it without them. Will I always be that way once I grow bigger and bigger? Only time will tell. I think I will.

In conclusion, I will say something positive about big business. We saved enough money to be able to allow me to LEAVE the gerbil cage and strike out on my own.

-devil

Business Klass is now in session

I've been in the workforce for many years. Fifteen of those years have been spent at a Fortune 500 Company. The path has been long and varied. Along the way I've come across:

• Great managers and not-so-great managers
• Interesting co-workers and downright jerks
• Excitement in one minute followed by frustration in the next
• Colleagues who I'm proud to call my friends
• A nice guy who would later become my husband!

I didn't intend to find my husband at work. It just so happens that I held the door open while he was moving his office. If it weren't for this chance meeting in the hall, I'm not sure we would have ever met. You see, we have very diverse talents and skills. Our likes and dislikes aren't very similar at all - I'm into sports, he's into gaming. I'm extroverted, he's introverted. I'm the youngest of a family of six, he's the middle child of a family of three boys. I'm a dreamer (ex. "Miss Opportunity"), he's a bit negative (ex. "Devil's Advocate"). And the list goes on...

As you might imagine, we have very different views about business. In the spirit of Don & Roma (WLS 890) we thought we'd involve all of those who care out in e-space in our conversations. We are going to use this platform as our opportunity to discuss events, debate ideas, define boundaries and dabble in blogging.
We plan to discuss our opposing views on various business topics. If you've got a topic you'd like to see debated, please chime in. Using the metaphor of "klass." we'd love for you to rate our discussions. Give one of us an "A" if you believe one of us is right on track. Don't hesitate to give one of us an "F" if we're way off base.

You don't even have to raise your hand in this klass, just give us your feedback! Business Klass is now in session...