Country singer Tracy Lawrence has a great song that tells a story of a guy who's been at the top, and when he gets down on his luck he finds out who his friends are. Most of us have friended a friend of a friend (prior to Facebook that sentence would have made no sense what so ever). Then before you know it, you have 502 “friends” in your life. Well, with all the hype about … [Read more...]
The Customer Service Oxymoron
I refuse to be one of those people who's jaded and negative. I'm the person who goes to great lengths to make sure the manager of a restaurant knows when their bathroom needs attention or equally, if it looks nice. I'll always make an effort to let someone know when I receive superior service. Many people only reserve the dreaded, "may I speak with your manager" for negative … [Read more...]
Using the L Word in Business
I use it every day. The more I find myself engaged in relationships that cross both personal and professional boundaries, the less I try to resist. I can also say that the advent of social networking has made building true friendships easier at work where once a line was drawn. And dropping a "love ya," or a "sending love your way" comment seems to soften those lines even … [Read more...]
How to Deal with Professional Disappointment
Anger doesn't fix any problem; profanity is a waste of breath and blame is an exercise in self-righteousness that really has no place in the workplace. And I know because I've tried all three! So what is the answer to overcoming a large-scale let down in business? It's the same as it would be in your personal life; and as a psychologist once told me, "disappointment is just … [Read more...]
You Can’t Win ’em All
"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing" is a well-known sports mantra. It exemplifies a form of unfettered competitiveness that has permeated American sports. Its assertion about the importance of winning has been touted as a basic tenet of the American sports creed and, at the same time, singled out as encapsulating what is purportedly right with competitive … [Read more...]
Graduating with Grace
I was honored to be asked to introduce the 2009 graduating class from Nashville OIC (opportunities industrialization center), a not-for-profit center designed to provide GED and soft skills education to ANYONE who wants it. 117 adults who defied odds, social stigma, economic condition, or whatever obstacle prevented them from graduating high school the first go around walked … [Read more...]
Climbing Out of the Box
This past week I was introduced to one group as, “the queen of manure” and to another I was setup with the comment, “not only does this woman work out of the box, she doesn’t even know where the box is.” Both, given the context, were complimentary believe it or not. I had to laugh because I’ve held many titles in my career, but seriously, manure queen? It may actually turn … [Read more...]
Gone Fishin’
Each day when I head into the office I know that my day requires some basic preparation…and today to celebrate my husband’s recent promotion; I’m going to use an analogy that is near and dear to his heart—fishing! Our fishing outings require preparation, contemplation, strategy, finesse, patience and persistence…much like a typical sales day. Fishing begins by plugging in … [Read more...]
Twitterfried [Reaching Twitter Burn Out]
Posted by Chrysty Beverley Fortner. I'm fully engaged in the assault on social media. I'm a warrior. I love it. I have a website to maintain for work, two blogs, a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook account, two groups, a cause and two fan pages; I text often, I live on email and Blackberry, I message through myEmma and now I “tweet.” However, I don't yet see the true value to … [Read more...]
Never Forget
I sit here thinking about words of encouragement and pearls of wisdom for the working woman on this Sunday before Memorial Day and I am at a loss. My words seem so insignificant, but I'm writing anyway. This Monday morning deserves more than best practices and philosophies. No level of business prowess can trump the efforts and sacrifices made by the men and women of our … [Read more...]