Today’s businesses often attempt to apply the “old ways” to the “new economy” and fail miserably. It’s like applying the rules and guidelines you used with your four year old to your teenager. It may get some results – but ultimately it doesn’t work.

Let me explain. The old model of management is one that most of us have seen somewhere in our lives – it’s sometimes called Industrial Age Management and it worked fantastically in the Industrial age when the goal was to create a structure where semi-skilled employees could perform repetitive tasks accurately. It’s a command and control structure and includes some of the following characteristics:

•    Abundance of rules and regulations
•    Clear roles and hierarchy
•    Well defined roles
•    Lack of trust of employees
•    Linear and measurable tasks and results

In some situations this model works wonderfully. As a youth I worked at McDonalds, and one of their strengths is their ability to apply Industrial Age Management to get semiskilled teenagers to perform repetitive burger flipping accurately.
However, in most modern businesses we need people to think.

Today’s business environment moves quickly.

Products must be relevant and quick to market.

Companies must be adaptable and resilient.

Employees must be focused and creative.

In this age of rapid change, hierarchy and bureaucracy are increasingly unprofitable. To be successful as a manager we must learn to communicate our vision clearly and inspire our employees to be creative and take risks.

Today’s successful businesses styles include:

•    Trusting the individuals in your organization
•    Less compliance, more alignment around values
•    Shared information and problem solving
•    Creativity and risk-taking
•    Collaboration

Being clear communicators is no longer enough. We must be persuasive managers to succeed.

Two Steps To Get Started

Step 1: Admit that there is a problem. You don’t have to proclaim it to the rooftops (although sometimes that helps), but notice it. Notice how the structure of your business is not working – the ways that the bureaucracy slows you down,
Step 2: Step up and take action. You’ve already started this step by picking up this book. Read it. Do the exercises. Take the steps to learn how to empower your team, to communicate clearly and change the world by changing the world around you.

How Do You Thrive In The New Business Workplace?

Many managers (and employees of all types) start to feel panic when they realize that the way they have worked in the past is no longer going to help them to be successful. Maybe you’ve experienced a certain tightness of chest when you realize that your overhead and bureaucracy is weighing your business down – perhaps making you less competitive. You might get nervous when you see other companies growing while yours shrinks or notice product introduction failures – too little, too late – or in the wrong direction altogether. You might even hear the stories of the big – seemingly “stable” companies making massive layoffs as they try to turn the huge ship around.

Relax and know that just in picking up this book and reading this far you are taking solid steps to see that you can succeed in the new economy – thrive beyond even the possibilities in the old model of business.

You’ll learn that when you use these simple skills, consistently applied, you can become a leader in the new economy.

Did you know that the people you meet make almost instant judgements of your attractiveness, like ability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness, (scientific article) in less than a second, and then they proceed to justify this instant (emotional) judgement with logic.

I’m currently reading The Social Animal by David Brooks, and his point of view, which is becoming more and more popular, is that many of the decisions we make are made at a sub-conscious and emotional level, then justified by our logical mind.

This is how advertising works. For example, in our aging population people might see a new “age-defying cream”, with a gorgeous model with lovely skin. The image strikes a chord in them, it brings out their longing for the energy, vitality and sexual appeal of youth. In that micro-moment the sale is made. Then their sub-conscious delivers to the conscious mind the desire to have the result, and the conscious mind attempts to justify the purchase. And another $50 is spent on a cream that may or may not have any positive effect at all.

So, how does this relate to being a better communicator? Let me throw in another data point before I answer that question.

Studies have shown that between 55% and 80% (depending on the study) of our communication is non-verbal. And people generally see you for at least a second before you start talking. So that first impression that they are going to measure you for the rest of your relationship by – it’s non-verbal.

When we want to be influential at work, at home, in our lives overall, we our first opportunity is in how we look.
What do I mean by how we look?

Well, it is true that the basics, like age, race, height, weight do make a difference, even if we don’t want them to. I actually was really surprised to gain insight into my own biases when I took some of the Harvard Implicit association test quizzes. You might check them out here:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/

Of course, that’s not really something we can change. We can loose or gain weight or maybe get some plastic surgery or wear make-up to change the tone of our skin.

I think a more important and useful step will be to really look at the non-verbal messages that we give out in the way we dress, our posture, breathing, and even gestures and voice tone.

Let’s look at some ways that we can create a great first impression with our bodies:

1. Dress to make an impression. This doesn’t mean always wear a suit, or to take out the nose ring. There may be situations where a suit is not appropriate. I with Brendon Bruchard this weekend and he mentioned leading a youth seminar where him wearing a tie actually created a negative impression. It created more of a sense of distance between him and the students than he wanted.

What I am advocating is that you think about it.One rule of thumb I’ve heard is when going to a professional or business meeting, dress one level classier than the people around you. So if they are in sport coats, wear a tie. If they are in business casual, wear a sport coat. If they are in shorts, wear jeans.On the other hand if you are trying to make a great first Punk impression, than get a feeling for how much make-up and how many earrings, and how outlandish the people around you will be dressing, and decided if you want to go one step higher (more make-up, more earrings) if you have the other verbal and non-verbal confidence to carry that off, or blend in more by matching the people around you.

   When I am invited to a new situation where I want to make a great first impression I often ask what the people around me are going to be wearing. Then I’ll sometimes have an extra blouse or shirt in the car just as a back-up if I feel out of place. I’ve found that the more I am dressed at the same level as those around me, the more comfortable I feel with them as well. So it’s a two way street.

2. Be aware of your posture. Get into the habit of having a posture that expresses what you want to express. Again, this doesn’t mean that you always need to have the upright “I’m confident and in control” posture.For example, a friend was lamenting that she never got asked out on a date in social situations. I watched her at a church gathering. She looked very confident and assured and in-control. She did not look open, approachable and friendly. We dive into this subject in more detail in our non-verbal communication courses. This gives you some ideas to start with.
3. Breathing. Breathing is probably the most powerful and subtle information cue that people never really think about. Whether consciously or unconsciously you are probably picking up on the breathing patterns of those around you, and making decisions about them based upon what you learn. Breathing high in the chest is usually interpreted as less authoritative and more agitated, and breathing deep in the belly is seen as calmer, more authoritative and more trustworthy. A side benefit is that your brain gets more oxygen and you will feel clearer, smarter and more on top of things.

To Do’s:

When it is important to you to make a great first impression consider:
1.    Wearing clothing that is similar to the clothing of those around you.
2.    What posture you want to present. Generally a good idea to have a confident posture – then consider the nuances of an open posture or an “in-control” posture.
3.    Breathe deeply into your stomach. Especially good right before you make a phone call or meet someone for the first time to take a deep full breath.