Sporting Events
A sporting event is a wonderful way to further a relationship with a client, whether you and your guest are participants or spectators. These events are entertaining and relaxing and offer the opportunity to develop common interests and bonds. Additionally, sporting events usually last at least two hours and sometimes the better part of a day, afternoon, or evening, providing rare uninterrupted time with valued clients or prospects.
HANDLING THE BASICS
If you are a participant, strictly adhere to the guidelines for attire and play for the event. Your good sportsmanship will be under the microscope.
If your guest is a participant, let him know ahead of time what equipment he will need, what to wear, who else might be accompanying you, and how long the event will take.
If you and your guest are arriving separately, deliver your guest’s ticket to his office the day of the event or meet at a designated time and place and hand the prepaid ticket to your guest. Do not pay for any fees or tickets in your guest’s presence.
If talking business, take your guest’s lead. She may just want to enjoy the event and save business discussions for another time.
The Private Box
Entertaining guests in a private box lets them know that they are held in high esteem. It is critical that the hosts take great care with their duties and that guests also do their part. Hosts arrive early to greet guests, appropriately attired in either high-end business casual or suits if they are coming directly from the office. They offer guests refreshments, introduce them to others in the box, and facilitate small talk.
Boxes are divided into two spaces: one, an enclosed area for mingling and partaking of refreshments, and the other, actual seats for viewing the game. In this intimate gathering, hosts and guests talk with everyone, much as they would at a party. It is acceptable to let others know who you are and what you do, but do not engage in heavy business discussions or obvious sales tactics. Once in the seats, talk business only if your guest initiates it. In this close setting, boisterous behavior or overindulging in alcohol will be noticed and will not be forgotten.
Cultural Events
If you know your guest particularly enjoys cultural events, selecting a concert, a play, a symphony, or an opera will boost you into the business entertainer hall of fame. Scoring hard-to-find tickets demonstrates your thoughtfulness and generosity, and also your ingenuity and influence. Arrange for dinner beforehand, and attend to your guest’s comfort throughout the event to create an experience—and relationship—for the ages.
Colleagues
A manager due to speak at an employee awards dinner had had, unbeknownst to her boss, too much to drink. When she was called to the stage to recount the accomplishments of one of the award recipients, she stumbled up the stairs, seeming to barely make it to the podium. There, she immediately launched into a roast of the honoree with rambling, inappropriate remarks, laughing uncontrollably at her own jokes. When no one laughed with her, she told the assemblage to “lighten up.” The manager then abruptly shifted her tone and began to engage in an overly emotional tribute to the award winner, choking up tearfully as she described his character and accomplishments. After thoroughly embarrassing herself and her audience, she was escorted off the stage. All eyes were on her as she walked out of the event, her grim-faced boss beside her. She was not fired on the spot, but her position was eliminated a relatively short time afterward.
You’ve outdone yourself in the business entertainment arena. Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy yourself with your colleagues. After a long week, quarter, or year, you look forward to meeting up at a local watering hole or attending a company-sponsored party or event. You’ve earned this chance to let your hair down with team members and possibly even take advantage of face time with company higher-ups. What could possibly go wrong?
Whenever we are with our colleagues, our brands are on display. And whenever alcohol is served, our good judgment and professionalism are on display, too. Socializing with colleagues in a setting that sounds, tastes, looks, and feels like a party lulls employees into thinking it is a party. In fact, it is the most treacherous professional terrain they will ever encounter. The boss who hits on his subordinate, the employee who complains about his salary, the employee who spreads gossip to sabotage a coworker, the employee who belligerently argues his political views, the two teammates who conspicuous flirt then mysteriously disappear—none of this goes unnoticed.
At formal company events, employees who accept an invitation and don’t attend, or don’t formally accept and do attend (sometimes with uninvited guests), are as problematic as those who come too early, too late, or dressed inappropriately—or who spend the entire evening on their electronic devices.
BEST BEHAVIOR
Respond promptly to an invitation. Go if you have accepted. A great deal of time, effort, and expense is involved in any event. To cancel at the last minute or to skip the party entirely (except in the case of an emergency) is extremely inconsiderate.
Do not ask to bring a guest. If you are invited to bring a guest, and do, his behavior and dress reflects on you. A preparty briefing about who’s who and what you hope to accomplish is time well spent.
Greet hosts and senior persons. Do not involve them in lengthy conversations, however, as they need to circulate among all of the guests. Take the opportunity to talk with those you may not see on a daily basis.
Be enthusiastic! Participate in the event’s activities, and encourage others to do so as well. But remember, it is not your job to be the “life of the party.” Email or send a note of thanks to the host the next day. It will be appreciated and perhaps the only one he receives.
Many times impromptu social events will pop up such as drinks with colleagues, casual dinners, and activities such as shopping, walks, and bike rides. The advice is to consider going to as many of these as you can without impacting your work-life balance. They represent terrific ways to bond with coworkers, glean useful information, and generally keep up with what’s happening within the organization. Expenses associated with such occasions are not normally covered by the company, so be prepared to pay an equal share, even if you are not drinking alcohol.
Never become the company freeloader. At after-hours drinks with their team, one colleague was always the first to grab the check and divvy up the amount due per person. All contributed their fair shares, no questions asked, until one day someone noticed that the “banker” was the only one who did not contribute to the bill. He also kept the change for himself! Needless to say, this was the last time he was in charge of the bill. No word on whether he was invited for drinks again.
We’ve learned how much skill is associated with business dining and entertaining. We may have been swayed to consider that there could be life outside of cyberspace and that interacting face-to-face might actually be enjoyable. In fact, we may just be encouraged enough to put our electronic devices down, at least for a moment, and bask in the warmth of real-life smiles.
REMEMBER
Entertaining clients and prospects is an art. Hone this skill and undertake it with deliberation, and it becomes an incredibly powerful professional tool.
Wine is an important element of business entertaining. Learn about wine, and appreciate the relationship-building opportunities that come with this knowledge.
Entertaining special people in special ways creates enduring bonds. Distinguish yourself as a business professional by entertaining in sophisticated settings.
Socializing with colleagues is work, not play. Build rapport within the bounds of unassailable conduct, as this is the course for professional success.
chapter 10
new frontiers
Future-Proofing Your Career
“Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present.”
—ALBERT CAMUS
At 64, Louisa is about to go on her first job interview in 40 years. After a rewarding career as a high school French tea
cher, it’s time to retire, but she’s not ready to sit on the porch watching the world go by. She loved teaching, but now she asks, “What else can I do?”
Completing an online skills inventory, Louisa was surprised to find out how many skills she had acquired over the years. Communication and listening skills had been a big part of her job as a teacher, of course, but she had never given any thought to how much time she had spent leading, mediating, planning, analyzing, and problem solving. Her excellent people skills meant she was able to relate to everyone, and she was even current with her tech skills—a big bonus. Her best friend, Mimi, the high school’s Spanish teacher, came upon the perfect match for Louisa’s skills and interests.
Mimi and Louisa roamed the world together during their many summer vacations, and this got Mimi thinking. “What,” she asked Louisa, “were the things we always did no matter where we traveled?”
“You mean shopping?” Louisa said with a laugh. “Well, after shopping and sightseeing,” she continued, “we went to every gallery, saw every ballet and concert, and went to all of the museums.”
“That’s it!” Mimi said, “Why not look at a new career in the art world, in a museum? I even know someone right here in our city you could call.”
That’s how Louisa landed her interview as an arts education coordinator for the city’s museum of fine arts. First, she packaged her résumé to align her skills with the responsibilities of the job. She became thoroughly versed in art terminology and familiarized herself with the museum’s current and future exhibitions. She also got up to speed on what was happening in other major museums around the world.
Quietly confident but excited, Louisa dresses impeccably and arrives early and ready on the day of her interview. She immediately hits it off with her interviewer, and they share stories of their world travels and the museums they had both visited. Louisa’s interviewer suddenly reveals a pleasant surprise. “I want you on my team. When can you start?”
The Future Workplace
Tomorrow is coming. In some cases it is already here. Technological advancements, increased automation, outsourcing, and a concept of work largely defined and designed by and for millennials will shape the near future of our professional lives. This will happen in ways we cannot yet truly comprehend. The good news is that the interpersonal skills you have mastered so far will position you well for what comes next. But you will need to exhibit even greater judgment and dexterity in deciding when, how, and to what extent to employ them.
Wedded as we are to technology, it will never replace the need for human connection. In the future workplace, technological skill will be common among all employees and no longer a distinguishing competitive advantage. What will distinguish individuals is what has distinguished them throughout time: the ability to establish respectful relationships.
In its 2016 Evolution of Work study, ADP Research Institute says there are five overarching trends employers need to know about: choice and flexibility, real-time learning, increased autonomy, stability, and personally meaningful projects. The report also finds that the workplace will see increases in global recruiting, contract hiring, social media collaboration, mobile device-centered work, flexible retirement, flat corporate structures, work-life integration, and technology-monitored productivity.1
In his Forbes article, “Ten Workplace Trends You’ll See in 2016,” Dan Schawbel writes about an increase in the rehiring of baby boomer retirees, either as consultants or to take on leadership roles. He sees a revamp of parental leave as 80 million millennials embark upon a baby boom of their own, and he also sees a redesign of office spaces to accommodate workers’ preferences.2
Jacob Morgan, author of the Forbes article, “The Future of Work Is About Flexibility, Autonomy, and Customization,” has created the acronym FAC: flexibility to work where, when, and how one chooses, autonomy to be responsible for one’s work effort, and choice to work on projects that are most individually meaningful.3
In her article in Fast Company, “What Work Will Look Like in 2025,” Gwen Moran says the jobs that will be most in demand are those that require emotional intelligence such as sales positions, those that are hard to automate such as health care and personal services, and those requiring trade skills, or specific training, such as science, technology, and math.4
Among the challenges for professionals in the future workplace is an acceptance of the fact that job security no longer exists—there is no gold watch for 25 years of faithful work. In her Daily Mail article, “Will YOUR Job Exist in 2025?” Jenny Awford quotes Martin Chen, chief operating officer of Genesis Property, a real estate developer in China. Chen says that “experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely redundant by 2025.”5 As artificial intelligence, robots, drones, and smart machines continue to redefine the workplace, jobs requiring repetitive tasks are particularly at risk. Higher skilled jobs in the administrative, clerical, and production areas are also on the chopping block, along with the roles of tax preparer, loan officer, and insurance appraiser.
Stress levels will be high and burnout will be a widespread problem as companies and employees try to do more with less time, money, and resources.
Yes, burnout, a term introduced in the 1970s, is rearing its ugly head again. In her Forbes article, “Overcoming Burnout: Five Ways to Get Back on Track at Work,” Vicky Valet quotes Christina Maslach, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the “Maslach Burnout Inventory.” Dr. Maslach says, “It’s not just that people have a bad attitude, it’s that they are working in a socially toxic workplace.” She says it is not primarily workload, time pressures, and exhaustion that cause burnout; it is a lack of workplace civility. “Something as little as someone rolling their eyes can wear away at you. It’s also sarcastic tone of voice, being nasty and rude. It’s what you say, how you say it, and how you act.”6
Two separate 2015/2016 studies by Willis Towers Watson, a global risk management and insurance brokerage, offer another view. These studies indicate that employers and employees alike think insufficient staffing is a major contributing factor to burnout, but they disagree on its other top causes. Employers rank lack of work-life balance and technology that keeps employees tethered to their work as the biggest stressors, but employees say low pay and organization culture are the real issues.7
Burnout has dramatic personal and organizational consequences, impacting physical and mental health, employee absenteeism, tardiness, and productivity.
Communicating and collaborating across divergent schedules and time zones with team members and business partners, some continents away, will require enormous flexibility and well-honed communication skills. Members of the “gig economy” will find the number of bosses with whom they will need to get along expanding exponentially. The allure of being one’s own boss will be quickly balanced by the realization that each new client brings a new boss, and sometimes decisions are made by a team with multiple stakeholders.
Gloria Larson, president of Bentley University, says, “Specialty skills, which were once assigned to dedicated positions, are now expected and required across several job categories.” Social media skills will be required of everyone, not just those on the marketing team.8 Richard Newton, author of the book The End of Nice: How to Be Human in a World Run by Robots, says, “The profoundly human skills of interpersonal communication, empathy, and compassion, along with others such as creativity, problem-solving, and caring, are the ones people will get hired for in the future.”9
By having a respectful attitude, professionals can develop the soft skills of communication, empathy, and collaboration that their future success requires. Professionals will also need agility to quickly change gears when necessary; humility to admit what they do not know; generosity to help others in need; tenacity to see projects through; courage to deal with uncertainty; tolerance to work with people of different ages, cultures, and levels of experience; good judgment to k
eep things in perspective; kindness to encourage others; and resilience to try, fail, and try again. A sense of humor and sufficient rest, nutrition, and exercise will also help.
THE FUTURE-PROOF CAREER
Take responsibility for your future career. Know that you are now responsible for creating and managing your career, where once employers dictated career paths and next-step promotions.
Commit to continued career development. Take advantage of free company training or invest in training at your expense and time. Stay current on industry trends and changes, follow thought leaders, and nurture your professional network. You could repackage your skills as a consultant, trainer, or freelancer.
Hone your interpersonal and technical skills. Understand that these are the nonnegotiable assets for success now and in the future.
Consider a new career. Know what you like and what you are good at—then prepare to do it. The future holds great opportunity for creative boutique businesses.
The workspace has undergone dramatic changes. Designed to increase productivity, inspire creativity, facilitate collaboration, and promote health and well-being, workspaces are beginning to look more like homes, gardens, and pubs than the soulless, monochromatic grids of the past. If you happen to work for Deloitte, the professional services organization, in its new Montreal office space unveiled in late 2015, you have 18 different workspaces from which to choose. In addition to a personal workstation (with or without a treadmill), you have quiet rooms, flex spaces, lounges, cafés, bistros, outdoor spaces, fitness facilities, and a concierge at your disposal.
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