People-Skills: Be & Perform Like a Ferrari
by Kate Nasser | 19 Comments »
In this day of fast paced connections, it’s smart to fine tune our people-skills to perform like a Ferrari.
We must be quickly aware of and adapt to conditions, select the right speed of interaction, and pick the right words to communicate — all with style. Quite a challenge!
So let’s fast track it with quality components (knowledge) and then road test (practice) and maintain it with continued learning.
People-Skills: Be & Perform Like a Ferrari
Image by:Crystal666 via Creative Commons License
Fast Track Knowledge for People-skills Performance
- Make brevity effective not rude. Skip the emotionally inflaming phrases and speak with simple honesty.
- Be confident in your knowledge and deliver it humbly. It’s easier to appreciate the knowledge and respect the person when arrogance is not fogging the view.
- Influence don’t manipulate. Abandon questions like don’t you think and replace them with open-ended questions that produce true understanding.
- Listen don’t label. Labels build barriers; listening builds collaborative success.
- Deliver results without running over people. What you ponder, you create. If you think of positive ways to succeed, your communication and people-skills will follow suit.
- Express opinions as opinion, not as decrees. There is a time and place for certainty and a time and place to consider other possibilities. You earn great respect for being able to do both.
- Opposing views can lead to new discoveries. Opposing each other leads nowhere. Where do you want to go?
- Optimism and skepticism are healthy; pessimism is poison. An optimistic outlook and some protective skepticism lift all to tangible success. Pessimism drains the life out of everyone you touch. How do you want to touch others? Choose wisely.
See you on the highway to success as we handle the curves with ease and style!
From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™
Related post: 7 Steps From Brutally Blunt to Helpfully Honest
©2012 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. If you want to re-post or republish this post, please email info@katenasser.com. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.
Kate Nasser, The People-Skills Coach™, delivers consulting, training, DVDs, and keynotes that turn interaction obstacles into business success especially in tough times of change. See this site for workshops outlines, action footage, and customer results.
Kate, your vivid imagery conveys the V12 power of your message with elegance, verbal economy and persuasiveness. The mightiest force of human power is found in people of great human stature more than in those who use their status to run over others and bully them into submission. We look at a Ferrari in wonder and admiration, not in fear and fright -– so it is with great leaders too. Thank you for this little gem.
David Lapin
Author: LEAD BY GREATNESS
http://leadbygreatness.com
Many thanks David. Honored by your addition to this post and of course, your positive feedback.
Warmest regards,
Kate
Kate,
Very inspiring to read early in the morning 🙂
I feel like a Ferrari now 🙂
I liked this the most “Deliver results without running over people. What you ponder, you create. If you think of positive ways to succeed, your communication and people-skills will follow suit.”
Regards,
Khalid
Me too Khalid! Picture success and you start creating it. …. Thanks, Kate
Excellent post Kate, as always. I love them all.
Just like the brevity of our honest statements, there should be that same kind of focus to what we do. Know what you do well, do that, don’t knock anyone down along the way to simply getting the job done.
And, “what you ponder, you create.” Many people undervalue, or fail to use constructively, their internal conversation. What is constantly going on in your head is communicated in the way you do things and act, whether youcan see it or not. And, obviously it impacts what others see in you, and are willing to follow.
Martina
@martinamcgowan
Martina,
Thought is very powerful. It can get us stuck or propel us to growth. Think innovation and you start to innovate and create. Think teamwork and you lead collaboration. The list goes on and on. I am so honored that you highlight the importance of the internal conversation.
Many thanks,
Kate
I love these practical tips Kate. It all boils down to being true to your convictions and balancing a proper sense of pride and self-respect, with actions that honor and esteem others in the process!
Great imagery and message. would love to repost this exactly as is – as guest blog on my blog- email or DM me on Twitter @impactresults 🙂 nice work.
Christine
Thank you for the invitation Christine. Will email you this weekend!
Kate
Hi Kate. I especially like your point to “influence not manipulate.” I used to have a boss that was fond of stating ideas/opinions followed by the phrase “don’t you think?” It always made me feel like I had to respond in agreement to what was being said. I’m assuming my boss had best intentions and wasn’t trying to manipulate me, but looking back I can see that I certainly felt that way at times. Thanks for the insight!
Randy
Hi Randy,
Influence vs. manipulation is a very key point and I am gratified that you echo its importance. Passive aggressive is especially damaging to professional relationships and teamwork.
Thank you for your time and story on this point.
Kate
Great list Kate and I love the Ferrari analogy. Professionally I like the straight to the point style but it can be hard on some French or Japanese people who are not used to the typical direct communication style Americans have.
Hi, Anne.
It’s funny that you refer to American’s having a “direct communication style.” I worked in a German company for years, and one of the biggest frustrations that my German colleagues had is that they felt we Americans needed to sugar-coat everything! They were much more blunt with their assessments and communication than we were… It’s interesting how different cultures yield different communication styles.
Wonderful insights Kate.
I’m so glad you gave focus to “influence”. Too many leaders either miss this important competency, or find ways to abuse their ability to manipulate others who chose to trust. Thanks for opening an important door.
…Steve
Steve,
Truly thankful that you believe this is an “important door”. Manipulation — even when just perceived — kills many a professional relationship. Always pleased to have your perspective here Steve and I recommend that many listen to your “Rare Leader” minutes on YouTube.
Regards,
Kate
Lolly, I am glad to admit that a couple of Twitter folks — you especially — have deepened my insight and expression of the internal conversation. Every Tues. night at 8pm ET I warm up for the #leadfromwithin chat you lead and dig deep to learn and share.
So Grateful!
Kate