Time to Grab Your Harmonica

I lost my job during the last major recession in 1991. They called me on Sunday and said the newspaper would close the next day. I had just moved to Dallas a little less than six months prior to the announcement. I was told to come down to the office and clean out my desk.

I was in a new job in a new city. I had very few contacts, no prospects, and barely any savings. Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath and looked around my very sparse one bedroom apartment. I knew what I had to do: I grabbed my harmonica.

When I arrived at the newspaper's building, employees were packing up boxes; commiserating, a few were crying, and most were basically trying to figure out what they would do next. I headed to the back loading dock where the local media had encamped.

Let me pick up the story with the description I wrote in my book, Make the Right Choice:

"For no other reason than to prove that I was back in control of my happiness and attitude, I stood on the back dock of the newspaper in front of the television news cameras and made up a blues song about losing my job. I barely know how to play one note on the harmonica. It didn't matter. I just started making up lyrics about losing my job. The cameras started clicking. The television cameras zoomed in for better focus. I performed for a few minutes until someone pulled me off the dock and said to me, "You will never work in this town again." I swear someone said this to me. I am not making this up."

Yep, I just lost my job. Yep, I had very little money. Yep, I was playing a very poor rendition of the blues on my harmonica. It was one of the best days of my life. We have the choice to wake up in the morning and be bitter, frustrated and stressed. We also have the choice to be happy, energized and passionate. I chose the latter. Every normal, sane person given the choice would choose passion and happiness. Why do we so often choose to be bitter and stressed? Sometimes, we allow something out of our control to decide for us. We allow the economy, the situation, someone's words; or someone's actions make the choice. If it was truly our choice, we would choose happiness.

Anyway, back to the story from my book:

"I decided I was going to choose happiness. My blues performance made the front page of the Fort Worth newspaper and two local newscasts. Thinking back on it now, I think my performance made the paper and the news broadcasts because I chose my attitude. When someone loses their job, you don't expect them to stand in front of news cameras and perform an off-key and somewhat comical blues performance.

You see, the day was a life-changing experience. I didn't know what I was going to do next. I didn't know where I was going to live or work. I did know that I wanted to have ownership again for my happiness and attitude."

We are all going through a difficult time. We can either let it beat us down and become stressed and frustrated. Or, we can choose to be passionate and energized and find a way to succeed. We need to focus more on our customers and each other. We need to live and work more in the moment. We need to have more fun. What do you plan on doing? I am going to grab my harmonica.

Please read the rest of my Fall newsletter here.

Now is the Time to Communicate

I wanted to share some thoughts on communication from my book and my presentations. Now, more than ever we need to make sure we effectively communicate with each other. We have to help each other be successful. To do this, we must focus, listen, and communicate.

Focus is the start of good communication.

1. We must increase our focus when dealing with employees, managers and customers.
2. Listening is the most important tool in communication. Listening will allow us to be better leaders, teammates, and communicators. Listening also increases creativity.
3. Good listening is a choice.

In the Moment

1. We must be open and flexible to change.
2. We have no control over many things.
3. We always control our attitude and how we react to change.
4. By being in the moment when we communicate, we are more prepared for whatever happens next. Being prepared allows us to be successful and more productive.

Three C's: The goal is to communicate to your audience effectively so they are comfortable, confident and in control.

1. Be a leader and help the other person be comfortable, confident and in control.
2. Provide the right details at the right time.
3. Be patient.
4. Be flexible.
5. Be open to ideas.
6. Define constant communication.
7. Speak up when something is bothering you.

Be more detailed. Everyone needs a different amount of details to effectively communicate. Give the right amount of details at the right time.

1. Understand we are all different in how we communicate.
2. Some people are chit-chat people and some are down to business. Communicate differently to each employee. Treat them as individuals and not as a group.
3. Each employee will respond to different ways of communication.
4. Be patient and positive.

Create a 50/50 partnership. Involve the employees in the communication process. If the employee has ownership and is involved, they care. When the employee cares, they have passion.

1. Ask the question: How do I make the other people around me successful? This is the hardest part of effective communication. Most people come in to work and say, "What can everyone do for me today?"
2. The dynamic shift is asking the question, "What can I do for the people around me to make them successful?" Ask the question. Answer the question. Act on the answer.

Stay in the Game

1. Anyone can quit. The only way to be successful is to stay in the game. If you stay in the game, you might have to learn something new; get out of your comfort zone; communicate differently; or try a new approach. If you quit, you are guaranteed failure. If you stay in the game, you will fins success.
2. Create opportunity for people to communicate. Match the opportunity with positive support. When was the last time you asked your employees what they needed to be happy?

Survive the Recession: Listen to this Podcast

As you can tell, I have not posted in some time. Depsite the economy and the media preparing us for armageddon and the apocolypse, I have had a very busy last three months.

Here is my goal: I will try to post every Sunday/Monday with something. Anything. So, in honor of Cloris Leachman's continued pursuit of the mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars, I give you my first blog post for the Fourth Quarter 2008. Or, as the history books will some day refer to it, the moment everyone realized that it wasn't such a good idea to buy everything on credit.

By the way, for those of you who do not respect Cloris Leachman the comedian, you might want to rent/buy Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein. It is certainly in my Top Ten funniest movies of all time. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072431/)

I recently was a guest on three podcasts/tele-seminars. On each, I talked about my book's messages on leadership, work/life balance, passion, communication, creativity, change and teamwork. Strange things seem to happen to me when I do these tele-seminars/podcasts/webcasts/phone interviews/whatever you call them.

Here is what happened during my last three:

1. During a tele-seminar, someone’s line became unmuted and the listener was having a conversation with I think was her cat. This is classic. To hear this podcast, you have to sign up as a member (I believe there is a fee). http://www.success-avalanche.com/main.html

2. Yesterday, I was being interviewed for a blog podcast when the host somehow dropped off the line. I began calling out his name like a lost child looking for a parent at the department store. And yes, the dead air and me calling out the host’s name was still in the podcast for a few days. I think, by now, it has been edited out. The podcast is free. Here is the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/joel+zeff

3. My most recent podcast was fun and uneventful. The podcast is free. Here is the link:
http://www.coachingcommons.org/featured/book-it-words-for-the-soul-uncommon-conversation-october-23-author-interview-series/

Have a great week. Happy Halloween

Recession Survival: Seven Essential Career Tips

Execunet has asked me to give a teleconference seminar on recession survival. I recently wrote an article for a newsletter on their web site. You have to be a member to see the newsletter or listen to the seminar. If I can figure out how to post a pdf file on a blog, I will post the newsletter article.

For those non-members, here is a summary of my presentation. Of course, this is what I plan to talk about. Sometimes, the plan gets side-tracked a little.

By the way, here are three other possible titles to my presentation. Which one do you like best?

Recession Proof Your Career: Seven Essential Tips
Recession Career Survival: Seven Essential Tips
Recession Preparation: Seven Essential Career Tips

My Seven Key Points:

1. Be Open and Flexible to Change
2. Take Responsibility for Your Happiness, Passion and Energy
3. Stay in the Game
4. Work and Live in the Moment
5. Figure out What Makes You Happy
6. Create Passion
7. What would you do for free?


A Quick Summary:


We may or may not be in a recession. We are definitely working in a time of great change and stress. How do you manage change and stay passionate and energized at your job? Can you be happy during a recession? How do you take responsibility for your happiness when so many changes are out of your control? Join Joel Zeff (www.joelzeff.com) a national workplace expert, speaker and humorist for his session on seven essential career tips to survive a recession.

With wit, a sharp observational eye, and playful irreverence, he discusses the choices we all encounter in our careers. We each have the ability to take initiative and make the right choice to live a more creative, passionate, effective, and productive life – even during a recession. How do you make the right choice? You must take ownership of your work environment and create a foundation of opportunity and positive support. You can choose to be patient, supportive, and more flexible to change. You can choose to have fun in the workplace and still be productive. Joel teaches us just how easy it is to make these choices.

This session is not about "strategic deliverables," PowerPoint presentations with upside-down triangles, or "paradigm shifts in a cross-functional organization." This session will be conversational, funny, and very informative. Yes, Joel will make you laugh, but he'll also make you think. This session delivers a combination of inspiration, essential business knowledge, and significant ideas to help you reconnect with their own passion, creativity, and success.



The Seven Points in More Detail:


1. Be Open and Flexible to Change

Always be open and flexible to change. No matter what happens to the economy, there is going to be change. You may have to deal with a merger, layoff or restructuring. Most of these changes are out of your control. We may not control the change, but we always control our reaction and attitude. Take ownership of the change by being open and flexible. Take ownership of your attitude and reaction to keep your energy and passion. How you deal with change determines your success, productivity, creativity, passion and stress. Ask yourself two important questions: Does this change affect my happiness and success? Does this change affect the people around me? Focus your energies on what really matters. Be open. Be flexible. Live healthier.


2. Take Responsibility for Your Passion, Energy and Happiness

Learn to take responsibility for your passion, energy and happiness. Too many times, we let other people’s actions or words determine our happiness. Happiness is a choice. Unfortunately, when we give control to other people, we are never very happy.
It is easy during a recession to give up control. You may have to do more work, stay late. You might have to do more with fewer resources. Your best manager might leave for a better opportunity.

Would you, as a normal, sane person, really make the choice to wake up in the morning, comb your hair, brush your teeth and say, “Man, I am bitter, frustrated and angry. I can’t wait to get to work.” No, you would not. Yet, people do that every day. We have no control over many issues at home or at work. We always have control of our attitude and how we react to those issues. We do have a choice to wake up every morning happier and more energized. And happy people get to work early when there are still blueberry muffins.
When we are happy and having fun, we are more creative, productive and effective. We are better leaders. The choice to take ownership of your attitude is an important key to everyone’s success.


3. Stay in the Game

Anyone can quit. You don’t even have to go to school to learn how to quit. And I am not talking about quitting your job. I am talking about quitting goals, challenges, and initiatives. Think about your role models. Think about the great men and women of history. They all dealt with mistakes, failures, and challenges. The difference is how they dealt with those issues. They did not quit; they stayed in the game. There are many issues during a recession, and the only way you are going to fail is if you quit. If you stay in the game, you might have to communicate, work harder, find a common ground, learn something new or get out of your comfort zone. If you stay in the game, the only thing you have to look forward to is success.


4. Work and Live in the Moment

Be in the moment at work. Be in the moment at home. Working in the moment means being focused and connected to what is happening right now. Listen to each other. Make eye contact. Engage in the communication process. We are at our best when we are in the moment. It is too easy to lose focus if things are not going the way you planned. Keep your passion for success and focus in the moment. It is too easy to worry about tomorrow and start playing the game “what if.” Working in the moment is about being present right now.


5. Figure out What Makes You Happy

Tell someone what you need to be happy. We all need opportunity. When was the last time you told someone specifically what you need to be happy? The next time you have a great day at work, take a moment to write down what made that day special. Now, you have a list of what you need to achieve success and happiness. Ask for it. Demand it. Work hard for it. Happiness at work will create the balance you are seeking. Even during a recession, you still need to enjoy what you do. Recession means change. It also means opportunity. Take the time to speak to your staff, management or ownership and figure out what you need to be happy. Do you want more responsibility or less? Do you want the opportunity to be creative?


6. Create Passion

The truth is you don’t want a job, you want a passion. How do you get a passion? Create an environment of opportunity and positive support and you will be amazed by what you can accomplish. After you build the foundation, you will start to care. We only care about something if we have responsibility or ownership. Guess what happens when you care? You start to have passion. If you can’t create that at work, you are going to have a hard time finding balance.


7. What would you do for free?

You have to face reality during a recession. There are going to be significant changes. Those changes will also create a great opportunity for you. Is it time to make a change? Do you need to change jobs? Do you need to change industries? Do you need to go back to school? Times of change are also the best time to reassess. Are you happy? Ask yourself a very important question: What would I do for free? Now work toward creating a career around that answer. Yes, you might have to put in some extra work. You might have to go back to school; take a risk; or make a significant change. That is what life is about. You have to take a risk to find reward. The end result is you don’t have a job anymore. You have a passion. And, it is a lot more fun and rewarding to have a passion.


Hope everyone is having a great summer. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July celebration.