35 Minutes And We're Nowhere

This week our team scheduled a live demo of some software we were evaluating. The presentation was a hot mess! The man conducting the presentation made just about every mistake you can imagine during this presentation.Take a lesson from the following recap:

• Poor Preparation
  The company did not send us the information for the GoToMeeting ahead of time so we booked a conference room and assembled the team only to end up twiddling our thumbs waiting around for the information to be sent.
• Going Nowhere Slowly
  After 35 minutes we hadn't really gotten anywhere- we were still on the first main feature of the software. The presentation was absolutely crawling, causing boredom and frustration on our end. 
• My Way or The Highway
  Since we were running out of time I suggested that we focus on the feature that we were most interested in- the deal breaker for us. The presenter then blatantly told us to wait until he finished going through his presentation on the first feature in full before he would move on.
• Exclusive Offer
  When we finally got to the feature we were most interested in the presenter showed it for a brief instant and quickly moved on. He did this because the feature was incredibly weak, especially compared to the industry. Instead, he showed us "an exclusive feature"... translation- a feature that no other company is bothering to offer because anyone with the internet can do the same thing.
• Why Use It For Free When You Can Pay For It?
  When we asked to see what they could offer in the way of reporting they showed us some very basic reports and mentioned that more could be done. I requested to see an example of what he was referring to and the presenter informed that I could use the data to make something better in Excel. Umm, why would I pay for software that doesn't give me anything as good what I could create in Excel for free!
• Problems? No Problems Here!
  After explaining a particular requirement of the software the presenter asked, so what do you think? With the way we operate that requirement would be incredibly inefficient and annoying. I tried to explain that politely but was rebutted by the presenter who told me not to worry about it because it would be fine. I again explained why that requirement would make it harder for us and he basically just replied that we'd have to deal with it.
• Do You Like Me? Do You Really Like Me?
  For whatever reason, our presenter felt the need to make bad jokes, explain them, and then ask us to laugh. He would also follow up almost everything he showed us with "Pretty cool huh?" or "What do you think? Great right?" This was annoying in and of itself but on top of that, there were times when what he was showing us would not be useful to us at all. In those cases it was awkward because we then would have to explain why we didn't think it was "cool" or  "great" or "awesome." The presenter, however, could not be dissuaded. He would follow-up by reminding us that no one else was offering what they offer, as if that would suddenly create a need for what he was showing.

If you've ever seen a really bad presentation, give us the details!

When "Why?" Is A Threat

As a general rule of thumb, if someone asks you why you do something the way you do it and you take it as a threat or challenge to your worth as an employee, you know what you are doing is not the best way to do it. There are some exceptions- like if the person is exceedingly rude about it, or if the Bobs are being brought in to determine if your job is necessary at your current company. But tone and Office Space references aside, "Why?" should not be threatening.

"Why?" can be the best way to determine if your activities are as efficient as they can or if they are providing value. "Why?" can be a new person's way of getting to know the job or the position. "Why?" can be your manager's way of making sure that you can be trusted to reason and problem-solve. So remember, "Why?" does not mean you're wrong.

If you get the sense deep down that "Why?" is an affront to the work you are doing or who you are as an employee, it's probably because you suspect that the person asking really means, "Why on Earth would you do it like that when you could to this instead?" It's that doubt, that suspicion that puts you on edge, and you wouldn't have that if you didn't believe that there was a better way to do what you are doing or drive value with how you are doing it.

My advice is, ask yourself why! Beat your manager, your new coworkers, etc. to the punch! Don't be afraid to answer yourself truthfully, even if it means more work for yourself. It'll be far more impressive when someone asks "Why?" you can say "Well, I evaluated the way we had been doing it previously and for reasons x, y, and z it was going to be more efficient/scalable/comprehensive/valuable/clear/etc. to do it this way" rather then "I don't know, we have always done it that way."

Hello, My Name Is Terrible

At the beginning of each month I run the numbers for the previous month's performance. Each month since I started the numbers have improved over the prior month... each month that is, until March. In March the numbers were below what was expected and below what I would consider acceptable. I wasn't sure what to do- this had never happened before. If you ever run into this situation I would advise that you review the following:

1. The Excel formulas themselves to make sure nothing got corrupted
2. Historical data to account for any normal seasonal fluctuations
3. Whether there are any company efforts that could have had a direct impact (marketing efforts, promotions, etc.)
4. What sort of external factors could have acted to shape the numbers 
5. Whether the reporting structure changed from the previous reporting period

But even after I checked all of those potential sources I still couldn't explain the numbers. So instead of trying to hide them and hoping no one noticed, I brought them to the forefront and I explained honestly that I did not know what was affecting the numbers. Usually I send the data to my manager and let her ask any questions she may have or give any feedback she deems necessary, but this month I felt it important to be proactive. I emailed her immediately and attached the spreadsheet. I explained that the numbers were lower than expected and that I was very disappointed and I asked to meet with her first thing the following day so we could try to figure out what happened and what our plan was going to be moving forward. She appreciated my directness and proactive response, and after meeting the following morning we quickly had a new plan in place to point us back in the right direction.

In case you ever find yourself in one of those meetings here's a list of things you'll want to have:

• Ideas
  You may not know definitively what is affecting the numbers but do you have any ideas of what the cause might be? If so bring them! Make sure you state them as "potential causes" or "possible reasons" and then present them to someone higher than you. Often times he/she will have a broader view of the picture and can help determine if any of those scenarios could be the culprit.
• Historical Data
  Data doesn't mean much if you have nothing to compare it to. By providing historical data you can provide scope. Should this have been your best month out of the year and you absolutely tanked, or should it have been an average month and you're just in a bit of a slump? Historical numbers will provide perspective.
• Plenty of Paper or a Fully Charged Laptop Battery
  Get ready to take notes. Write down everything. Seem engaged and actually BE engaged. This problem is not going to fix itself. Hopefully after some good brainstorming you'll have direction to help reverse the downturn.

In case you're wondering what the cause was, we set sales records for other services that we offer that same month, and our sales team is not unlimited. But this is not information that I would have known if I hadn't brought it to my manager.

If you've had a similar experience, feel free to share it!

Enter The Noob

Recently two new full time employees and a part-time intern joined our team. That's sort of huge because prior to this our team was a three person team. So essentially our team just doubled in size. Knowing that all these new people were starting was terrifying to me.

I don't like that in-between time after a candidate has accepted a job offer but before they've actually started because I'm always racked with anxiety. I find myself asking what will he/she be like? Will we get along? How will this affect my job duties? How will the team dynamics change? etc. All of these questions cause dread to build and build as I run through worst case scenarios in my head, so that when the new person starts I'm less than thrilled for him/her to actually be there and I think it shows. As a result, I'm going out of my way to be much friendlier and more welcoming. How? Here are some simple tips to help you out:

1. Go To Lunch
   Taking new people to lunch is very welcoming because it gives you the chance to break bread with them and get to know them personally! It's a gesture they'll really appreciate and never forget.
2. Ask Questions (And Actually Listen to the Answers!!)
   It's great to ask questions about people to engage them and make them feel like you care, but you're likely going to be spending a lot of time with these new coworkers so it's important to make them a priority. Think about it, you're going to be spending 40 hours with these people a week- you're practically in a serious relationship with them. Listen like you would on a first date!
3. Explain The Law of The Land
   Any workplace has politics and unspoken etiquette. Don't let the new people learn these the hard way. Obviously you don't need explain things that are common sense but if there are some quirky things about your office make sure to warn your new coworkers. For example, at our office there are a ton of matching mugs. A new person might think that those are for general use, when in reality each employee was issued a matching mug. Take someone else's mug and you could be in big trouble. Some mugs people have labeled with their names, and other mugs people have just memorized incredibly subtle differences so that they'll know which ones is thiers.
4. Be An Includer
   Explain inside jokes to new coworkers and make sure that you invite them to team events and meetings. Because they just started, new coworkers likely will not have weekly team meetings or special outings programmed on their calendars. Invite them ahead of time so that it doesn't look like you forgot about them when you're all running off something without them.
5. Set Them Up to Succeed
   Give new employees whatever training documents or helpful resources you have. If they are going to be sharing in completing tasks or projects with you make sure that they have all of the elements that they need in order to contribute. This also applies to knowledge! Give new employees the verbal explanations and support that they need to get the job done. 

 The sooner you can assimilate new employees into your workplace the better off your team will be. Going out of your way to get things off on the right foot initially will make the process smoother and more pleasurable for all parties involved; and... you might end up really liking them!