[READING TIME: 8 MINUTES]

In this 8020Info Water Cooler, we look at the problems of jargon, myths about customer loyalty, handling sensitive survey questions, CEO succession, differentiation from competitors, laws of innovation, and the “Streisand Effect”. Enjoy!

1. Avoid Acronyms and Expert Jargon

In February 2021, as US President Joe Biden was practising a speech on his pandemic rescue plan, he asked press secretary Jen Psaki how she would answer questions on the immediate benefits, which would be paid through government cheques.

“Well, I start by saying, ‘For anyone who is a non-filer—‘”

“What the heck is a non-filer?” the president interrupted. “No one speaks like that.”

She was using jargon. And she advises you to avoid it. Sometimes speaking simply may require more words and effort, as it did here. But it’s worth it.

Organizations these days abound in acronyms, like FOMO. But when you are using one not widely known, ask someone outside your circle whether it makes sense.

She points to examples in medical care.

“When you’re in that consultation room and thinking your doctor might as well be speaking Greek, the information they’re providing isn’t wrong — in fact, for the experts who wield the scalpels and write prescriptions it’s more ‘right’ than a less precise summary,” she writes in her memoir Say More.

“But in most cases, overly formal academic language leaves the patient annoyed, confused, and maybe even scared.”

She has found people get turned off when you use words or concepts they don’t recognize or understand, particularly if those terms are basically inaccessible without graduate level study on that topic.

“Even if the point is to educate,” she warns, “the audience interprets all the new details and terminology as a means to exclude them from the conversation.”

2. Myths You Must Overcome

Consultant Donald Cooper finds many businesses believe there’s no such thing as customer loyalty anymore, when in fact we’re all desperately searching for organizations to be loyal to in every part of our lives.

“Here’s the truth about customer loyalty. People are loyal to what’s best for them, or what they assume is best for them,” he writes on his blog.

“So, are you the clear and compelling ‘wise choice’ for your target customers? Are you ‘best’ for them? If not, stop whining about there being no customer loyalty anymore and do the work to be the wise choice.”

Another myth he encounters is that you can’t get great staff anymore. But the truth is, the best people work for somebody. Do you deserve them?

“Do your working conditions, business culture and career opportunities attract, engage, excite, challenge and reward top performers?” he asks.

If not, write out what kinds of organizations are attracting them and then, separately, what you must fix or do or create to become the kind of organization you just described.

3. Handling Sensitive Questions in Surveys

Frequently, surveys or screening queries contain topics some respondents may find sensitive and/or be reluctant to answer.

“Even questions that might seem innocuous to a researcher, like age, gender, or income level, could cause an emotional response from your respondents,” writes Maddie Brown, a user experience specialist, on the Nielsen Norman Group web site.

Most commonly, sensitivity will occur in demographic questions and questions about socially undesirable behaviors.

Demographic questions that have the potential to be perceived as sensitive include those asking about age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity or income levels.

“Income level can be especially problematic and lead to high rates of nonresponse. One study by Jeffrey Moore and colleagues found that questions about income are 10 times more likely to be left blank than other demographic questions,” she notes.

People are also less likely to disclose preferences deemed undesirable by society. Common behaviors known to lead to underreporting in surveys include alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking (especially during pregnancy), and abortion. Information that might be threatening in the wrong hands, like disclosing a preexisting health condition, can also be problematic.

She recommends determining whether you really have to ask the question or if other ways exist to get the information.

It’s also helpful to highlight that the person’s identity will be kept anonymous and how confidentiality applies to those permitted to view responses.

“Respondents should never have to guess whether a survey is anonymous, confidential, both, or neither,” she stresses.

4. Emotions in Transitions

Navio Kwok, a leadership advisor with Russell Reynolds Associates who studied CEO succession, found outgoing leaders often grapple with their emotions as they find themselves sidelined in the search for their successor.

He asks these questions on LinkedIn applicable for everyone:

• When you switch roles within your organization or exit entirely, how often are you part of selecting and onboarding your successor?
• I’m sure your organization says emotional intelligence is important. How often are you given the opportunity to share and process your emotions at work?
• If you were to be displaced from your job tomorrow, what is your plan for what you’d do next?
• The more your identity is attached to your job or organization, the harder it will be when you transition out of your role. How much of your identity is defined by what you do?

5. Zingers

• On Success:  Marketing consultant Roy H. Williams says “business is nothing more than a search for purpose and adventure, and failures are footlights along the dark pathway to success.” (Source:  Monday Morning Memo).
• Pitch to Learning Styles:  To make your pitches more engaging, Duncan Wardle, a former vice-president at The Walt Disney Company, says you should appeal to multiple learning styles. For auditory learners, harmonize your words with their imaginations. For visual learners, paint a picture worth a thousand words. For kinesthetic learners, include a tangible element, perhaps a product prototype or interactive model. (Source:  Harvard Business Review).
• Be Adaptable:  Adaptability is the single most powerful trait in life, says venture capitalist Sahil Bloom. (Source:  SahilBloom.com).
• Reasons for Leaving:  A Korn Ferry survey of 10,000 professionals from around the world found low compensation the top reason for quitting a job. While 42% listed that as a problem, 28% cited lack of career advancement opportunities and 27% named lack of job security. (Source:  MarketingProfs.com).
• Learning Tips:  Atomic Habits author James Clear offers these three ways to learn something new: Reflect on what you have already tried. Attempt something you have not tried. Read about what someone else has tried. (Source:  JamesClear.com).

 

6. The List: Eight Ways to Be Different

Marketing consultant Winnie Brignac Hart learned about the importance of differentiation from birth, as an identical twin. At work, we are told differentiating ourselves from the competition is important, but often wonder how.

Consider these eight elements that Hart offers on thoughtLEADERS LLC:

• Purpose:  The organization should know and live its purpose, being true to those beliefs.
• Reputation:  There is continuous and ongoing awareness of the organization’s reputation and that of top competitors.
• Visual Identity:  The outward appearance of the brand reflects and signals who the organization is.
• Authenticity:  The organization’s messaging is consistent, true, genuine and communicates value propositions.
• Ideal Leads:  There is a consistent funnel of ideal leads who can be turned into clients; they are well-defined, nurtured and managed.
• Distinction:  The organization stands out in its industry.
• Strategy:  A 12-month marketing plan is in force and aligned with the organization’s goals.
• Mindset:  There is focus and commitment to achieve desired results.

 

7. Around Our Water Cooler

The “Streisand” Effect

Here’s a common dilemma many of us have faced — how can we confront a sticky public issue or personal attack without “fanning the flames”? A strong response can backfire.

The Streisand Effect is “a phenomenon in which an attempt to censor, hide, or otherwise draw attention away from something only serves to attract more attention to it.”

Singer Barbra Streisand once sued a photographer over a photo of her home she wanted taken off the Internet due to stalker concerns. At the time, the photo had been downloaded only four times (other than by her lawyers).

But after the $50M lawsuit was widely publicized, the photo was viewed more than 400,000 times in a month and reposted on news sites and elsewhere on the Internet.

Sometimes ignoring a risk or problem is a better strategy. While each situation is unique, consider these factors when deciding how to respond:

• Is the attack severe enough to harm your reputation significantly?
• Consider timing: Delays can escalate issues; rushing may lead to mistakes.
• What are the legal implications? Sometimes silence is the best legal strategy.
• Tailor your response according to the audience.
• Will your response be aligned with your organization’s values, brand and reputation.
• Consider precedents and how you handled past incidents. Consistency matters.

 

Ten Laws of Innovation

Barry Cross, a Smith School of Business professor, has distilled his experience into ten fundamental principles for improving performance through innovation, execution and operations strategy. Several readers have tipped us to his Laws of Innovation:

• Making customers wait can destroy a perfectly good service experience.
• Suppliers are your number one source of risk.
• Dysfunctional processes are organizational kryptonite.
• Loyalty is only as good as the fact there isn’t someone better next door.
• Investing in risk management increases the priority placed on a project.
• Always fix or improve existing capacity before adding new capacity.
• You either have a process problem or a people problem.
• Things happen when you say “no”, freeing up time to focus on what’s most important.
• The life cycle of a business model frames behaviour in every business cycle.
• The moment we all think alike is the moment we stop thinking.

 

What We’re Reading:

• Harvey’s Pick:  In 10 to 25, developmental psychologist David Yeager argues managers must answer this existential question that young employees are constantly asking: Does this person who has power over my life think I’m incompetent? He looks at the managerial mindsets that get in the way of offering a proper answer and how to overcome them.
• Rob’s Pick:  In Make Yourself Unforgettable (How to Become the Person Everyone Remembers and No One Can Resist), the Dale Carnegie Training group takes you through a guidebook of 18 chapters on ways to distinguish yourself as a leader. Qualities range from “class in a crisis” to the importance of listening and 16 other ways to stand out.

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8020Info helps senior leadership teams and boards develop, clarify and build consensus behind strategic priorities. Our services support strategic planning and change processes, marketing communications, and research / stakeholder consultations. We would be pleased to discuss your needs and welcome enquiries.

 

8. Closing Thought

“After all these years, I have come to realise that I must go through a period of agony and torture before I have a breakthrough.”
— Hans Zimmer, film score composer and music producer