Be Better in Business

Lesson 21 – Are you stuck in your comfort zone? Don’t wait until someone pushes you out, take it upon yourself to make it happen. You’ll be glad you did.

Lesson 20 – Whether you’re calling or meeting someone for the first time, take a minute or two before you do and get to know with whom you’re talking. It will make the experience better for you and them.

Lesson 19 – Finding a job is not a part-time passive activity, it’s a full-time proactive contact sport.

Lesson 18 – By helping others, you not only give back, you also help yourself grow.

Lesson 17 – Whether you’re having coffee with a mentor or participating in a team gathering, you need to take notes.

Lesson 16 – All of us are creatures of habit. The question we should ask ourselves is “Are we disciplined with the right habits to accomplish the goals we desire?”

Lesson 15 – Do you deserve a vacation because of your hard work or do you need it in order to work hard?

Lesson 14 – Someone recently asked me to identify 5 things they should do to help them in business, in life. After some careful thought, here are 5 Must-Do things I think anyone would benefit from…

Lesson 13 – When is it appropriate to call someone about business? Should you only call them at their office or is calling them on their cellphone acceptable? Can you call them only during traditional work hours or since work is anything but traditional these days, can you call them whenever? The answer is, it depends.

Lesson 12 – When you know the goals you want to achieve, you can focus your efforts on getting there. Goal setting works when we understand what a goal will allow you to do, feel or experience. Goals must motivate you, excite you, and be something that you feel a need to accomplish in a timely manner. SMART goal setting is best.

A Mentor can make a meaningful difference in your professional and personal growth. They provide knowledge, experience, insight, guidance, support, direction and moral encouragement.

Whether you’re meeting a new client or joining a friend for a meal, when you’re on time it sends a clear message to others. Unfortunately, being chronically late also sends a message.

No one likes to be told NO so we don’t ask. We fear rejection. We fear failure. We fear being told what we can’t have. For many of us, asking others for what we want scares us. It forces us out of our comfort zone. The challenge is that if we don’t ask, we get exactly what we deserve. Nothing changes.

Despite best efforts, a sender’s intention in an email or text does not guarantee that it’s received that same way. In fact, emails and texts are often read in the mood of the recipient. Email and texts are more than just the conveyance of information. They are often about managing relationships, remotely.

Sending a thank-you note after an interview might seem old-fashioned, but it’s just as important to write one as ever. There are two situations which deserve a thank-you note. The first is when you’re meeting with someone about a job. The second situation is when you’re meeting with someone to seek guidance, advice, mentoring and/or support.

No matter how hard we try to manage it, we seem to be constantly buried in a mountain of email. Although there is no simple solution, there are some basic proactive techniques that can help you be in control of your email.

When someone asks "What do you do? Or, who do you work with?" are you able to answer them, succinctly, thoroughly, with conviction and passion? In short, do you have your elevator pitch ready? It’s the perfect opportunity for you to answer the question of who you are, what you do, and what you want to do (if you're job hunting). An elevator pitch should spark their interest in you!

If you’re going to be successful in business, it's critical that you widen the scope of your knowledge in order to broaden your outlook. The more you intentionally improve your general knowledge the easier it will be for you to relate to other people's views and understand their perspective. Reading newspapers helps you form and develop your opinion. It is known to sharpen your thinking skills. Best of all, reading enhances your vocabulary and improves language skills. In short, reading a newspaper is good for you. But don’t believe just me…

Voicemail can be a wonderful thing, if done properly. If not, it can leave the recipient wondering who called, what they wanted and most importantly, wondering how they want to be contacted. Next time you’re leaving a voice mail you’ll use have a better grasp of what an effective voice mail is all about. People will appreciate the clarity of information and you’ll be more likely to get a response.

Have you ever been talking with someone who answers or starts using their cellphone while you're talking with them? Or how about that time during a meeting where you snuck a look at your phone to check a text and when you were caught you claimed you were just checking the time? Let’s be candid, in each example either you or they were not present. This lesson is about being present and what being present does for you and others.

Despite hiring, training and coaching some of the most talented people in the commercial real estate industry, I’ve realized that there are many subtle lessons about business which people, especially recent college grads, either learned and forgot, or never learned.As a result, I’m embarking on a personal journey to help others by providing a series of videos called Be Better in Business or Lessons you should have learned in college, but probably didn’t…