7 Guiding Principles
Providing clear communications and expectations is the hallmark of great leaders. That’s why it probably comes as no surprise that Diana provides 7 Guiding Principles to her team members. The following list provides what Diana refers to as “style and standards” for consistency and excellence day in and day out…
1: Communications
• Never bury the lead. Provide the listener or reader with the topic or purpose of your communication right from the beginning.
• Make phone calls, leave messages and write emails that clearly communicate your purpose and provide information needed to keep the ball moving downfield.
• Write emails that have descriptive subject lines (clear indication of what’s in the body) and content that is easy to follow. Use bullet points or listings when there are multiple items.
• Organize and communicate thoughts by enumerating – “I have 3 objectives,” “2 reasons,” etc.
• Don’t start talking or writing without answering these questions to establish your approach: What do I want ______ to think, feel or believe? What action do I want or need them to take? Once established, follow with: What do I need to provide to help accomplish that objective?
2: Responsiveness
• Return calls, texts and emails quickly. When working through a particularly challenging or time sensitive issue, be sure to provide updates on what actions have been taken, what is expected to happen next and when they can expect an update.
• Act on information and meeting follow-ups while they are fresh – don’t wait!
• Provide phone numbers and additional contact information for each team member and ensure the client is provided backup when you are gone or unavailable.
• Remember that responsiveness is an indication of respect. Show respect by handling all requests in a timely fashion.
3: Initiative
• Take the initiative to provide ideas for leveraging investments (time, money, resources) for greater results and creating new opportunities. This typically has the ancillary benefit of making things better, easier and more effective for our team and client.
• Offer to help with areas that are most likely to affect deployment or may need special support to keep things moving.
4: Professional/Personal Relationships
It is important to enjoy the people and companies we serve and for them to enjoy and look forward to working with us, too. That means relationships that strike the balance between professional and personal. We believe:
Professional trust comes in large part from expertise and the strategic and caring use of that expertise.
Personal trust comes in part from sharing similar values, core beliefs and simply enjoying the time we are together. We choose our clients as much as they choose us.
5: Maintain Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem
We are partners, not replacements. Our clients should feel we are an extension of their staff and not meant to be “better than” or “an alternative to” anyone.
• Offer all questions, ideas and recommendations in the spirit of what’s good for their company and for them – not what we prefer, like or want.
• Seek to understand first. If there is ever a need to ask for their reconsideration of a strategy or something they have done as a company or a department, we will do so from a position of first seeking to understand – and then offering thoughts for consideration.
• Remember that often times a client has marketing and PR staff who are capable and caring just like us. What they don’t have is capacity. We have the luxury of capacity and focus.
• Never judge or question why something didn’t get done by an internal marketing team member or their advertising agency. If there is a situation where we need to understand in order to better develop and deploy a plan – check your heart and ego (motivation) before asking the question.
• Remember that it’s amazing what we can accomplish if no one worries about who gets the credit. True talent leaves fingerprints and the recognition is that much sweeter when not sought.
6: No Surprises
• Err on the side of over-communicating. Provide updates on a regular basis. If you start to feel you are sending too much, ask if it is helpful or valuable. Don’t stop providing without asking.
• Think about who may be affected by a project or interested in it and consider sharing with them. Start by asking your contact person if ____ may also find it of interest. (See next bullet)
• Be aware of protocol. If you are not sure who should receive a copy…ask! When in doubt, simply note: “Please share this information as you see most appropriate.”
7: Value
We have the blessing of providing services that will never be commoditized.
• Know that there is a value for our years of experience, intellectual capital, community connections and ability to develop and deploy (a.k.a., “make things happen!”).
• Select clients, rather than just have clients select us. We will seek opportunities that allow us to do our best work with people who recognize our value.
• Understand we may not be the lowest price – but we will be the lowest cost.
Cost = Price + Value We will provide value and results above and beyond expectations and through our words, actions and deeds, maintain long and mutually beneficial relationships.
• Provide value that is seen as an investment with an expected return, rather than an expense.
• Accept compliments with grace – and pay tribute to others when appropriate.
• Thank the client for the opportunity to serve. They have placed their confidence in us and we will seize every appropriate opportunity to share how much we value that confidence.