The distinction between "Loving your work" and "Loving working."

"I love my work" refers to enjoying the activity and the work itself. "I love to work" is rather enjoying making efforts, to confront, to learn, to excel, to give meaning to our work and allows for full self-realization.

When we love working, we are absorbed by our work and we do not feel like we are working.

It is estimated that an adult makes approximately 35,000 decisions a day. That doesn’t leave much headspace for the rest of our day-to-day existence.

Cut out all the decisions that create white noise in your head and you might be struck by how free, clear-headed and determined you feel.

There will always be obstacles (Challenges, deadlines, limited resources, and people working against you), and there will always be opportunities (New people, situations and ideas just waiting…Occasions to share, give, contribute). The ones we rehearse and focus on are the ones that shape our attitude and our actions.

Focusing on our opportunities doesn't mean the problems don't exist, it means that we are far more likely to do something that matters.

Master the art of public speaking by acquiring more self-confidence. There is no miracle, it is important to prepare yourself in advance. The more you master the content, the more you can invest your energy in the form.

Never make a client wait for long without explaining your process and the reason for the delay. When you get back to him, always thank him for his patience.

While your technical skills may get your foot in the door, your people skills are what open most of the doors to come. 

It's just not enough to be highly trained in technical skills, without developing the softer, interpersonal and relationship-building skills that help people to communicate and collaborate effectively.

A single person with a poor attitude – someone who is chronically negative – can destroy the morale of an entire team if left unchecked. If that person reports to you, deal with it at once. If it’s your teammate, ask him (her) to stop. If it’s you, think about how much your complaining is harming your team, your reputation and your future.

We all know the proverb: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."  But is it really better to be safe than sorry? We often try to avoid being naive, shielding ourselves from being fooled. But living on high alert all the time is very demanding and little rewarding. By being willing to be trusting, you might get deceived again, but that’s the price of trust. If you are solid, you’ll get back up on your feet, dust yourself off and continue on your path.  

There are usually three versions of a story or of a contentious situation: yours, the others and reality. By readying yourself to see all sides of a situation, you allow yourself to explore a multitude of possibilities and solutions. You’ll also reveal yourself as fair, well-thought and respectful, and you’ll also deserve everyone’s trust and respect.

Following customer service etiquette allows us to gain trust from the clientele and increase the comfort level between the customers and the service representative. 

Here are a few guidelines: 

• Treat internal and external calls the same way. 

• Personalize calls by mentioning you interlocutor’s name a few times during the conversation. 

• Use a more formal language, unless you’re very familiar with the interlocutor. 

• Don’t ever correct the pronunciation or vocabulary of your interlocutor. 

• Respect the chosen language of your interlocutor, even if he is having hard time.

Opening an email should be followed by an action: 

• Filing

• Deleting

• Replying

• Planning to follow-up 

Deal with ALL emails until your inbox is empty!

Blaming is often a natural response when things go wrong. The biggest disappointment is that it doesn’t work. Nothing is as professional as the ability to get to the heart of a problem and fix it – without bothering to place blame.

Proactive people decide what's going to happen next. They set the pace, outline the strategy, and initiate action instead of just reacting. 

Finding the courage to be proactive is hard, but when you do, you’ll choose your own actions and you’ll take control over your time, your effort and your results.

« He who speaks sows, he who listens reaps.” This Japanese saying reminds us of the importance of practicing active listening. The key element of good listening is to understand the interlocutor; it will allow you to know more about others and will facilitate successful collaboration with them.

Empathy is beneficial for our brain. 

Listening to others allows a strong concentration of mirror neurons in our brain. These neurons of learning by imitation and of sharing with others, also called « Gandhi » neurons, simulate our interlocutor’s emotional state in our brain to better identify it. They play a role of recognition, but also a role of self-awareness.

During waiting periods, take this opportunity to do some creative thinking. This practice will help you to be innovative in problem-solving, planning and organizing.

Choosing your words wisely can make all the difference in how people perceive you. Instead of sounding like a complainer and a whiner by saying "I have a problem", try "I have a concern" instead. You still have an issue but you’ll sound mature and more in control.

One of the most common reasons for customers to be ungrateful is that they start to perceive that you and the people they deal with just don't care. Data points to the fact that customers will stop appreciating us when they feel we have stopped appreciating them. That's where a focus on customer service and customer service training pays off.

If your vocabulary is limited, nuance goes out the window.

It’s not only about using professional jargon (every industry, trade and occupation has its own); because sometimes we need to simplify it to be understood and sometimes, we need to amplify it to show expertise.

But it’s also about being able to use the right word in the right moment. The right words give you the opportunity to express your manners, attitude, professionalism, empathy, courtesy…

Your vocabulary reflects the way you think! When you have the right vocabulary your ability to see, to explain and to influence becomes exponential.

Try this five steps approach:

1. Examine your attitude - Start with the assumption that your coworker actually does care about doing a good job but that he’s as busy as you are.  It is possible that he actually doesn’t care, but that assumption serves no purpose other than to frustrate you. 

2. Make sure that your coworker understands why it is important - “We have a sensitive situation to deal with on Friday with customer ABC, and one of the critical pieces is XYZ.  Could you please send me the information on it?”

3. Acknowledging how busy he is - “I know how busy you are…”  Empathy is a relationship builder.

4. Help him help you - “This information is critical to the resolution of the situation.  If there’s anything I can do to help you get me the information by Wednesday, please let me know.”

5. Express appreciation and make it personal - “Thanks in advance Michael, I really appreciate your help on this!”

In our work environment we are constantly submerged by information, solicitations, requests (pop-ups, interruptions, ringers, bips...)   much of it is unnecessary "noise".  Relying on mental shortcuts is important, but a methodological approach is also essential, and we have to learn to unhook from autopilot and filter information. Taking the time to think and reflect is crucial. Solutions and ideas need space and time to incubate.

When a client is aggressive, a colleague disrespectful or your boss is being rude - don’t take it personally too quickly. Instead of thinking: “Why is he/she doing this to me?”, try to say “Let me understand why you believe this or want that.” Then, listen to the answer. Be curious instead of furious!

Most of us often face the same complaints or issues, day after day – we therefore tend to stop listening and to begin offering solutions. 

But the customer has not yet reached the step of problem resolution, he wants to make you understand his point of view and feel that you are really listening. If you skip this step too quickly, the customer will refuse your solutions, will come back to his story, will put the emphasis on the negative aspects, etc.

Start measuring your success in time management – not in your daily level of busyness but in identifying the important tasks which were accomplished and your personal satisfaction.

Did you know that 80% of presented psychological harassment complaints at the workplace don’t meet essential criteria?  It’s a sign of an issue in business relation skills, such as respect of diversity, conflict management, open and honest communication, healthy competition, equity… A convivial working environment shows professional maturity and promotes individuals’ development.

Research shows that humility helps build trust with colleagues. By admitting doubt or error and acknowledging mistakes, we are seen as trustworthy and competent.

Don’t answer a telephone call with an e-mail. Or an e-mail with a text message. Or a text with a social network message. In the communication hierarchy, you generally want to match the level of intimacy or move up the hierarchy – a move down can look dismissive or rude.

We all have difficult customers, and we usually invest our best efforts (time, patience, energy, emotions, etc.) with them.  And the easy, friendly, nice customers? Well, we sometimes end up taking advantage of their good nature, investing less effort, because they will accept less effort.

Don’t forget to reward the people that make your work better and easier and treat your easy customer with care and effort.

One of the most effective rules you can use is to set realistic and sustainable deadlines. In other words, you should overestimate the time you need to complete a task. This will help you ensure that: (1) you will meet your deadline despite the unexpected, and; (2) you will be able to finish earlier and wow your manager, your customers, and your colleagues.

Give importance to the « real » professional relationship. Pay attention to the individual (client, colleague, etc.) who’s in front of you, by concentrating on the exchange. Ignore your phone, your emails, or any other distraction. Show professionalism, and that you’re serious and involved in your conversations.