maripat | Varga & Associates

Dan, Dilbert and the words we use

Jun 27, 2011 | Career Development, Communication, Customer Service, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Media, Personal Development, Presentation Skills

Last evening I ran into my neighbor, Dan, after we had both parked our cars in our respective garages and were making our way through our backyards to the house. Being the friendly neighbor that I aspire to be, I said to Dan, “Hey, how was your day?” He looked at me and said with a straight face, “Well, I’ve been on quite a transformative journey! I have shifted many of my paradigms, increased my intellectual bandwidth, clarified my understanding of our company’s vision and I’m fully engaged and on-board! After a second or two trying to determine if he was for real, we bought started to laugh.

Building a Personal Board: ideas from Bernick & Carpenter

Jun 20, 2011 | Career Development, Communication, Leadership, Personal Development

I have always been a believer in the concept that each of us needs our own personal board of directors – a group of people we can pull together four times a year to share where we are, our strategies for what is ahead and receive candid feedback and guidance.

Media Interviews: Be Bold, Bundle, Bridge and Bounce

May 30, 2011 | Career Development, Communication, Media

Sitting down for an interview with the media assumes a few things: You are prepared, you’ve done your homework, you know about the reporter and the publication… All of these elements are important but once you begin keep in mind the following:

Customers: Wired and Dangerous

May 22, 2011 | Communication, Customer Service

How many of your customers have over 5000 followers on Linked-in, Facebook or Tweeter? So, instead of telling five people about their service hiccup with you, they can now instantly tell a thousand times that number! It would not take many unhappy customers to cut a sizeable dent in your bottom line and brand reputation. With customer expectations up 33% over this time last year, you are very vulnerable to a today’s wired and potentially dangerous customers.

Seeking Advice: Networking Protocol that Builds Bridges

Apr 7, 2011 | Career Development, Communication, Leadership, Personal Development

It has happened to all of us. We are introduced to a professional colleague who piques our interest. Maybe they are pursuing a line of business that intrigues us…maybe they have a body of expertise we want to know more about…perhaps we simply want to know how they got to where they are. Knowing how to approach that individual in a respectful and focused way is key to building a relationship.