Customer service is the staff’s ability to provide a series of activities designed to identify and meet customer expectations in order to acquire, retain, and grow a customer base that you trust.

The customers are all the people we interact with. The purpose of an exchange does not need to be economic and limited to goods and services. Exchange often has a psychological and intangible dimension.

The ultimate goal of a customer approach is not simply to satisfy the customers, but to maintain a strong and lasting relationship – a “loyalty effect” – with them. That’s what really matters.

Maintaining good customer service requires daily action.

Quality customer service can be provided through simple actions…

100 Ways to Provide Greater Customer Service

1. Show that you take customer service seriously
2. Take the time to get to know your customers
3. Identify what your customers really want
4. Thank your customers
5. Be sincere
6. Smile
7. Respond quickly to customer requests
8. Make quality and service your priorities
9. Be proactive
10. Help clients without overwhelming them with bureaucratic red tape
11. Listen to understand, not to argue
12. Inform your customers
13. Turn complaints into satisfaction
14. Be reliable
15. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes
16. Do ordinary things extraordinarily well
17. Exceed customer expectations
18. Add value and integrity to every interaction
19. Give every customer your best
20. Speak in a reassuring manner
21. Discover new ways to delight your customer
22. Be surprised by everything you can do
23. Take care of every customer – don’t overlook “internal” customers
24. Make REALISTIC promises
25. Admit your mistakes and apologize
26. Know how to control yourself and your emotions
27. Make sure you are available and accessible
28. Learn about customer concerns
29. Do not finish client sentences for them
30. Pay attention, listen to what the customer has to say
31. Find a fair solution to meet client requests while meeting organizational needs
32. Do what you promise, when and how you said you would do it
33. Demonstrate sensitivity to client needs by validating or empathizing
34. Actively listen to client words, tone, and body language
35. Put yourself in the customer’s position to see the situation from their perspective
36. Try to understand before you make yourself understood
37. Thank the customer for bringing an issue to your attention
38. Recognize the customer and give them your full attention
39. Be professional
40. Connect, one client at a time
41. Identify and anticipate needs
42. Answer the phone before the third ring
43. Make customers feel important and valued
44. Be part of the solution, not the problem
45. Take complaints professionally and not personally
46. Know how to apologize
47. Ask thoughtful questions and listen to the customer’s response
48. Know that what counts is not what you say, but how you say it
49. Approach the situation (even if complex) with optimism
50. Tell the customer that you appreciate them as a customer, whenever they call
51. Treat each meeting politely and pleasantly
52. Don’t let the customer wait for nothing
53. Do not transfer the customer from one person to another
54. Remember that, to the client, their problem is unique
55. Keep things in context
56. Study all facets; do not defend or justify yourself
57. Be respectful
58. Be sensitive to your client’s situation
59. Do not use the phone as a shield against broken promises
60. Have the skills to help the client
61. Welcome the customer warmly and positively
62. Earn the customer’s trust
63. Direct the client to the right service, place, or source of information
64. Join forces WITH customer, AGAINST the problem
65. Promise less…and give more!
66. Accept responsibility for inconvenience without blaming others
67. Let the customer be involved in finding a solution
68. Try until the customer is satisfied
69. Constantly self-assess yourself to find the best way to serve your customers
70. Do not have a condescending tone of voice (as if you were talking to a child)
71. Never let your negative feelings appear
72. Choose to remain positive and client-focused
73. Accept others as they are rather than wanting them otherwise
74. Focus on the customer
75. Don’t be defensive
76. Listen to all the details before answering
77. Do not interrupt the customer. If you need to interrupt them, say “excuse me” or “sorry to interrupt”.
78. Try to help
79. Stay objective. Don’t get caught up in emotions
80. Propose an action plan
81. Provide an appropriate solution to the problem
82. Accurately rephrase the client’s words
83. Support the client by showing them that it is worth taking the time to try to understand them
84. Use de-escalation techniques when the customer is angry
85. Adapt to the client
86. Avoid anticipating the customer’s message
87. Do not chew gum
88. Give the customer time to ask their questions
89. Call the customer by name
90. Ask the customer for feedback
91. Avoid professional jargon and colloquial language
92. Gather the methods and techniques needed to succeed
93. Agree to be flexible in your own expectations
94. Offer multiple choices to the client
95. Take care of the customer first, then their problem
96. Be patient
97. Focus on quality rather than quantity
98. Be assertive without being passive, arrogant or hostile
99. Wish the customer a good day
100. Try one of these techniques a day!

It is your actions, your approach, and your attitude that will convince the customer of their importance.

And the customer is not the only one to benefit … knowing how to provide quality service makes our days easier and more enjoyable, and customer service is an investment in our credibility and professionalism. And it’s you who will get the long-term benefits!

Assertiveness is frequently confused with freedom of expression. Under the pretext ofexpressing one’s opinion freely,we hurt or abuse someone else… Or, on the contrary,we feel misunderstood, victimized, or offended…

Being assertive does not mean claimingour rights or imposingour opinion… It is knowing how to express ourselves in a way that clearly indicates our needs while keeping communication openwith others in order to develop positive professional (or social) relations.

What does being assertive mean?  

Let’s begin by defining assertiveness as the ability to express our feelings, thoughts, opinions, convictions, and preferences freely, openly, and directly in an honest, appropriate and respectful (towards ourselves and each other) manner,despite environmental pressures.

Why is it important to be assertive?  

Assertiveness is an important aspect of professional behavior. It allows you to express yourself in different situations and to demonstrate your confidence and ability to deal with a situation while remaining respectful and building trust, credibility, and rapport.

The goal is to not generate anxiety and stress for ourselves and to avoid creating some for others while achieving results.

To assert ourselves is to take our rightful place; it is to know our rights, needs, and interests and toaffirm them. It also means being able to give voice to our feelings while knowing how to control them. Managing our emotions is an essential step towards defending our rights, and therefore towards asserting ourselves.

Assertiveness allows us to get what we need while respecting and recognizing the needs of others. As we build our interpersonal skills, we need to be able to assert our position and understand what we expect from interacting with others.

For example:

• Are you able to talk to your supervisor about excessive workload?
• Are you able to ask questions and make statements without fear of being judged?
• Do you stay strong when others offer resistance or when a friend or colleague is rude or unreasonable?
• Can you express your opinion clearly and unambiguously without generating distrust or anxiety?

People who assert themselves approach situations with confidence and maturity. In general, people whoassertthemselves:

• Get win-win results more easily - they see the value of their interlocutor and their position and can quickly find common ground.
• Are better at solving problems - they feel apt to do what it takes to find the best solution.
• Are less stressed - they know they have personal power and do not feel threatened or victimized when things go wrong.
• Are people of action - they move things forward because they know they can.

Assertiveness creates new opportunities, influences people, and improves relationships with co-workers, customers, suppliers, and personal contacts by providing you with a closer and more honest relationship with those you meet.

On the contrary, a lack of assertiveness undermines physical and psychic energies, causes many psychosomatic disorders, complicates and deteriorates interpersonal relationships, and generates frustrations and dissatisfaction.

Understand that it is above all a matter of respect  

The notion of respect plays a key role in the ability to assert ourselves. To assert ourselves is to establish a win-win relationship in which respect for others (and their opinion) is fundamental. Respecting others means recognizing that we are all of equal value and that the opinions and needs of others are valid. Concretely, it is a matter of being able to express our point of view with conviction while agreeing to consider someone else’s even if it is different.

Assertiveness is best expressed in the phrase “Neither doormat, nor hedgehog!”

Neither doormat - Passive people let others decide what happens to them regardless of their needs, are intimidated, and accept that they are shown little to no respect.

To be a doormat is to adopt a passive behavior in which one does not express their needs and desires, avoids conflicts, and leaves all the room to the other. Passive people who have difficulty speaking out to others do so out of fear of being rejected or to avoid harming others. Theybottlethings up and avoiduncomfortable situations.

They tend to feel “victimized”, blame others for not being considered, and experience feelings of frustration, dissatisfaction, guilt, or anxiety, as well as high levels of tension and stress because their relational expectations aren’t met.

Passive people value themselves less than others. They believe that their rights, opinions, and emotions are not important, and therefore, their needs are almost never met. In the long run, the helplessness and isolation associated with a lack of assertiveness can lead to feelings of depression, insomnia and health problems. Doormat behaviour is disrespectful to oneself!

Nor hedgehog -Aggressive people place their own needs above the needs of others, intimidate others, and show little to no respect.

To be a hedgehog is to adopt an aggressive behavior in which one is insensitive to the ideas, feelings, and needs of others. Hedgehogs meet their needs at the expense of others and interact in a way that is confrontational, violent, or disrespectful.

Hedgehogs are not very grateful for services others provide them with. They tend to victimize others and others usually respond,react with distrust and anger, and avoid any future interaction with them.

As a result, aggressive people experience a lot of stress, guilt, and discomfort. The satisfaction they obtainis short-term andcreates relational problems (repeated conflicts, relationship break-ups, etc.), and hedgehogs end up feeling misunderstood and isolated, which feeds their frustration even more and leads them to an even more aggressive behavior. Hedgehog behavior is disrespectful to others!

Express a balanced statement  

To assert oneself is to know how to find the right balance. It is to place yourself halfway between aggressiveness and passivity.

Assertiveness is based on balance. To assert ourselves, we must know how to express ourselves in a way that clearly indicates our needs, desires, and values while maintaining open communication with others. In other words, finding the right balance of respect for everyone. And this does not come effortlessly. Both poles are necessary: Self-respect and respect for the other.

Asserting oneself is … expressing ourselves  FOR  our needs and values, not AGAINST  those of others. Being assertive also includes understanding that the freedom of some ends where the freedom of others begins!

In order to optimize the participants’ experience, and offer quality training, Solutions & Co. trainers are physically present in their classes and give their training in front of large screens. As if you were there in the classroom with them. What we have seen over the past 7 months is that the success of the “virtual” experience is highly dependent on the participants, and that participants appear to be divided into three main groups:

1. Thosewho donot have cameras on their computers. 
2. Those who do not want to turn their camera on.
3. Those who turn their camera on voluntarily. 

More details...  

1. Those who do not have cameras on their computers -No worries! Did you know you can use the app on your tablet? On your smartphone? The training is so much more effective by video that it is worth taking the time to reconnect. Do you mind reconnecting at the next break?

2. Those who do not want to turn their cameras on - There can be multiple reasons: 

• They are not used to turning it on during internal meetings – I understand that the habit of using the camera during virtual exchanges is not yet rooted in many organizational cultures, but you have to know the difference between an internal meeting where everyone knows each other, and a training where the trainer (and sometimes even the other participants) is unknown. Keeping your camera off with «strangers» creates an unusual and uncomfortable atmosphere.
• They are shy - in the pre-COVID reality, even if you were shy, you showed up to the training rooms in person and people saw you… So why this change? I think the difference is that, in the classroom, we don’t see ourselves. Now, with videoconferencing, we see ourselves in the small window and we feel a certain discomfort. If this is the case, choose the Speaker View format instead of Gallery View. You will only see the person who intervenes at that time.
• They don’t want others to see their personal environment and invade their privacy – Virtual training is not an invitation in your personal space. If you are not ready to share your family life (toddler toys, pets, frames and pictures on the walls, etc…) or invite your colleagues to see the other facets of your personality… You don’t have to! Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to expose your personal life. Neutralize the background of your workspace or create a space where there is nothing personal to see – a simple white wall is enough.
• They don’t want to show what they look like right now – There is something unacceptable about attending a virtual training while lying in bed, in pajamas… A professional training remains an environment where professionalism must remain present. Shower, brush your hair and dress as if you were going to a face-to-face training… Then make yourself comfortable. If you want, you can keep your sweatpants and your sandals - we won’t see it!
• They want to do multiple tasks at once and they don’t want people to know – OK… You were already doing this in class! I can understand how that might sound like a good use of your time, but if you’re attending training, you’re supposed to be there and participate. Multitasking diminishes the understanding and assimilation of the material… Beyond being disrespectful to the trainer and other participants.

3. Those who turn their cameras on voluntarily - Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you so much! You make our work so much easier and more enjoyable.  

But you don’t have to do it just to make your trainer happy. There are many benefits when you turn on your camera.

Benefits of turning your camera on... 

For the participant: 

• Significantly increases participant engagement and learning outcomes.

• Makes a huge difference in the quantity of exchanges and quality of collaboration.
• Facilitates conversations between participants and optimizes communication by adding more feelings and expressions.
• When you talk to the trainer or other participants through your camera, it gives the impression that you are talking to them directly and looking at them directly – this is "virtual eye contact".
• Increases the impact of your intervention and your credibility.
• Facilitates concentration and listening during longer training sessions and avoids distractions.
• Creates a sense of learner community and generates motivation.
• If the visual environment is heterogeneous (some have their camera on and some do not), the trainer will tend to interact much more with those who have their camera on. It’s natural to talk to someone you see! Thus, the participant experiencemay be more positive for those who have their camera on and more unsatisfactory for those who have kept it off.

For the trainer: 

• Seeing someone say something has far more impact than just hearing them talk. Body language contributes greatly to expression. During a training, we don’t just listen to the participant’s words; we also look at gestures, expressions, head tilts, eyebrows, etc… Because they are the bearers of information. Even if we were face to face and had to wear a mask, we would still have these clues.
• It’s demotivating to talk to a bunch of black rectangles with names. The coldness of these black rectangles creates the feeling of monologuing. Without seeing occasional nods, confusion contractions, and appreciation smiles, communication becomes limited. We feel less anchored and less effective when our audience is invisible.
• It creates a dynamic atmosphere – where no one is passive. Good discussions and exchanges require vitality.
• Without the camera, the trainer does not know if you are there, pretending to be attentive, or playing with your dog, or preparing a meal… Without cameras, we are getting closer to anonymity, which destroys ties with participants.
• It contributes to an environment of trust and respect. In trainings, we are all partners looking for the best answers. To that end, when someone formulates an idea or an objection, we give it our full attention. This respect and courtesy are often conveyed and received with visual cues.

The main point of this article is that face-to-face, either in person or virtually, is an important part of a training and contributes to its success. With remote training, turning on our cameras is close to a face-to-face interaction. Of course, video will never replace face-to-face interaction… But seeing someone on the screen psychologically encourages a more authentic human connection.

Please… Please… During your next virtual training – Turn on your cameras!

What is the best way to advance in a career?

The most common answer: get a promotion… For many, this is the only way!

Our concept of “promotion” is quite ancestral. It translates into increased responsibility, prestige and remuneration.

But career progression is not just about the legendary “promotion”. We have a choice of vertical or horizontal advancement.

Which path do you choose to take: climb the ladder or explore the lattice?

Let me explain…

Climb the ladder ?

Vertical advancement is what many call “climbing the organizational ladder”. It’s a promotion in its most traditional sense.

The advantages of following the vertical path

The benefits of vertical careers are widely known. This assignment comes with.... Higher hierarchical status…. Greater responsibility and…. A salary increase.

This approach has its place when you are on a specialized track, when job options are clear and when you know what role you would like to have. Indeed, each role throughout the journey will build on and deepen experience and knowledge, and it is natural to be motivated to acquire promotions and progress.

The disadvantages of following the vertical path

This type of career path sometimes creates a domino effect. Its sequence begins when the best performing individuals reach their peak: this is the famous Peter’s principle… This empirical law on hierarchical organizations. According to this principle, “in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence,” with the result that “over time, any position will be filled by an employee who is unable to take responsibility for it.”

We insist on promoting the best performing (or most loyal) employees without realizing that more skills, abilities and knowledge are needed to fully assume this new role! A new role needs preparation.... And it’s a process that sometimes takes place over several years.

When this is not done upstream, these individuals may find themselves without the necessary skills... What comes next is that their teams become suspicious, demotivated and disengaged.

Unfortunately, it is only once they are already full of bumps and bruises that we tend to help them acquire these skills. But sometimes it’s too late – the damage is done and is irreversible!

Not to mention that not everyone, even the best performers, is supposed to “climb the ladder” … And some just don’t want to! These high-performing employees can be advanced without putting them in a position of tension that can be unsatisfactory and detrimental to all in the long run.

Explore the lattice ? 

Horizontal advancement is when you move sideways within your organization, rather than upwards. Imagine your career path not as a ladder, which forces you to climb predefined levels up to your destination, but rather as a lattice… Which allows you to change your trajectory whenever you want, offers you several new positions in your organization and opens up a multitude of new possibilities.

Can you sense my enthusiasm? 😊

The disadvantages of following the horizontal path

Unlike the vertical path that comes with a rank, a status and a salary increase, horizontal advancement occurs when you move between different departments within an organization, generally at a similar level of status and with comparable responsibilities.

It only involves a change of designation and may look more like a transfer than a promotion. This is also why these types of “promotions” are less desirable than vertical promotions. However, just because you don’t climb the ladder doesn’t mean you don’t progress in your career.

Sometimes these side moves can be perceived negatively by recruiters, or even random, especially if you don’t explain the context in which you made these decisions.

Some side movements, however rich in challenges, satisfaction and skills acquisition, may be accompanied by a wage reduction. You will therefore have to assess the benefit of developing these skills against a potential loss of salary.

So what are the benefits of a horizontal career path?

Benefits to the employee

The main advantage is that you are exposed to new knowledge, skills and responsibilities. It’s a great way to prepare for challenges and to be agile when changes occur... Individuals who master a variety of disciplines are sought after by innovative and proactive organizations.

The horizontal shift also allows you to sample the work environment in different departments to see where you prefer working, which allows you to find your own niche and build relationships with the people you prefer to work with.

This approach is also useful for anyone who is considering a career change, who increasingly needs to balance work and personal demands, who is returning to the workforce or who is looking to add a few tools to their toolbox.

Benefits to the employer

Horizontal movement is an excellent management technique for improving productivity and effectiveness within an organization. It is a means to create value; in many organizations, the concept of the ladder is replaced by the lattice approach.

As job descriptions become more fluid, employees who are able to master a variety of disciplines, adapt, and be agile are invaluable to any organization that wants to perform.

The horizontal promotion of career choice helps to place staff in more challenging positions and can help reduce frustrations due to lack of vertical promotions during periods of uncertainty or slow growth.

What do you really want ? 

The best choice for career advancement depends above all on you, your reality, your ambitions and your interests. Only you can make an informed decision based on what is best for you in the short and long term.

But before you decide…… Have you:

… Taken the time to identify what you are passionate about, what makes you thrive?

… Explored what you like and don’t like doing?

… Identified how to get from where you are today to where you finally want to be?

Are you going to go up the ladder or exploring the lattice?

Vertical advances are undeniably good indicators that you are progressing in your career, but so are horizontal ones. The two are not mutually exclusive – in fact, they can be complementary.

As long as organizations are organized hierarchically, there will always be vertical careers. What makes me happy is… They are no longer the only choice!

Findings :  

1. Highly skilled job seekers blame employers of not being interested in hiring unemployed people.
2. Students with new knowledge protest about not being able to meet market demands (even for junior positions) after their studies.
3. Workers wishing to change careers deplore the difficulty ofreorienting.
4. Those who perform work that devalues their knowledge feel underutilized and neglected.
5. On the other hand, we’ve heard employers complain about a “lack of skill” for years.

🤔 Ummmmm…..

What is wrong with the current hiring processes? 

It seems as though the priority of organizations is simply to fill the vacant position as quickly as possible, since time is money.

When the key word is "Fast", the best way is to rely on elements of exclusion such as years of experience.

When employers insist on hiring someone with experience, they create a vicious cycle…… 

Our efforts are focused on finding the ideal candidate quickly… The quickest way to find these employees is to recruit workers already hired by other companies.… 

We continue to steal the same people from each other, without understanding that we continue to lose our employees through the back door, all while increasing their salaries without any increased value.

Regardless of whether our recruitment and hiring process gives us better candidates… And without realizing that, by hiring only people with experience, there will be no one to hire at the end!

…And that’s the beginning of the end….

We miss out on good candidates, we are constantly recruiting, we increase the cost of labour, while undermining the financial profitability of the organization and reducing the talent pipeline.

🤔 Ummmmm….

Yet there are so many high-potential individuals— 

Why hire based only on their experience or academic training?

What about candidates who might have the "knowledge" required, but did not have the opportunity to apply it in a workplace?

Or those who have acquired skills in a non-traditional way?

Those with an atypical background?

The ones with different work backgrounds?

Years of experience or academic training do not guarantee effectiveness. They do not predict a successful functioning of the corporate culture, nor do they ensure that the individual can successfully fulfill his or her role and responsibilities.

When hiring processes measure and engage based solely on exclusion criteria, organizations miss out on an incredible amount of talent.

An idea… A different approach 

What if we stopped evaluating candidates only on the basis of years of experience or their academic training?

How about looking beyond current hiring practices, reframing our criteria to broaden access to career opportunities?

What if we approached hiring in a holistic and inclusive way?

Why not let the candidates prove they have the right skills?

Why not allow candidates to communicate their way of being and thinking?

Why not evaluate them according to their soft skills and potential?

Potential is the willingness and possibility of the person to evolve or project themselves to solve new problems and/or increasingly complex and ambiguous situations.

It is the capacity of an individual to know how to intentionally arrange and combine their intellectual, practical, emotional and social skills. 

The question is not whether people have the right skills, but rather whether they have the potential to learn new skills. to adopt and adapt appropriate behaviours and skills according to the objectives.

When we talk about potential, people are massively underestimated and underutilized.

Bet on the “Potential”! The rest can be learned !

Slowly, but surely, the ashes return to the ground… Once we have dusted ourselves off and our bruises disappear slowly… Before projecting ourselves into the future, it would be wise to take a moment to see ourselves clearly and objectively through introspection, reflection and feedback. Isn’t this a perfect moment for awareness?

Definition 

What is self-awareness…?

It is the ability to look into oneself and accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts and values.

It’s the ability to recognize their influence on behaviour.

It is the ability to accurately assess one’s personality, individuality, character, feelings, motivations, desires, strengths, and limitations.

What this means…

Self-awareness is your ability to accurately perceive our own inner states and emotions, to remain aware of them when they occur, and to recognize their impact on your life.

In short: it is the ability to know ourselves, to know what we feel and why.

Tasha Eurich’s (2017) research found that “if 95% of people think they are self-aware, the actual figure is closer to 10-15%”. She said, “Not only are our assessments often wrong, but we are usually terrible judges of our own performance and ability.”

She describes two specific types of self awareness :

• Internal self-awareness – The way in which we know ourselves : an inner understanding of our passions and aspirations, our strengths and weaknesses, our values, etc.
• External self-awareness – Understanding how others perceive us within these same aspects and understanding from an outside view.

Why this is important…

Travis Bradberry, author of the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0, describes self-awareness as one of the main components of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness is “empowering” because it empowers you with knowledge and allows you to make better choices – to change or grow.

Daniel Goleman, the author of the book Emotional Intelligence, identified it as the first of the five skills that make up emotional intelligence. Without awareness and understanding of ourselves, and without a sense of self rooted in our own values, it is difficult, if not impossible, to be conscious of and to react to the emotions of others.

Self-awareness helps…

• Identify gaps in our professional skills, which helps for their development
• Find the situations in which we will be most effective
• Make decisions
• Facilitate stress management and motivation of self and others

Self-awareness is important: by having a better understanding of ourselves, we are able to identify and assert ourselves as unique and distinct individuals. We are then able to make changes, leverage our strengths, and identify areas where we would like to improve.

Are you as self-aware as you think you are (or hope to be) ?

To develop self-awareness, you must know how to ask the important questions ... With truth comes power. So ask yourself:

• Have I clearly defined the values that express what is most important to me ?
• Do I know what I want out of life ?
• Can I describe my ideal work environment ?
• What is most gratifying to me ?
• In which types of situations do I feel most satisfied ?
• Do my values determine my approach to the world ?
• Which activities give me the most joy ?
• Can I usually predict how I behave in a given situation ?
• Are my personal and professional objectives clear ?
• When I fail at something, can I generally understand where I have failed ?
• In a given situations, am I capable of evaluating myself and my performances in an objective manner ?
• Do I know the impact of my actions on the people around me ?
• When I interact with people, do I examine the way they respond to me ?

This skill (because it is a skill) is probably the most difficult to master and certainly the most laborious to develop. Being intangible, and a bit mysterious, people tend to want to go over it to arrive at more practical skills. They see no need for it, and even think it’s a real waste of time.

But 20 years as a trainer have taught me that anyone who does not invest in getting to know themselves, discovering themselves, making a thorough introspection, identifying their strengths and weaknesses breaking paradigms, and adopting the behaviors necessary for long-term fulfillment, does not succeed! By resisting this stage, we are only building a house on weak foundations… And at the first storm… Everything flies away! As soon as there is an obstacle to achieving our objectives, as soon as something unexpected happens.... Everything falls apart.

Before projecting ourselves into the future, it would be wise to take a moment to see ourselves clearly and objectively through introspection, reflection and feedback.

It is probably at this stage that we can distinguish people who take the means to thrive and increase their chances of success from those who cross their fingers and hope to succeed.

One thing is certain: YOU are the determining factor of your success! Understanding yourself is therefore crucial.

Circumstances of great uncertainty - like the current crisis - can make us feel destabilized and anxious. Our emotions and thoughts can get in the way of us feeling in control and we suffer by spending a lot of energy trying to manage these emotions.

Fortunately, we all have the capacity to strengthen ourselves against external circumstances by strengthening our own internal resources. Emotional regulation allows us to harness those feelings and thoughts to our advantage.

Regulating your emotions means working with whatever emotions you might be feeling in order to do your best work. The more emotionally stable we are, the better equipped we are to remain calm when challenges arise.

Emotional regulation is not about putting on a fake happy face while you suppress any negative feelings. Instead, it’s about acknowledging what’s happening for you emotionally and working with those feelings, so that you are free to choose your response to a situation, without the emotions controlling you.

Here where to begin:

Understand the biochemistry

The opposite of remaining calm is the state of "fight or flight", a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

The reaction starts when the amygdala (an almond-shaped structure where your brain processes memory and interprets emotions) sees a situation as a threat. This perception causes your brain to secrete hormones that tell your nervous system to prepare your body to take drastic action. Your breath gets short, your body floods your muscles with blood, your peripheral vision goes away, and so forth.

Since neither fight nor flight are appropriate in everyday situations, your body never gets a release. The tension in your body tells your brain that there is a threat, your brain responds, you end up with your brain and body in a feedback loop… And you get exhausted!

Be aware of your triggers

We can’t run from everything that bothers us, but we can increase our awareness of situations that trigger unwanted emotions. The more aware we are of our triggers, the better we can control them!

Don’t suppress your emotions

Research shows that in the long run, suppressing negative emotions doesn’t work nearly as well as transforming them by acknowledging and expressing them.

Label the emotions

To calm yourself and remain calm, you need to interrupt that feedback loop. You can reduce the reaction of our amygdala if you assign names or labels to the emotions that you're experiencing at the time. Reflecting on your feelings and labeling them may assist in calming the amygdala, allowing you to move out of the fight-or-flight mode and free up energy allowing you to think more clearly about the issue at hand, rather than worrying.

Stop thoughts

Did you know that research says you can disrupt a negative train of thought by saying “Stop!”? Next time you notice your thoughts going down a down-spiral path, try it!

Re-label your emotions

At this point, you've interrupted the feedback loop. In this step, you eliminate the emotional impetus that created the fight-or-flight response.

Go through the list of emotions that you identified in the previous step and assign them labels that are positive rather than negative. For example: Fear | Anticipation, Worry | Concern, Alarmed | Curious, etc.

When you re-label your emotions, you are using controllable parts of your brain to convince your amygdala that this is not a fight-or-flight situation but instead a "stay aware and watchful" situation, or even a "sit back and enjoy" situation.

As you continue holding the relabeled emotions in your mind, notice the speed at which your heart is beating. You will find that it gradually returns to a normal pace. You've regained calmness.

Practice Self-Compassion

Self-compassion involves offering compassion to ourselves: confronting our own suffering with an attitude of warmth and kindness, without judgment. Learning how to practice self-compassion can be as easy as looking at how compassionately you act toward others. Try to remember a time when one of your close friends was really struggling through a difficult time. How did you respond to him/her?  Now think about a time when you were in a similar situation. In contrast, how did you respond to yourself? When facing a crisis in the future, try treating yourself the way you would treat a friend. How do you think things might change if this were the case?

While it’s true that controlling our emotions isn’t always easy, remember that your viewpoint all comes down to their explanatory style—the story we tell ourselves when things don’t go our way.

Challenge your assumptions!

Don’t worry if all these techniques feel difficult or elusive at the moment, the more you practice them, the more easily it will come to you. Over time, your practice will shift so that emotional regulation becomes your automatic, go-to response when times get tough.

Good work!

Before foreseeing a PowerPoint for your next presentation, and neglecting (even forgetting) white boards and flip charts, take the time to read this:

Visual supports

Visual supports help the audience remember key points, they clarify ideas, help you illustrate your words, and strengthen your arguments. They give a rhythm to your presentation and simplify some complexities.

People using visual supports are often seen as more prepared, more persuasive, and more interesting. They reach their goals more often than those not using them.

Studies have shown that a visual support makes a presentation more effective; a recent study from the University of Wisconsin shows that visual supports can improve comprehension and learning up to 200 %.

A visual support is a “support”. Unfortunately, I have too often seen visual supports being used to:

But that is another topic … let’s get back to our original one: analogs or digitals?

The advantages of the analog tools

Visual supports come in many different formats: hand-outs, white boards and flip charts, models, computer screenings and electronic medias, etc.

In our trainings, at Solutions & Co. we still use static writing surfaces such as textbooks, white boards, and flip charts!

What makes analog tools such amazing learning tools is the way they require both the use of the body and the brain in the learning process.

Researches on cognitive matching have shown that the physical process of writing, and doing diagrams helps people learn and remember the information. Using a writing surface like a whiteboard is both kinesthetic and visual, because writing and drawing engages the user both physically and mentally and fosters learning.

When we go through ideas visually, in a constant back and forth manner, in real time and in the same space, we offer a level of social connection different from the one offered by most digital solutions.

Proper use of writing surfaces can facilitate team work, improve commitment, and foster creativity and problem solving. Integrating analog tools in training rooms can allow participants to discuss, to communicate, and to share their ideas. And it helps us connect with each other by encouraging collaboration and sociability.

Conclusion? When we physically express our thoughts and ideas, and we progressively reveal the content, our brains are engaged in a way that release more potential for learning, ideas, solutions, and reflection.

Which ones are more relevant? Analog or digital tools?

Obviously, this not a “digital tools versus analog methods” competition. The ideal path of success is neither one nor the other, but knowing to pick the appropriate support in order to meet the audience’s needs and to reach its goal.

Studies reveal that 73% of teachers having used both connected and offline tools note a rise in students’ interest (Center for Digital Education), and 58% of students state learning better in an environment mixing both digital and analog tools (ECAR undergraduates survey).

The strength lies in the strategical use of your visual supports. Even if technology prevails in most professional environments and modern classrooms, analog tools remain an important and effective tool not to be overlooked.

No matter which visual aid you choose, do not let it overpower your presentation. Even UNESCO reminds us that digital is only to assist education not to replace it. Visual aids are used to enrich your presentation; they do not replace you.

Tattoos, once associated with rebellion, crimes, delinquency, gang membership, and machismo, has now become a modern phenomenon of self affirmation and expression. Incidentally, according to an Ipsos Reid survey, close to one in four Canadians is tattooed.

However, despite some democratization and hierarchies flattening, tattoos can still carry some derogatory overtones and can induce discriminations and prejudices in some work environments.

The rights of all individuals intertwined with one another

According to the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, each individual has a right to a freedom of expression, which now includes tattoos, and your employer can not ask you to hide them, unless the object of the tattoo itself is considered hateful or offensive. Although, in some cases the organization could prevail over your rights. The employer can impose restrictions or prohibitions regarding the dress code or someone’s look if it causes any damages to the organization’s image and reputation (tattoos, piercings, etc.), or if it causes any work’s health and safety issues (beards, jewellery, etc.) by means of directives or a work contract. Such right must be exercised cautiously in order to draw up a clear, reasonable, and fair policy stating any restrictions the organization would see enforced without being discriminatory.

It is recommended to have yourself acquainted with any rule, policy, contract, or ethic guides mentioning this topic in your organization. Going against those rules becomes a breach of an employment condition.

First impressions

But beyond the law, there is the human factor… from a new encounter’s very first moments, the brain is processing a large quantity of signals, from what the person is saying (verbal communication) to the posture, the appearance, the gestures, the gait (non verbal communication) and to the volume, the pronunciation, the speed, and the tone (para verbal communication), and makes a general interpretation – a first impression.

A study group from Princeton University states that only one hundred milliseconds are required to form a firm and final judgment about someone. And only one tenth of a second to decide if a person is attractive, reliable, amicable, and even … qualified. A tattoo, just like a hairstyle, a makeup, or an outfit, is a non verbal clue contributing to the first impression.

 "We judge books by their covers, and we can't help but do it," says Nicholas Rule, researcher of the University of Toronto” This human behavior can be traced back to the beginning of times. To ensure its survival, the prehistoric man had to quickly decide if what was in front of him was a friend or an enemy; if he had to fight or flight. This reflex is buried in our reptilian brain and is ubiquitous in our instinctive reaction. It is an oblivious process, often conditioned by our memory or our upbringing. This first impression is natural, inevitable, and indelible!

Overlooking this process and not adapting to it only diminishes your credibility and your influence to their eyes. And if the impressions you give off is not in tune / harmony with the one they were expecting… even if you wear your tattoos with pride, interacting with employers will become more difficult, bumpier, full of distortions and misinterpretations which may cause misunderstandings … And unfortunately, you will be suffering the consequences.

To each culture its codes

Tattoos are not necessarily compatible with all professions and fields of work, and depending on the career or occupation you wish to have, tattoos will be more or less tolerated, accepted, appreciated perhaps even admired.

Some field of expertise are more open minded and value the creativity and the self expression, while some are more formal, and want to give off a more rigorous image of impartiality, confidence by means of a fitting and polished appearance. In those cases, a tattoo must be more … discreet – in order to respect the neutrality and formality required by the organization.

In terms of tattoos, corporate image must be a key element to consider. One should show some caution, all depending on the kind of employment and the context. It is essential to understand the organization’s culture (its implied rules), its philosophy (its values), the nature of the job… And above of all whom will you be in contact with!

It’s a matter of interpretation

Your appearance is an indicator of your judgement and inspires (or not) confidence in your abilities and your role. Those interpretations are neither correct nor incorrect, there is no for or against, bad or good, legal or illegal, fair or unfair, but only a congruity or incongruity with the message that you want to deliver to whom you are offering products or services to.

Our clients come from various environments and their perceptions, reasoning, values and style vary depending their interpretations. Tattoos, being a medium of really personal messages, can still, for some, have a negative ring and be interpreted as an indicator of a lack of professionalism and conscientiousness, or as non-conformism, hence projecting a differing image from the one you want to convey.

It is entirely legal and fine to have tattoos. You are free to express yourself however you want. But you cannot expect it to be accepted the same way by everyone.

We all understand the difference between white-collar workers (those who have historically worked with their minds) and blue-collar workers (those who have historically worked with their hands). But what are “new-collar” workers?

The term “new-collar” is used to identify workers in new jobs in the digital industry, technology workers such as cybersecurity analysts, application developers, cloud

specialists, etc.

These are jobs that require a combination of specific skills - acquired through vocational or technical training - with a knowledge base from higher education, but not requiring a university degree. It’s a new generation of professional careers that lies between white-collar and blue-collar ones.

IBM’s CEO Ginni Rometty coined the term in 2016, following the organization's efforts to increase the number of skilled people in technology jobs. A skilled workforce, for whom the education system no longer responded, was in high demand.

The manufacturing industry will quickly embrace this type of workforce too, since computers are essential to operating factories. Manufacturing jobs now require skills in the fields of automation, robotics, CAD, 3D printing and Big Data, etc. and are in need of machine managers, programmers, technicians and operators with the necessary digital skills.

These new needs will lead major industrial players to upgrade their "technical component"; the set of theoretical, technical or tactical professional knowledge related to an operational vision. The knowledge required to exercise this new profession requires reconciliation between "knowledge", generally acquired at a school desk, and "know-how", generally acquired on a machine, thus combining technical skills and academic knowledge.

Therefore, the term "new-collar" is gaining momentum and prestige in the industry, as well as better wages! It also finally enables promotion of technical and manufacturing jobs, thus enhancing the image of yesteryear’s blue-collar workers. Today being a "new collar” worker is admirable, enviable and profitable.  

Going beyond technical skills

According to TechForce Foundation, the demand for information technology and communications graduates in the United States was twice the supply in 2018. Due to an initial shortage of skilled labour, firms were primarily interested in technical skills in order to meet their needs. But as the supply of specialized school programs increases and the demand for these "new-collar" workers stabilizes, employers will seek more than technical talent and woo those who also have good interpersonal skills.

Obviously technical knowledge and know-how are paramount, as they must be acquired. But, as for any specialist, demonstrating "Know how to be" and "Know how to interact" is also expected, as it is for any other role in the organization.

Relational skills are the "human component"; the person’s set of professional qualities. These include "Know how to be", which is the set of interpersonal skills related to attitudes, such as self-assurance, autonomy, versatility, resilience, authenticity, self-control, etc., which enables a person to be in touch with themselves, and "Know how to interact", which is the set of behavioural attitudes like respect, courtesy, politeness, punctuality, diplomacy, empathy, etc., which enables them to be touch with others such as their colleagues, customers, suppliers, etc.

During the hiring process, after validating a candidate’s knowledge and experience, HR professionals try to select those who, beyond operational skills, also understand how to work well with others, who demonstrate the ability to adapt and to problem-solve, who are fluent in written and verbal communication, and who demonstrate emotional intelligence and effective professional relationship management. This means that the candidates should have also acquired relational skills (soft skills).

In any professional situation, relational incompetence is a source of tension, misunderstanding, dissatisfaction and inefficiency. In general, a person is hired primarily for their operational skills, but usually fired for lack of relational skills.

Knowing how to operate machines and having a special affinity for computers, diagnosis and technology is not enough. In today's workplaces, we no longer work in silos or solo. It is sometimes difficult to find this blend of operational skills and relational skills and "new collar" workers with relational skills definitely have an advantage over other candidates.

Working in a multicultural environment can be a satisfying and rewarding professional experience. You can broaden your horizons by learning various skills and communicational approaches when you interact with people from other parts of the world. However, working with people from different cultural backgrounds requires a degree of tact and a willingness to learn and to adapt.

There is a wide multitude of cultural differences, ranging from beliefs to cultural norms. People from diverse cultural backgrounds bring personal and professional practices into the work environment that may differ in terms of being socially acceptable. These are neither right nor wrong…only different. Whether you agree with them or not, it is important to understand these differences.

Customers and co-workers come from a variety of backgrounds, and their habits, customs, reasoning, behaviours, values, and communication styles vary according to their background. Our cultural understandings, as well as our prejudices, are challenged by demographic changes that bring us face-to-face with new people and unfamiliar notions.

CULTIVATE CULTURAL AWARENESS

Cultural awareness is the understanding of the differences between oneself and people from other countries or backgrounds, especially differences in behaviour and values.

Cultural awareness is the very foundation of communication, involving the ability to step back and become aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we act this way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in such a way, specifically? Cultural awareness becomes key when we have to interact with people from different cultures.

People see, interpret and evaluate things differently. What is considered appropriate behaviour for one culture is often inappropriate for another. Misunderstandings occur when a person uses their own frame of reference when trying to understand another person’s reality.

DEVELOP CULTURAL SKILLS

Cultural skills refer to the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures and to successfully manage intercultural situations. It is the on-going process of seeking cultural awareness, knowledge and skills that will enable you to respond to people from different cultures in a respectful and effective way, so that their value is recognized, affirmed and valued.

Lack of multicultural knowledge can lead to misinterpretation, misunderstanding or even involuntary insult. Skills such as cultural awareness, flexibility and effective communication are essential to manage the expectations of people from different cultures. The more you understand culture, the more successful you will be in a wide variety of interpersonal interactions.

Our modern workspace is very multicultural, multilingual, intergenerational, etc. It requires the ability to see different perspectives, in order to make the best decisions and to create an inclusive system that enables everyone to be successful in the workplace.

Communicating with different cultures can sometimes be challenging. When we are dealing with people from unfamiliar cultures, it is easy to misinterpret meanings and intentions. This can lead to confusion, discontent and frustration. For communication to be effective, one person must understand the other person’s meaning and intent. The skills associated with effective and successful intercultural communication may seem vague to anyone lacking experience in this form of interaction.

The more you understand the influence of culture, the more effective communication will be.

For many of us, work takes up the bulk of our days. It is a source of great satisfaction or frustration, and the stage for our emotions and our challenges. It’s the place where, in front of everyone, we evaluate our successes and failures.

What are the factors of a successful professional career? Why do some people succeed while others are simply functional for the duration of their careers, or, worse, only barely survive? Obviously, having some luck or getting a degree does contribute to some people’s success, but this only explains a tiny part of these successes. What happens to those who have had the same opportunities or obtained the same diplomas but who, despite everything, don’t reach the same heights?

We all know lawyers, accountants, engineers, receptionists, administrative clerks, salespeople, customer service representatives, IT technicians, analysts, masons, contractors, chefs or hairstylists. Whether they have chosen a profession, a trade, a career or a vocation, some do very well and others fall to the back of the pack and watch those in the front succeed.

What are the skills enabling one individual to be different from the many others, to separate themselves from the masses and to succeed professionally?

In order to succeed in any professional context you must have a toolbox. A Doctor has a toolbox… A Mechanic has a toolbox… A baker has a toolbox… Not all tools are concrete and tangible like hammers, adjustable wrenches or stethoscopes… Our tools are often intangible… They are our professional skills!

In the next article we will explore the notion of professional competence in greater detail. Until next time!

WHAT IS PROFESSIONALISM?

The ability and commitment to adopt the right behaviour in the workplace – to behave in a way that reflects favourably on the profession. Professionalism encompasses a series of attitudes, skills, behavioural and moral norms, attributes and values that are expected from a specialized individual in a defined sector or practicing a profession or trade. 

WHY IS PROFESSIONALISM IMPORTANT?

 Whoever you are, whatever your expertise, and whatever ambitions you have, your professionalism is an asset for your career. Not only does it affect positively your workplace, it affects the way your clients, colleagues, superiors, subordinates and all your professional relations perceive you.

People constantly observe your behaviour and form an opinion on your competence, your character, and your engagement, which is rapidly cast throughout your workplace. The way you act will determine how everyone you interact with perceives you.

To be "professional" is a prestigious and enviable reputation, and is a way to demonstrate that you are a true asset for the team, for your organization and for your profession. If you want to succeed, to be taken seriously and respected, knowing how to act in a professional manner is vital.

The more you behave professionally, the better your chances are to build a positive reputation for yourself. Professional people are the first to be taken into consideration for promotions and to be given gratifying projects that will also allow them to benefit of better self-esteem and distinction.

This can be translated by a salary increase, an improvement of your career prospects, respect from peers and upper management, and a decrease in risk to be affected by layoffs. In short, professional individuals are generally successful in their careers. 

A professional individual is a competent individual, someone we appreciate and we look up to.

HOW TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALISM?

It is essential to show professionalism if you wish to succeed. But what does it mean?

After all, professionalism is rarely taught – you are supposed to learn it as it goes through a combination of observations, mistakes, interpretation and absorption. However, it’s not always easy to do and learning it can be full of obstacles, since you’re not always conscious of your own mistakes.

For some, being professional could mean dressing appropriately for work, or doing a good job. For others, it means having diplomas or certifications. Professionalism does include all these attributes. But it also includes many more.

The challenge in defining "professional" is that it remains vague and evasive since it carries many implicit connotations and meanings. It means different things to people. What we interpret as professional behaviour or good judgment can differ from one person to the next.

To act as a professional means doing what is needed in order to be perceived as a reliable, respectful and competent person. Depending on where you work and the job you have, professionalism can take different shapes. Professionalism is not explicit to a profession or a sector in particular, it’s something that applies to all professional activities in their singularity and uniqueness.

Professionalism does not try to dictate every word or every gesture, but trace the outline of an ideal to which professionals can aspire throughout their career.

We find three elements in professionalism:

Professionalism is not limited to competence. Competence is one of the important aspects of your work, but you’ll also need to learn how to act professionally at work. You can be the best in the technical execution of your work, but also lack professionalism. It has less to do with what you do (the results you produce) and a lot more with the way you produce those results.

In assessing professionalism at any degree within an organization, you must always ask yourself three questions:

• Do you have the necessary operational skills to be considered professional? Do you have the knowledge, comprehension, facts, notions and experience you need to do the work efficiently?

• Do you have the necessary rational skills to be considered professional? Do you have the skills, behaviour, traits and virtues that others (shareholders, employees, clients, suppliers) perceive as being important and use to determine if you are being professional?

• Do you have the necessary commitment to be professional? Do you have the necessary drive, motivation and intention? Are you ready to do the necessary work?

Professionalism is reflected in your daily actions. Adopt a strategic and proactive approach, since it can be learned and developed. Let’s not forget that beyond being professional, there is a need to actually want to be professional!

Why are service standards important?

Service standards represent an important element for customer service excellence, as well as good yield management. They clarify customer and employee expectations, facilitate results-driven management, and promote customer satisfaction. A standard is an “evaluation base” and a “defined excellence degree” wanted by the organization and by customers. A service standard is a reasonable and measurable expectation from the customer, and an honest commitment taken by the service provider, to attain or surpass expectations.

Service standards have two main goals:

• Establish yield objectives for employees (ex. answer the phone before the third ring)
• Inform customer about what they have the right to expect (ex. wait time under 10 minutes).

When clearly stated, service standards equip the personnel with the right tools to bring customer satisfaction and facilitate engagement.

Service standards for external and internal customers

The principles used to establish service standards directed towards external customers could apply for internal customers as well. Internal customers are those served directly by what we do – employees, departments, teams who receive services directly from colleagues from other divisions in order to, in turn, serve their own customers.

Simply put, an internal customer is any individual who depends on you or count on you to complete a task or function, or to provide information in order for them to do their job.

We are interdependent – excellence in customer service begins in the exchanges between colleagues. The primary objective of standards tied to service is to reach the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. With time, this type of standard improves and increases service quality not only for internal customers, but also to external ones by ricochet, since their needs are satisfied they can offer impeccable service to their own customers in return.

Internal service standards are a commitment to provide products or services of a certain quality level to other teams of our organization. The standards’ elaboration process rests on a clear understanding of what the internal customers expect in terms of level and quality of service.

What is a service standard?

A service standard is a commitment to reach a measurable performance level which customers (internal or external) can expect within their everyday operations. In order to deliver quality service, we must develop service standards that represent the behaviour which the organization / department / team wishes to adopt in front of its clients. A service standard is:

The following criteria must be considered before and while the standards are being established:

How many standards should we have?

You should have standards that are adapted to your organization / department / team’s size, diversity and complexity.

First, we suggest you establish a small number of standards with emphasis on the most critical aspects of your organization / department / team.

You will need an appropriation period for the notion of service standards. Once they’ll have become an integrated lifestyle within your culture, consider widening the range based on customer feedback. Feedback forms or calls / surveys can be used to check on customer comments.

Once the organization / department / team has defined its service standards, they must be announced and become woven within the organizational culture.

Examples of customer service standards

________________________(Name of organization / department / team) aims to provide excellent customer service. Our service standards illustrate our commitment towards __________ (organizational value / principle), __________ (organizational value / principle), and __________ (organizational value / principle). In order to do so, we take the following commitment:

In order to simplify access and use of our service, ____________________ (Name of organization / department / team) vows to:

• Provide service during the normal business hours, being from 8: 30 am to 12 :00 pm and from 1 :00 pm to 4: 30 pm, from Monday to Friday.
• Provide information, upon request, on various supports, such as audio, electronic text and in large characters in order to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities or impairments.
• Communicate with the customers in the official language of their choice.
• Change its voicemail message daily, stating name, day and availability. If out of office or on vacation, stating the time or day of return, and the name and phone number of the person to contact for immediate help.
• Activate automatic out-of-office messages on email when absent – stating the time or day of return, and the name and email address of the person to contact for immediate help.

Making information available and demonstrating our willingness to help are important aspects to our activities. This is why ____________________ (Name of organization / department / team) vows to:

Customers are guaranteed:

The New Year is when many of us step back, take a good look at our lives and careers, and resolve to change things for the better.  We make a list of wishes and pledge that this year will be different than the previous. "This year I’ll… improve my work-life balance, take on more responsibilities, get a raise, be more organized, acquire a new skill…”. But then "Fail Friday" (the third Friday of the month, when our willpower is most likely to fade) comes along and we already start re-framing those resolutions... they become casual promises. By March they turn into wishful thinking, April sets in and you are simply daydreaming …and this year starts looking a lot like last year. And you are not the only one - Research shows that only 8% of people achieve their objectives (Source: University of Scranton (2014) "New Year Resolution Statistics" Journal of Clinical Psychology).

Objective setting is a concept filled with potential. Top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields all set objectives. Objective setting not only allows you to take control of your life's direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. It’s not just a wish list; it’s a process that allows you to create recipes for success!

Objective setting starts with careful consideration of what you want to accomplish, and ends with investing your energies to actually achieving it. In between, there are well defined steps that will allow you to formulate objectives that you can accomplish.

An objective is not the work performed, but the results expected once the work is done. If you are serious about achieving your objectives, get the tools you need to make this the year your ambitions go beyond mere possibilities and turn into tangible results. The following guidelines will help you set effective objectives:

Set objectives in writing -  Did you know that less than 3 percent of people have written objectives, and of those who do less than 1 percent review and rewrite their objectives on a regular basis? Unless an objective is written, it is merely an aspiration. Once you commit it to writing, you set something in motion. You clarify what you want and begin focusing on how to attain it. The physical act of writing down an objective makes it real and tangible. This crystallizes it and gives it more force.

Set positive objectives - State each objective as a positive statement. How you think about your objective can influence how you feel about it, and whether or not you achieve it. Negative objectives are emotionally unattractive, which makes it hard to focus on them. Reframe any negative objectives so that they sound positive: you may be surprised by the difference this makes! Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage says “When the human brain is positive, our intelligence rises, we stop diverting resources to think about anxiety. Our creativity triples. Productive energy rises by 31 per cent. The likelihood of promotion rises by 40 percent."

Be precise - Your objective must be clear and well defined. Vague or generalized objectives are unhelpful because they don't provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need objectives to show you the way and they should be detailed enough so that you understand well what needs to be accomplished. Make it as easy as you can to get where you want to go by defining precisely where you want to end up.

Make them measurable - The only way to know if you have achieved an objective is to quantify it. Include precise amounts, due dates, times and percentages so you can measure your degree of success. To determine if your objective is measurable ask yourself the following questions: How many? How much? For when? How will I know that my objective is achieved? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved it.

Set desirable objectives - Set objectives that motivate you. Motivation is key to achieving objectives. Society, family, friends, employers may want to influence the objectives you set. Objectives should be personally compelling, in line with your own desires and ambitions, and relevant to the direction you want to take. Write down a set of motivations identifying why it is important to you and what is at stake. This step is significant, because studies have indicated that people are more likely to succeed in changing their behavior when they are motivated by internal rather than external forces. By keeping objectives aligned with your desires, you develop the focus and the drive you need to get ahead and do what you want.

Stretch out of your comfort zone - An objective should be challenging but should not discourage you before you even start. An objective can be ambitious and realistic at the same time; only you can decide the level of accessibility to your objective. Make sure each objective represents substantial growth. Safe objectives are boring objectives. Resist the urge to set objectives that are too easy, it will not contribute to your confidence and will stump your satisfaction. By setting realistic yet challenging objectives, you hit the balance you need. Set objectives that require you to "raise the bar" and bring personal satisfaction.

Set priorities - An old Chinese proverb says, “Man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” While you probably need more than a single objective, you need to stay focused on a manageable number of them. When you have several objectives, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by having too many objectives, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones. Use the "quality, not quantity" rule when setting objectives.

Elaborate an action plan - This step is often missed in the process of objective setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps you can initiate and maintain momentum, especially if your objective is big and demanding, or long-term. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your plan.

Estimate realistic completion time - How often has a task or project taken longer than you thought? If you don't estimate objective completion time accurately, all your planning will falter and it may cause you to give up. Always pad your timelines to account for novelty, delays and setbacks.

Keep them visible - Post your objectives in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, calendar, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant reminder.

Review your progress - It takes time to accomplish objectives. And sometimes it can feel like you aren't making much progress. Take stock of everything that you've accomplished on a regular basis and measure your progress.  Not only will progress motivate you to continue towards your objective, it will also give you the opportunity to analyze what you need to do to keep moving forward.

Appreciate failure – Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you will fail to achieve your objectives. However, failure contains lessons if you have the courage and wisdom to learn from it. Each time we encounter failure, we learn about ourselves and what we have to overcome. Failing to achieve your objectives doesn’t mean that you failed but that your plan failed. So don't be distressed – just take note of where you went wrong and feed that knowledge back into the process of setting your next objectives.

Living a life without setting objectives is like sailing a ship with no destination: you may end up somewhere that you didn't want to go! This is why setting objectives is so important to achieve your dreams, ambitions and personal success.

So, what objectives have you decided to accomplish this year?

Self-confidence is the ability to believe, realistically and constantly, that we possess the necessary resources to face any situation with ease. It’s being confident towards our goals and believing in our own means.

Being self-confident is an essential ability for realizing our full potential and professional progress. Be it their serenity, their confidence, their charisma, their ability to face new experiences or to stay in control when the going gets tough, confident individuals possess traits which others admire.

Confidence is fundamental in opening ourselves to others, building a common project. It’s what enables us to go forward and to make connections. Without confidence, it’s difficult to consider collaborative working relationships, teamwork and group cohesion. People are attracted toward individuals who take initiative, who speak clearly, who keep their head high. They’re attracted to people who answer questions with conviction, assume their responsibilities and readily admit when they do not have the answer. When we demonstrate such aptitude, the ability to influence and inspire soars. Individuals who trust themselves inspire trust in others – their audience, peers, bosses, clients, and friends. Earning others’ trust and being self-confident in interpersonal relationships are how a confident person finds success… and the virtuous cycle continues.

Unfortunately, the opposite becomes a vicious cycle. People who lack confidence succeed with difficulty. After all, people will hesitate to get involved, to support a project or encourage an idea from someone who is nervous and unsure. But what should one do if they’re not naturally confident, or if you have left your insecurities take control? Don’t worry – self-assurance can be learned and built. Results and benefits gained will be well worth the efforts.

Self-confidence is of vital importance for your success. Without it, you’ll have difficulty in blossoming professionally. While some people are born with an abundance of self-confidence, it is not a genetic predisposition and is perfectly possible to develop.

Two main abilities contribute to self-confidence: self-esteem and competence. Self-confidence is the feeling of security which results from a positive evaluation of ourselves and of our abilities – it implies a feeling of personal value and a feeling of competence. The self-confident individual has the certainty that he has everything required in order to succeed in everything he puts his mind to. To succeed, one must first believe he is able to.

People who show assurance think, feel and act in a way that contribute to their success. They see obstacles as challenges and rapidly recuperate from failures. They know they can be even more if they try – and they try, again and again, with courage and panache!

Despite your willingness, efforts, and your engagement to be effective, you will simply not succeed! Days come by and all look the same. You get in to work with all your good intentions – « today I’ll be working on… » - but the phone rings, colleagues interrupt you, emergencies arise, emails come in nonstop! At the end of the day, you are exhausted but you haven’t done anything you had planned on doing. You feel like a hamster constantly running in its wheel. At the end of the day, you realize you are still at your starting point. No feeling of accomplishment – how discouraging!

The Progress Principle

According to the Harvard Business Review (May 2011), in order to maintain our motivation and satisfaction during the workday, we must have the feeling we are progressing in a job that is meaningful.

The more people experience this feeling of accomplishment, the more they are likely to be effective – even if the progress is minimal. Simply having the feeling of progressing can make all the difference in the way they feel at the end of the day and perform throughout the day.

In short, the Progress Principle states that if people are happy and satisfied with what they have accomplished at the end of the workday, we can bet that they have progressed towards attaining their objectives. If, on the contrary, they end the day discouraged and demotivated, it’s no doubt because they have done the hamster and have the feeling that they have not progressed.

By making a meticulous analysis of the use you make of your day (activities that compose a typical day), you will realize that your day is filled with maintenance tasks and you will not find enough progress tasks.

Let’s start by differentiating maintenance tasks and progress tasks, and by understanding the impact that they can have on our effectiveness.

The Maintenance Tasks and the Progress Tasks

A maintenance task is a task that you must repeat constantly. Once completed, it keeps you in the same position as before – it simply allows you to avoid going backwards. It’s something you must do even if it does not allow you any improvement. They are daily tasks that we must do in order to execute our work : check email, return calls, prepare a schedule, attend a meeting, write a report, etc. It must be done. It always needs to be repeated.

On the other hand, a progress task is a task that allows you to attain a position that is fundamentally better than your current position. These are the tasks that open new horizons, which allow you to attain your objectives and bring you to the next level.

Know how to differentiate a maintenance task and a progress task. If it allows you to survive, it’s a maintenance task. If it brings you closer to your objectives, it’s a progress task. Obviously, in order to differentiate, one must know his objectives! Because to some people, analyzing problems, quantifying failures and documenting them would be maintenance tasks. However, if one of your objectives is – as an IT specialist – to avoid recurring problems and to improve system performance, these tasks become progress tasks!

It’s the same situation for telephone interruptions. If they take up a big chunk of your time and impede you from finalizing your budget, it is a maintenance task. However, for a receptionist, it is a progress task!

Maintenance tasks often seem urgent whereas progress tasks are usually very important. We all know that if something does not seem urgent, we often postpone it to later.

Maintenance tasks allow you to be productive and efficient, whereas progress allow you to perform and be effective!

Being effective does not require you to be constantly busy. It’s actually about being able to progress towards your objectives, without letting the day fill itself with maintenance tasks.

In order to be effective and to have a feeling of accomplishment, you will need to balance maintenance and progress tasks. 

Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever. An aspect of this diversity, among many others, is the age of workers. More generations interact in the same work environment. Workers live longer and are generally in better health. Some have financial preoccupations that keep them in the working world longer.Reality has changed. It’s not about knowing how to work with our peers anymore, but to be able to work with people who are different than us. It’s not realistic to want to work in a homogenous work environment. We must be able to thrive in a heterogeneous environment as well.

What defines a generation

To describe a generation is not an easy feat. Each individual has their own personality and, by trying to draw a portrait that englobes everybody, we risk obtaining something that does not resemble anyone. You must therefore collect information with diligence since you’ll always have to interact with individuals rather than generations.People within a generation are influenced by a great amount of the same trends and events; they have collective experiences gathered throughout their life and have similar ideals. They have been brought up differently, sometimes with values and visions opposite to those of previous generations, and these differences often influence the way they deal with work, relationships, and life in general.

"Each generation wants new symbols, new people, new names. They want to divorce themselves from their predecessors. "Jim Morrison

Each generation rebels itself at one point and always does it the same way… with vocabulary, music, clothing, and hairstyles. It’s the way it distinguishes itself from previous generations.Eventually, people abandon the more visible forms of their rebellion, in order to integrate society – but do not completely give up their value system, they keep certain values that they judge too important to be compromised.

These “values” are non-negotiable!Each generation possesses their own attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and motivation levers. If we do not recognize the existence of these generational differences, if they’re not discussed and if we do not adapt to this reality, it will result in negative tensions in the workplace.

We are all in part a product of our environment. We can easily understand that a person born in Japan or in India would have developed a vision of life and work much different to that of North Americans.

This reasoning also applies to generations. Indeed, the environment present in the 1950s and 1960s is much different than environment present in 1990 or 2000.As a consequence, individuals who have lived their youth during these different eras can only develop different points of view on the world surrounding them and on the place that work occupies in their life.Like all other aspects of diversity, each generation must respect others and appreciate differences (which means more than tolerate).

Each generation possesses values that the other generations can learn from and can take advantage of in order to maintain conviviality.

By learning to understand generations and to communicate with them, we can eliminate many misunderstandings and avoid confrontations that arise on the workplace.We do not always realize biases or prejudice we have towards our younger or older colleagues, and we don’t always recognize how our behavior affects other generations.

We can learn to accept differences and develop an appreciation for what every generation contributes to the organization.

Different generations work together and it often creates tensions. It becomes important to manage differences between groups in order to complete each other instead of creating conflict.

Many questions arise from intergenerational differences. In order to answer them and elaborate strategies that allow us to open a dialogue, to surpass the differences and to take advantage from them, we must first get their essence and understand them. An elaborate task that reveals itself to be worthwhile.  

Adaptability is the ability to manage and adjust one’s own behaviours in order to efficiently work with new information, a new situation and / or a different context. It is knowing how to be flexible and have the agility to adapt to circumstances, situations, requirements and priorities that change and evolve. It’s understanding the scope and relevance of change, and applying appropriate strategies and solutions.

Adaptability is the ability to modify a thought, an attitude, a behaviour, or a work method, based on people and change, in order to better adapt oneself to present and future environments – the ability to manage objectives, tasks and multiple data while adhering to time, resource and system constraints. 

The dictionary defines adaptability as « the ability to adapt to new locations and new situations ». If it’s an ability, it means that it can be taught and learned. Adaptability goes beyond being a skill that we wish to acquire. According to the Harvard School of Business, « the ability of adaptation is the new competitive advantage for individuals and for their organizations » and, according to the Flux Report by Right Management, 91% of human resource managers think that, before 2018, people will be recruited based on their ability to face change and uncertainty. 

Adaptability = Flexibility and Agility

Adaptability combines flexibility and agility. Being flexible and agile refers, on one hand, to the capacity of changing course rapidly, like a shoal of fish or a flock of birds, to transform like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon, to evolve like a chameleon that changes color, a snake that sheds, or a tadpole that metamorphoses into a frog. On the other hand, being flexible and agile refers to the capacity to resist turbulence, to bounce back, to survive storms, and to stay on course, like a starfish that regenerates an arm, a lizard whose tail grows back, a turtle that pulls back into its shell, a hedgehog that rolls into a ball, or a camel that stores water to survive in arid situations. People who easily adapt are flexible in their approach and agile in their thoughts. 

Flexibility is your willingness to adapt. It’s your attitude. 

Flexibility is your predisposition to welcome change, instead of fighting it. People who show flexibility happily change their ideas or their approach based on new information or changing needs. Knowing how to adopt a flexible approach at work and in life increase your chances to reach success instead of maintaining a rigid perspective or series of conviction. Flexible individuals react to change without rigidity; they don’t need to “sink with the boat” because they are able to change opinions when hints suggest that it is what they should do. They are open-minded and tolerant to ideas, orientations and different ways to do things. 

Flexibility is: 

Agility is your ability of adapting oneself. It’s your aptitude. 

An agile state of mind allows to evaluate and to adjust to different roles, responsibilities and objectives that we have every day by changing our own behaviour or our relational styles based on situation and interlocutors. It’s the ability to create new relationships, new attachments, to receive new data and to modify our behaviour accordingly. Mental agility such as this allows us to be more efficient in the detection and problem resolution – mental agility and innovation often go hand in hand. 

Agility implies to be able to train oneself to reinterpret situations and fluid, unexpected or unknown circumstances. It is the aptitude to adapt to new situations, to initiate and to implement change. 

We now know that it is more important than ever to show adaptability, with a lot of resourcefulness and creativity in order to efficiently respond to challenges and ceasing new opportunities. Why? Because things change at a pace faster than ever. Change is constant and unavoidable, and the ability to bounce back, revaluate and to adapt oneself has become of crucial importance.