“There’s more to life than just making money and creating results. Life is really about connecting. Life is about developing a network. Life is about reaching out and assisting other people to achieve their dreams. When you’re able to do that, your dreams will come true more quickly than you ever imagined.

Back in 1997, I had a breakthrough year. Many hundreds of thousands of dollars flowed into my bank account and even though it was overwhelming at times, I look back and say, “”Wow, my breakthrough year.”" What most people don’t understand is that I was in that process for about eight years. It all showed up in that one year and it all showed up not because I was a great salesman, but because I had evolved into a position where I had finally learned the difference between selling to people and developing the right people.

This I call the law of attraction. I looked up one day and had all these great people in my organization and realized that it was a by-product of my own charisma, my own energy. I had evolved to a position that people wanted to follow. People believed in me because I had started to believe in myself. I’d crossed that invisible barrier, developed that sense of certainty, and moved into the space occupied by people who really understand the game of life.

They start to understand that life is about service and value, and giving back, not just taking, and that everything operates off a yin and a yang, a give and a take, and you’ll get exactly what you expect. When you expect to struggle, the Universe will reward you with exactly what you expect. When you expect to flow, to reside, be hands-free, evolve and start to become the person you’ve always deserved to be, the Universe will also reward you with its own sense of abundance.

Most people never get to that phase because they never really start. Most people think they’re doing something, but they’re using their heads instead of operating from their hearts. When you’re in your heart, you are passionate, you are feeling. There’s a zest for the game. You can’t wait to play. Life is nothing more than a game and you don’t work for a living. You don’t trade time for dollars.

You are creating a palette in your design of your life. You’re moving people. You’re part of it. You’re all of it. You’re moving and shaking. You can’t wait to get up. You wake up before the alarm goes off and you say, “”Wow, five-thirty. I get to work out right now. I get to work out and then I get to connect with people.”"

People ask me all the time, “”Aren’t you a workaholic? Don’t you ever have fun?”" They don’t understand that every breathing moment that I am on this Earth plane I am having fun because I don’t do anything that isn’t fun anymore. I will not operate from guilt. When someone tells me to do something, I’m only going to do it because I feel it will be fun, not because I have to. Operating from fun means you come from your heart. But when you have to make yourself do something, you’re operating from your head. That’s a job. That’s trading time for dollars. But when life is fun, you’re in your heart. People sense it.

They want to be a part of it. They want to be around you. They want to touch you. They want to connect with you. They want to flow with you. They want you to lead them to the land of Paradise, the Promised Land. When you can radiate and resonate and feel and operate like this, people want to be around you.

When you operate like this, greatness starts to show up in your life because it’s showing up in your heart. The more it’s in your heart, the more you exude it.

It’s an internal experience that starts to radiate out of you externally. That’s when you operate from a telepathic position that says, “”I am the leader you are looking for.”" You’re consciously sending this message telepathically through thought waves, and in synchronicity, people who are supposed to hear your message become magnetized to these moments.

I call these, ‘Ah-ha’ moments. It’s radiating from your heart, not your head because if you’re in your head, you’re over-analyzing rather than being in the present moment. People don’t understand the value of time.

Time is your most valuable commodity. There are 86,400 seconds in every single day, 1,440 minutes, one hour, one day, one week, one month, one year, and one lifetime. What are you doing right now to create value in yourself? Obviously, if you are reading this, you are gaining a deeper perspective because, at least in the moment, you are in the process of changing just by taking the effort to gain the empowering perspectives of this information.

When it comes to change, sometimes change is gradual. Sometimes change is big, and sometimes change is small, and sometimes you’re changing and you don’t even know you’ve changed and you wake up one day and you realize, “”Wow, this is the life I’m leading. This is the life I deserve. I am the person that people are looking for. I am becoming the artist who’s designing my life.”"

When you operate this way, people want to be a part of you. They want to be in your energy, and instead of people being repelled by you; they are magnetized to you. People are touching you. They’re feeling you, and I’m talking about your energy, and when this happens, you have crossed an emotional bridge.

Jeffery Combs is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, and author committed to assisting people with personal growth and development. He can be contacted online here. Jeffery & Erica Combs host The More Heart Than Talent Mindset Conference each and every January to assist you to create quantum leaps to success in your enterprise by bringing world-class speakers and personal development experts together in an inspiring and empowering 3 day forum EVERYONE can afford to attend!

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Tags: ethical, theories, training, moral, philosophy

A Fortune 100 director willingly passes confidential board room chatter to the press; a CEO slips into using any means available to plug the leak; private eyes are seduced from keyhole peeking into alleged criminal impersonations hoping to impress a big client, and a phone company clerk is flustered or pressured into releasing confidential call records.

What were they thinking?

The actors in the unfortunate events at Hewlett-Packard most likely weren’t thinking at all, and in fact may have been acting under the direction of their hard-wired personality preferences – traits which, in the absence of discipline or policy redirection, and in the presence of a personality-driven and divisive environment, hijacked the director’s recognition of his fiduciary responsibilities and common sense. The devil didn’t make them do it, their psyches did. It could happen to anyone.

It should be noted the authors have no special knowledge of the people and events that have taken place at Hewlett-Packard since May of 2005. We are simply observing, as is the rest of the business community, and expressing those observations as an expert in corporate intelligence gathering with 15 years’ experience, and a psychologist with 30 years of clinical and forensic profiling experience in the criminal justice and intelligence realms. What we do know from our collective experience is that hundreds of companies operate every day under the same forces we see playing out in the H-P case. Where a company employs humans, human behaviors follow. The illustrations and lessons learned become clear by parsing out the events and the personalities involved. This paper introduces the idea that there were more factors at work, in and out of the H-P boardroom, than simple ego, frustration, competitive anxiety or mean spiritedness.

The first question goes to the root of the matter. What compels a corporate director, or any employee entrusted with company secrets, to discuss confidential business topics with outsiders, or at the very least, feel it is permissible to do so? We are going to focus on this point because without that breach of security, the misjudgments, misbehavior and potentially career-ending events that followed might never have occurred.

Understanding the answer requires a brief introduction to psychological profiling of humans in general and executives in particular.

There are recognized behavioral characteristics that everyone has. Knowledge of profiling methods as used in the intelligence and law enforcement realms simply allows analysts to take what would appear to be innocuous traits of a subject and extrapolate behaviors. If we know that a particular executive displays particular traits, that individual’s responses in various scenarios are, to a degree variable with the number of data points, predictable.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most familiar instrument for measurement of universal traits involving basic preferences. It has been in use for more than 35 years and is the tool most accessible to non-psychologists. Simple, non-intrusive questions like “Would you rather go to a party early and leave early or arrive late and stay late?” help the analyst understand how a person prefers to organize his life. In a business setting those preferences point directly to the importance of such things as interactions with others or the degree of detail an individual requires to be comfortable in his communications.

When asked by skilled researchers, MBTI questions can be posed directly to the subject in the course of a regular interview or conversation over a meal. Interviews are also often conducted “remotely”; that is, with individuals who have or had close contact with the subject. With enough information from those who know the subject, the results are nearly as accurate as if subjects blackened the boxes of a questionnaire themselves.

Personality preferences in the MBTI are articulated as four universal areas of preferences, captured as four pairs of dyads. Although conceived by Meyers and Briggs as mutually exclusive, these pairs can be understood as polar opposites along a continuum. The more strongly an individual scores in his preference type, the more likely it is that the specific preference will exert a strong influence over his behavior, whether recognized or not. The four sets of dyads are Introvert (I) vs. Extrovert (E) ; Sensing (S) vs. intuitive (N); Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F) and Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P). This is the origin of the cocktail party chatter one might hear that sounds like, “I’m an ESFP.”

‘Re-energizing Preference; I or E? The first pair, bounded by Introvert (I) and Extrovert (E), describes how an individual mentally recharges and refreshes himself. Does he “refuel” from the outside world of people, activities and things, or does he recharge in his inner world of ideas, emotions and impressions? Picture going to a bar after a long, exhausting day. The bar is full of other people relaxing and chatting over a glass before heading home. Are you glad to join them (Extrovert) or disappointed there are no quiet tables in a corner? (Introvert)

Receiving Information Preference; S or N? The second pair is bounded by preferences termed Sensing and iNtuitive. (The N is capitalized to differentiate from the capital I for Introvert.) This set describes an individual’s stylistic preference for taking in information. The Sensing types use their five senses to derive what is actual, real and specific. The iNtuitive or N-types use their sixth sense, and prefer to focus on the big picture or what might be, from a global perspective. When you last asked someone for directions did you become impatient when they described in detail the number of streets, the buildings and stores you’d pass, the angle of the intersection and so forth (N); or did you appreciate each bit of detail as reassurance you would find your way? (S)

Decision-Making Preference: T or F? The choice of Thinking vs. Feeling describes the subject’s preference for decision making. Thinking preference types are apt to organize information according to logic and honored, unchanging principles (Think justice.) while Feeling preference types will rank the decision they have to make against their sense of values in terms of the human impact specific to the case at hand. (Think mercy.) Anyone in a tight business climate who has had to decide on which members of his or her immediate team to lay off, knows where they are on this preference pair.
Organizing Daily Life Preference: J or P? Finally, the preference pair termed Judging vs. Perceiving points to how individuals generally prefer to organize their daily lives. The former, the J, seeks order, a schedule and principally closure; the latter, the P preference type, tends toward spontaneity, keeping his options open from day to day or even minute to minute, not needing to drive toward closure with one action or decision before taking up others..
But how do these different personality types generally approach secrecy and the guarding of confidential information?

Extroverts ( E types) , value open and free-ranging interaction. They tend to view communication as intrinsically more valuable than do their opposites, the I-types. This personality feature has several implications, both positive and negative: E-types tend to receive more information, more easily than do I-types, unless the latter are highly focused on the enterprise. Extroverts’ also give out more information in the course of the day. Because of the volume in and out, E’s have to pay stricter attention to sources, recipients and details of information. And if Extroverts deal in sensitive information, they have to expend energy watching the need-to-know aspect of their communications; energy they may not have at a particular point in time when additional caution is most needed. They have to operate quite distinctly and consciously from their instinctive and comfortable habits. Picture squinting to read each word of this paragraph or reading it aloud at, say, one word per second. Tiring, isn’t it?

Introverts, the I-types generally have an easier time holding information, for they tend to be more purposeful about the content of their disclosures, as well as instinctively, simply less productive, communication-wise. In some sense, retaining rather than revealing information is the Introvert’s default position. While they can be expected to be good at keeping secrets, generally, they can also be vulnerable to those very few people in whom they will confide. Introverts handling confidential information must make refined judgments about the reliability of their confidants and their sources, something the Introvert is rarely skilled through experience to do. Without specific training, I-types also often give greater clues via body language when they are withholding, calculating or otherwise strategizing in their communications. They simply do not have the fluency more often enjoyed by E-types.

Extroverts who are also S, Sensing, types tend to feel a need to deal in detailed specifics in both giving and receiving information. Without self-awareness of this trait, they can be more susceptible to disclosure. To some extent, Introverts who are also S-types are similarly vulnerable once they have decided that disclosure is necessary. On the other hand, iNuitive, N types tend to feel a need to provide the big picture to others, just as they, themselves, prefer getting a global, ‘over the horizon’ perspective. This leads to the possibility of disclosing general landscapes of information even while withholding specifics. As noted, in general, those types that instinctively value communication as well as information are going to be less likely to value secrecy, or even caution in disclosing ..

All the personality preference types, however, are entirely capable of deciding to establish and maintain secrecy, ad hoc, and in doing so the question for any individual is how far from his habitual, preferred behavior he has to move, in order to succeed. Self-awareness and discipline, reinforcement and support are the keys to success in this realm. When we encourage companies in our training classes to include a little printed reminder of the need for information containment in employee airline tickets, this is the kind of reinforcement and support that bolsters self -discipline.

We are not suggesting a mass psychological screening of every employee to determine who can and who cannot be trusted with the employer’s confidential information. The fact is that every employee from receptionist to CEO has access to different types of information that would be valued by competitors, or pique the interest of the press, investors or regulators. From the perspective of awareness of one’s own traits, the solution is much simpler. A useful level of operational mastery of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is eminently teachable to anyone who manages people inside or outside the company but particularly to sales forces, customer service people, managers, and team leaders, – basically anyone who must negotiate or influence other people in order to succeed themselves. The value of employee training in task-related psychological skills is widely – and increasingly – acknowledged in the corporate sector. What the HP fiasco points to is the need to recognize that directors, though highly accomplished, are subject to the same human characteristics, especially with respect to basic and universal preferences, and need the same self

Tags: ethics, theories, contemporary, human nature, business

Is it possible to run a company in today’s business climate without taking the cut-throat, winner-take-all approach that seems so predominant? While all the big news lately has been about those companies that have failed, and particularly those that have failed while using questionable tactics and obfuscating accounting practices, not to mention showing little concern for the average employee, are there still companies thriving while being run in a fashion that recognizes the value of ethics and the contribution of employees who feel like family?

One example that comes to mind here close to home is Celestial Seasonings. In spite of the various changes the company has undergone over the last 15 years, including a stint as a Kraft subsidiary, a time as an independent company, and now as part of a larger health-food company, Celestial Seasonings has stayed true to its roots. The company treats employees honestly and with kindness, and shares the profits of its success with them. It is a company that seems to wish everyone it touches—vendors, distributors, customers, even the competition—to benefit from that contact.

So it seems that it is possible to run a company in such a fashion that employee loyalty is bred by good treatment, that strong financial results can be achieved without scams or accounting schemes. Why don’t more companies try it?

My theory is that too many of the executives today were trained early in their careers that stepping on others to get where you want to be is not just expected—it is the only way to get to the top. Now that they have reached the goal, they are not easily convinced that a different strategy might work equally well.

The good news is, the change is coming. It is coming not from the senior people, but from junior execs who are coming of age in a different time. More and more, people are coming to the realization that what we do affects everyone else, and the ‘everyone else’ is not ‘them’. It is ‘us’. We are all in this together, and the dawning awareness of that fact is what will drive a sea change in our world over the next few generations.

Our planet is gradually recovering from centuries of abuse at the hands of uncaring and ignorant populations. As we take better care of Mother Earth, the chances of our race surviving another century rise slowly. And much of the recovery will be the responsibility of the businesses of the planet. Governments can spend huge sums to clean up past ecological disasters and can legislate proper behavior, but business is best equipped to prevent it in the first place. If the top management of a company has the attitude that taking shortcuts and violating either our home or the people who live here is the worst possible path to take, this gradual improvement in conditions will snowball with lightning speed.

My vision is not one that will easily come to pass. On the other hand, Mo Seigel probably had little inkling of what Celestial Seasonings would become when he and some friends picked herbs in the fields outside Boulder to use in his first batch of Mo’s 36 Herb Tea back in 1969. Vision is not about the ‘how’ of it. The realization of a dream seems to take care of itself when people come together to share the dream. As more and more of us come to share this vision, we take another step toward it becoming reality. We make it our reality.

—–

Rick Hamrick, employed as an IT middle manager, is working to make his vision a reality from inside an American corporation.

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The current state of the available technology at the disposal of designer is the most limiting determinant to what is technically and economically feasible to develop.

Therefore research into metatechnology such as computer science, whereby interdisciplinary spin off provides advances that both directly increase capabilities, and affects other technologies to dramatically improve system performance, is a necessity, the implication being that despite many of the basic principles being relatively static, the technology used is essentially in a state of constant development.

Such developments result in smaller, more efficient, cheaper and more reliable components. Any one of the fore mentioned results of technical change within the computing industry could provide the necessary state of miniaturisation to revolutionise any number of products.

At present our current understanding of physics and the physical limitations of our universe are creating some interesting technical problems which must be overcome if programable technology is to evolve (for example relativity Theory states that nothing, including data, can travel faster than the speed of light, therefore to increase processing power components must be built smaller and closer together.

It is through metatechnology such as molecular nanotechnology that this can be achieved which will allow the construction of quantum computers (computers that exploit quantum theory, for example the theory that an object can occupy many universes at the same time).

As an example, an autonomous robot vacuum cleaner would require a reasonable level of artificial intelligence to perform a complex task such as learning and adapting to the changing environment of a house hold. From a control technology standpoint, artificial intelligence can not imply computer pure binary logic (sensing a threshold has been exceeded and taking some fixed action) but rather a programmed sense – “Fuzzy logic”. This is to say nothing of the physical sensors or the required real time processing ability for such a device.

The existing technology of for example a year ago may not have allowed the creation of a device to detect the condition and choose then relevant solution/action.

Metatechnologies inherently have the ability to form the basis of new products. Digital electronics was the basis for inexpensive and reliable computers.

The manufacturing process is a key part of the product life cycle, as it is a metatechnology that dramatically improves manufacturing.

Digital electronics (being a metatechnology) has a profoundly affected of the life-cycle of products. Computer Aided Manufacturing provides more flexible and responsive production with shorter cycle-times. Computer Aided Logistics Support provides integrated product information between suppliers and the government.

The implication is that advances in the manufacturing process will dramatically improve system performance where by it will be possible to build extremely rapidly and accurately, which in turn will provide a number of significant secondary and tertiary effects, for example, dramatically reducing the manufacturing portion of cycle time (period from first order to delivery of a product); lower costs of production and thus much more available products; Parts are cheaper (and thus a wider array of much better parts are broadly affordable).

In this context it as assumed that shorter life-cycles is not referring to the time taken for production as in the above, but rather is referring to built in obsolescence.

As decided above, metatechnology incarnated into the assembly line has produced the direct capabilities for more flexible and responsive production with shorter cycle-times (construction time) however this is not at the expense of quality. the way in which these systems are developing quality levels supercedes the level which is possible with hand assembly!

In theory, the consumer should not suffer at the hands of the designer, however, this is not what happens in practise, as the situation would result in a paradox (product lasting longer while the time in which they are outmoded is growing shorter), especially, this is a good consequence, as a product that can still be used that may be discarded simply because it is decided that they are obsolete is better from an environmental standpoint that one that must be replaced because it has failed in some way.

Needless to say that entities that are in a position to affect the ecological systems through the irresponsible handling of resources in a reckless fixation on economic growth, should adopt methods of sustainable development so economic processes is compatible with the carrying capacity of the ecology.

However this situation is not compatible with the objectives of capitalism, and has summarily been prevented through a practice known as built in obsolescence, where by in the absence of a failing introduced by imprecise construction techniques and/or materials with short life times have been substituted for those designed into the products. to ensue markets stay in a constant state of growth.

This policy is the work of profiteering gluttons and is implemented by the designers. It could also be argued that this is merely a function of cheap design, however the effect is the same, so it may well be that these are two means to the same ends. As an example it has been technically possible to produce a light bulb that would never fail, however again, this is not compatible with the objectives of capitalism and if this were done the market for replacement lights would dry up over night.

The implication is that such polices have a direct differential effect on the standard of living, in as much as the populations coerced into needlessly paying for replacement products which are not required or could be cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons.

It could also be argued that this type of profiteering directly influences criminal activities (for example, people making use of a service without paying for them, on the bases of an ethical objection to their treatment by the established order), this type of anti-social behaviours is to expected when the establishment puts its own objective before those of the consumer.

Michael Hart

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Michael Hart – EzineArticles Expert Author

Tags:ethical, theory, theories, business

Globalization and technology developed at a rattling rate make our lives more comfortable but we are stranded in a tighter area in our daily lives, on the contrary. Future might be ahead that is worse than Georger Orwell’s “Big Brother”. This time private companies trace us more than the government does, ranging from GSM operators to web search engines, credit card data and survey forms.

In the era of marketing, advertising and consumpiton, it does not matter so much to get data collected about us. The heart of the mattter for the companies is what they could do with those data, how they could increase their sales and forecast future.

Data mining is a method became very popular in 1990s, which aims to reach optimum efficiency in planning and organization thru collecting data from gigantic databases and determining specific trends, allowing to forecast future. Having used artificial intelligence, this method is based on analysing “significant” data and trends by computers, which takes many years for an ordinary man to collect those data. In the beginning such significant data seem “irrelevant”, but following computer analysis, it could appear as “relevant” by comparing two parameters. For example, according a survey run in a supermarket chain, families buying nappies tend to buy beer as well. So, a promotion campaign is held with the concept of “Party Time for the Families with Kids”.

Why is it so important to connect medicine and insurance, public and private sector, automobile demand graphics with avocado and banana curves? Before answering this question, it would be better to check how such a thing could be possible.

The key concept of data mining is to purge specific data series by sorting and comparing among gigantic databases. Despite “Merge and Purge” and “Database Enrichment” methods remained out of fashion as compared to “data mining”, data could be really transformed into valuable information and automized easily.

It is not easy to set up such huge databases. Many legal and illegal companies and people appeared to collect databases, especially e-mails currently. Metromail is one of the largest companies collecting mail addresses, currently collecting and selling e-mails, established in 1948, hiring 3000 people with a sales turnover of over USD 281 million. It “hunts” data researching from different resources ranging from state records to surveys, which also include income, householding, marital status, age groups and even the team supported. So Metromail is the no 1 company as required specific name-address info. On the other hand, it has a gigantic database continously developing with data about almost every house in the USA . In addition to such legal companies, there are also pirate ones producing data for pirate CDs.

Cookies innocently embedded in our computers, security cameras tracing us on the streets, retina scanners at airports, mobile phone call centers recording what we said for us, machines recording what we wrote and tools registering our actions…It is a world that do not care about us, but our data.

There is a new possible future ahead in case there is not a social consciousness formed to pass the overseas laws protecting invidual privacy. That future is “profitable” for companies, “secure” for states but “nightmarish” for us, ordinary people.

Emre Kizilkaya is a journalist. He writes articles for a communication technologies magazine, Tele.com.tr.

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Tags: ethical, examples, issue, theories, dilemmas

“Two prospective employee resumes come across a hiring manager’s desk. Both candidates have the same skills and qualifications as well as have degrees from prestigious colleges. One candidate however, may have an unfair advantage, a traditionally non-ethnic sounding name.

According to an article by David Wessel of the Wall Street Journal, “”A white sounding name on an application is worth as much as an extra eight years of work experience.”"

Name Descrimination is Occuring

While a name doesn’t say anything about a person’s character or work ethic, according to a labor market discrimination study conducted by professors at the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, there is a substantial amount of name based discriminating occurring in the recruiting process.

A National Bureau of Economic Research Paper shows that job applicants with white names had a 50% chance of getting a callback over those who had African-American names.

Other facts from the study:

• Only resumes were reviewed; face to face meetings never took place.
• A white name’s callbacks yielded the equivalent of eight additional years of experience.
• Residential address also mattered to some degree, with more callbacks received for resumes tied to wealthier, more educated or more-white zip codes.
• Names made a bigger impact on results than addresses did.
• Results were the same across occupation and industry categories covered in the experiment.
• For companies with the “equal opportunity” byline, results didn’t seem to make a difference!
• More education and more skills displayed on a resume with an ethnic sounding name didn’t make a difference to the outcome.
• Names that indicated gender also had an effect on results.

Names Are Powerful Names are powerful indicators of who we are. Our name serves as the label to our identity, pointing to culture, religious affiliation, sex, social position and ethnic background. Despite laws against racial discrimination in the workforce, several studies have shown that an African or Ethnic-sounding name like Lakisha can seriously reduce an individuals’ chance of being called in for a job interview.

Nicole St. Martin is a Search Marketing Analyst for HotGigs Jobs2Web and co-organizer of the China Search Marketing Tour. With over 6 years of search marketing experience, Nicole has consulted in the areas of PPC, SEO, usability, conversion analysis, website design and corporate career site optimization. Nicole has authored many search marketing articles including the HR Search Marketing Blog that regularly covers SEO and marketing issues as they relate to the recruiting space.

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Tags: ethical, argument, theories, questions, moral

If you don’t, it could be that those who do are actually preoccupied with moving messages from one point to another using simple tactics like broadcast plugs, brochures and press releases.

What’s missing from that picture, of course, is you as a manager doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important audiences who most affect the business, non-profit, government agency or association sub-unit you manage.

For example, the creation of the kind of external stakeholder behavior CHANGE that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. As well as your follow-through in persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed. If true, there’s a lot missing from your control and oversight.

Fortunately, the underlying premise on which public relations is based, is really proactive: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to- desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

The good news emanating from that premise is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your key outside audiences. But your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases
and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you believe you deserve. That way, you really will stand a good chance of getting the best public relations has to offer.

Employ that approach and the results you seek should soon come your way. For example, community leaders begin to seek you out; and prospects actually start to do business with you; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures begin showing up; customers starting
to make repeat purchases; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; membership applications start to rise; politicians and legislators start looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

It’s obvious that the public relations staff itself can be of real use when you commence the new opinion monitoring project. After all, they are already in the perception and behavior business. But to be certain, determine if those PR folks really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. And this is really important: be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Let’s talk for a moment about your public relations plan. In everyone’s best interests, go over it carefully with the public relations professionals on your team. Talk over how you plan to monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Try to ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Retaining professional survey firms will be proposed as the best way to do the opinion gathering work. But ave no illusions about the added cost when compared to using your own PR staff. But whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and
any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Next we set an achievable goal addressing the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will it be to straighten out a dangerous misconception? Correct a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop a potentially painful rumor before it does more damage?

Because, a matching strategy is mandatory in order to show you how to reach that goal, we address it here. For better or worse, there are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to solving perception and opinion problems. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will taste like sour orange marmalade on your Gnocchi. So be certain your new strategy fits well with your new public
relations goal. You certainly don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

Every public relations professional is painfully aware of how crucial good writing is to the business. And here, it’s true once again as you face the reality that you must put together a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It should be a carefully-written message aimed directly at your key external audience. Hopefully, your best writer willingly accepts the assignment because s/he must produce language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

As you consider those communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience, you’ll be pleased to discover that there are many waiting for you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Keep in mind that the method by which you communicate your message will bear heavily on its
credibility, which is always fragile. That’s why you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

As you measure the headway made in moving key audience perception, it will become clear that a second and comparative perception monitoring session will be needed. Those data will comprise your first progress report. Fortunately, you can use many of the same questions used in your benchmark session. But now, you will be watching for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

First-aid may be needed if momentum slows. And that suggests speeding up matters by either adding more communications tactics and/or increasing their frequencies, or both.

Maintaining control of your unit’s public relations will confirm that, in fact, you really ARE doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect the group, department, division or subsidiary you manage.

Then you’ll know for certain that public relations is working well for you. Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published over 200 articles on the subject which are listed at here, click Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. Visit this site

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