I hope you enjoy your family no matter what form it takes; feel good about all your relationships, even the “not perfect” ones and be grateful for whom you have become. Focus on continuing to create a full life, both professionally and personally. Live by your core values and with every moment, remember that you are in total control of your choices.

Wishing your the best of Holidays, and a Merry Christmas. It’s going to be a great 2008! Cheers,

1. Evaluate the talents of all team members. Include systems they have worked with, successful projects, and all components of project management. Have each member put their “talents” on post-it notes. Have each member go to a plain wall group post-it notes appropriately in similar columns. Read Joe Calloway’s book, “Work Like You’re Showing Off” and Larry Winget’s “Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life.”

2. Discuss what kinds of projects, in general, the group enjoys completing. When people work on anything they enjoy, time flies and the work results are even better. Keep in mind that high visibility, high payoff projects are good career moves, but also consider the “ugly step-sister” projects where the team can be a hero.

3. Create a “best project” list and identify the actions that are needed to successfully complete the work. Think like you own the company and your money is financing the efforts. Include deadlines and time lines for each item.

4. Assign project steps to individuals and start looking at team leads. Each team member should sign a pledge of endorsement and commitment. As companies continue to work at lightening speed, there needs to be fall back plans for managing difficult people (whether internal or external.) Email me for a pledge from Toxic People that you can use for this.

5. Present your proposal professionally. This is learned and most professionals don’t do a very good job of this. Their intent is lost in their nervousness and poor planning. Need more information? Email me for a special message on presentation skills. Just let me know how I can help.

Stick your neck out on that re-org path. It is your job to make sure everything goes smoothly, whether the CEO of the company or any other position.

Marsha

Marsha Petrie Sue, professional speaker and author, is the Mohammed Ali of communicators. She can dance and look pretty, and she uses the entire ring, but she knows how and when to land a knockout punch. Get the smelling salts! Her presentations are charm school with live ammunition. From Dave Rawles – President, Career Solutions

Visit the website for more information www.MarshaPetrieSue.com or call Darlene at 1.888.797.6700
Author of Toxic People: Dealing with Difficult People at work without using weapons or duct tape
#1 bestseller on the “What Corporate America is Reading” from CEO-Read.

Shame on NBC  for refusing to air ads thanking our troops over the holidays!  Talk about Toxic People!!!  And why does difficult people behavior seem to permeate the media? It does make me crazy.

Support the troops!
*******************************
Stress free giving…
Gift three or more Toxic People Books and Marsha will autograph each book, wrap them in gold foil and send them directly to you!  No shipping or handling either! Check the Holiday Special at www.MarshaPetrieSue.com for the special!

Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work without Using Weapons or Duct Tape
#1 bestseller on the “What Corporate America is Reading” from CEO-Read.
Available at www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com
www.MarshaPetrieSue.com

This day, I accept the abundance and prosperity that is mine and willingly share it with others.  This day, I focus on the moment and give no thought to the past or to the future.  This day, I spend in total enjoyment of what I do. This day, I fill with loving thoughts and actions toward all other people and myself.  This day, I spend in grateful appreciation of all that is mine.  This day, this hour, this minute, this moment is all that I have and I choose to use it in celebration.

From the best selling book Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life by Larry Winget

Wishing you the joy of family, friends, and giving thanks on this Thanksgiving Holiday. Take personal responsibility for everything you are thankful for in addition to knowing you, and only you, control your destiny.  Marsha

Toxic People has been nominated for the CEO-READ Business Book Awards.  Please vote for me!  And you can vote more than once!!  Go to www.800ceoread.com/bookawards  – and Thanks!!

Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work without Using Weapons or Duct Tape
#1 bestseller on the “What Corporate America is Reading” from CEO-Read.
Available at www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com
www.MarshaPetrieSue.com

Headlines read: Google to Refund Abandoned Video Customers, to the airlines cutting down on frequent flyer programs like Continental Airlines and Delta , create toxic client behavior and difficult people.

Here is the quick and easy solution:

1. Everyone you touch everyday is your customer and that means everyone. From the gardener to the grocery clerk, the doctor to the door attendant and your partner to your parents (this includes your kids), they are all your clients. Now quit laughing. You must hone your behavior and responses to be consistent 24/7. Taking personal responsibility for all your outcomes is the key.

2. It is the perception of the client that is important and yes, the customer is always right. Of course, some people are not a good fit with your services and products so you refer them to someone else that can build a better relationship. That means you may be giving your competitor business. Because of #1, you may lose great clients and employees to higher ground. If an employee perceives that they are not being treated fairly, they will seek another position.

Don’t jump to conclusions. Rather, ask questions that help clarify the cause of the customer’s problem. Continue to dig by asking questions and paraphrasing their responses.

- Don’t use their name too frequently. Think about how you feel when someone does this to you. Their toxic behavior will be amplified if you do!

- If their assertion is well stated and the conversation is flowing, let them finish two or three comments, then paraphrase. Their anger will heighten if you play their words back to them too frequently.

- Concentrate on listening. Beware that in the moment if you are taking notes, typing or doing something that distracts you from the issue at hand, you are not providing the best in client care. I understand that in some circumstances you need to input the information on the computer so just write down the key words and fill in the blanks later.

- Don’t let your mind wander back to a similar scenario you had and how that was resolved. Stay in the moment. There will be some part of their complaint that is unique and you will miss it if you are into recalling the past.

All a Toxic Client wants is…
- Timely service
- Fast response
- Knowledgeable Customer Service Reps
- Advice and counsel when appropriate
- Accuracy
- Consistent service
- Fair pricing
- Courtesy
- Promises kept

Get in control of customer service and client care. It is your job, no matter what your position, how toxic their behavior is, or how bad your day is.

Please visit www.MarshaPetriesSue.com or email at Marsha@MarshaPetrieSue.com. Marsha’s blog: www.DecontaminateToxicPeople.com

As a professional speaker and author, Marsha Petrie Sue is the Mohammed Ali of communicators. She can dance and look pretty, and she uses the entire ring, but she knows how and when to land a knockout punch. Get the smelling salts! Her presentations are charm school with live ammunition. She is the author of Toxic People: dealing with difficult people in the workplace without using weapons or duct tape.
Available at major bookstores and online

Many of you ask questions about your work place and difficult people – especially with unemployment rates being low. One reoccurring issue is how do you know who NOT to hire! Here is my take on insuring a toxic free zone.

Difficult and Toxic People don’t just make others feel miserable; they create problems for their companies in many ways. They increase turnover, lower morale, and reduce profits.

When hiring employees, look for two characteristics: judgment and attitude. Typically, difficult people do not have either of these attributes. Everything else can be trained.

Second, avoid hiring the people who will never succeed — those who cannot do what they are told and those who cannot do anything unless they are told.

Ask questions that help get responses to make better hiring decisions.

1. Why did you leave your last position?
2. What are the key factors/skills you bring to building a successful team?
3. How do you stay motivated and focused?
4. What are the two elements of your experience that will help us reach our goals and satisfy our clients/customers?
5. If you had an issue with another employee, whether your subordinate, colleague, or superior, how would you go about resolving it?
6. What are two or three considerations a company has to focus on to build great customer relationships?

Lars Dalgaard is CEO and cofounder of SuccessFactors, one of the world’s fastest-growing software companies with revenues over $30 million created a list of the interesting milestones for the last seven years of his company. Her is my favorite:
* Employing no jerks

All the employees SuccessFactors hires agree in writing to 14 “rules of engagement.” Rule 14 starts out, “I will be a good person to work with—not territorial, not be a jerk.” One of Dalgaard’s founding principles is that “our organization will consist only of people who absolutely love what we do, with a white-hot passion. We will have utmost respect for the individual in a collaborative, egalitarian, and meritocratic environment—no blind copying, no politics, no parochialism, no silos, no games, —just being good!”

If you need a better understanding of identifying Toxic People, find resources that will give you the skills you need! Whether it is my book, Toxic People: decontaminate difficult people at work without using weapons or duct tape or other resources, do something! They will contaminate any work group or business environment.

Let me know what you think! Your questions have been terrific. Marsha

Writing the article reminded me that when we look at who we work with everyday, when we evaluate the 2008 elections or whatever our situation is – it is our personal responsibility to learn more and form our own opinions.

Don’t let anyone tell you someone else falls into a difficult behavior or a toxic person category. Learn for yourself. Gather information on your own, question, pay attention and take responsibility for creating your own thoughts.

If someone says another person at work is a backstabber, pay attention to the suspect’s behavior and form your own opinion – and stop relying on the gossip mongers and other difficult people at work!

How about Politics? Read and learn about all candidates credentials, past voting records, displays of toxic behavior and do fit within your core values.

Need more information? Let me know!

Marsha — professional speaker, author and decontaminator of toxic people.

BRITNEY SPEARS LYRICS in her song “Toxic”

“Baby, can’t you see I’m calling. A guy like you. Should wear a warning. It’s dangerous. I’m fallin’.”

With all the press she has had – I think we have to agree she is a difficult person and displays toxic behavior.

Well, her choices are awful, but her lyrics mimicked the situation I had today with Direct TV. I was “calling” them to get another cable box for our guest room. The “guy” in customer service should wear a “warning.” The situation was “dangerous” because I felt myself “falling” into that ugly space of Toxic Behavior.

One week ago we had Direct TV cable service installed and we LOVE it. So I called and ordered an extra cable box and was told that we would pay $50 extra because our credit history had not been established with them. What? So I paraphrased, trying very hard not to be a toxic person and fall into the Britany Spears “Toxic” syndrome, and said, “So I am being peanilized for other people bad payment history?” Then I almost lost it when they said, “It is company policy?”

Long story short – I talked to two superiors and finally the third had the solution — charge me the $50 then immediately credit my account with $50. Smart man. This could have gone to that ugly difficult person and Toxic place.

Direct TV wins a huge KUDO from me for the way they handled the situation. Britany Spears also gets a KUDO for the “Toxic” song. I just want to know when she will take personal responsibility for her choices and her life.

What do you think? Marsha

Marsha’s book hit #16 out of 50 on the best seller list from Bookscan!
Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work without Using Weapons or Duct Tape
Available at www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com

Your company deserves the best of the best! Many surveys say the number one issue facing business is finding and keeping good employees. Not only does this help the bottom line, it builds morale and motivation. For example, it costs a law firm approximately $200,000.00 if they lose a law associate within the first two years of employment. This figure does not take into account what the loss of a colleague does to morale and the drive of people remaining.

The process of keeping employees is easy if you apply the following strategies to overturn turnover.

• Selection: Improve staff and sales force retention by helping individuals make better choices before you hire. This begins with the selection process. In this environment of low employment, it is often tempting to hire the first applicant that seems to fill the bill. You can no longer just hold a mirror under their nose to insure they are alive and then hire them! Stop falling into the “hurry up and hire” syndrome. Poor hires feed turnover.

Include questions in the interview process to help you understand their strategic thinking, and problem solving process.
1. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
2. How do you make yourself indispensable to a company?
3. What’s your greatest strength? Weakness?
4. Tell me about a time when your workload was heavy. How did you complete all your work?
5. Tell me about a time when you had to accomplish a task with someone who was particularly difficult person.
6. How do you accept direction and, at the same time, maintain a critical stance regarding your ideas, ethics, and values?
7. What are some examples of activities and surroundings that motivate you?
8. Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a problem with no rules or guidelines in place.

• Career development: For employees to manage their own career is often a daunting process, especially for Gen X and Gen Y. Develop a system that helps them move toward what they want and to what they aspire. Email Marsha at Marsha@MarshaPetrieSue.com to receive your complimentary copy of Generational Differences. Gen X and Gen Y expect you to understand what they want as far as growth and promotion. Exceptional open communications is the key. On-going casual conversation will help in the process. Knowledge Management studies indicate that important information in an office is transferred in casual environments, for example; over the water cooler, rather than in structured meetings.

In addition, an important part of career development is the role of the performance appraisal. They have to be on going and honest. Too many times people provide employees with “performance appeases” because they are afraid to tell the employee that the expected work outcomes are not being achieved. Improved communications, heightened listening and learning to give appropriate feedback will immediately resolve this dilemma. Another issues is that the appraiser has no clue what kind of performance has been the standard for the appraisee so they give a “gold star performance review to a sub standard employee.

• Create an environment that eliminates gossip, and office politics. The reason there is gossip and office politics is the lack of information. People use these “tools” to fill in the informational black hole that is developed from poor communication and little information. Keeping an open door means you will answer any questions, anytime for anyone. If you don’t have time for an “open door policy” tell your group that they can schedule time (in person or by phone) anytime. Only change these appointments in extreme emergencies, for an example if your hair is on fire.

• Eliminate “shocks” – unexpected events that cause employees to begin thinking negatively about their job. The shock might be an industry change, resource supply interruption, or an international business event. These incidents can initiate the turnover processes because most people “what if” themselves into “I am going to lose my job” disorder. Town hall meetings, news briefs, or whatever mode works for you must be done. And don’t slack it off – people want information and to know how a situation will affect them.

• Help even the most lack-luster employee become a star. Use either in house or external coaching services. Bring in an accomplished speaker to ignite your group. Using assessment tools, the advisor acts as a liaison between the company and the employee. They become a “different messenger” indicating the concerns of the company and can:
1) Help the company to rectify a “performance issue”
2) Help the employee develop self-awareness that will improve them both personally and professionally.
3) Create solutions for the issues at hand.
The results of this connection with the employee can quickly improve performance and help the employee make different choices.

• Apply the “turnover calculator” to determine the effects on your bottom line. The center for community and economic development at the University of Wisconsin has this handy tool on line.
http://www.uwex.edu/CES/cced/economies/turn.cfm#calc

Fact: Businesses of all sizes are facing tremendous challenges on a global scale and know that maximizing their employee’s human potential is the answer to reduce turnover and improve retention.

Apply these simple ingredients to create emotional connections by cultivating an environment that generates resonance and lets people flourish. Apply these time-tested keys to allow you and your company to thrive amidst chaos, turbulent change, and turnover. Create a climate that fosters creative innovations, all-out performance, and lasting client relationships. Overturn turnover today.

Email Marsha for your copy of the Ten Commandments of Cooperation. – Please visit www.MarshaPetriesSue.com or email at Marsha@MarshaPetrieSue.com.

As a professional speaker and author, Marsha Petrie Sue is the Mohammed Ali of communicators। She can dance and look pretty, and she uses the entire ring, but she knows how and when to land a knockout punch. Get the smelling salts! Her presentations are charm school with live ammunition. She is the author of The CEO of YOU and the soon to be released Toxic People: dealing with difficult people in the workplace without using weapons or duct tape.