Why Didn’t You Get Better? You Didn’t Follow Up!

Clearly, affirmatively, I can tell you that you will not get better if you do not follow up. Once you’ve mastered the subtleties of asking, listening, thanking, apologizing, involving, and initiating change in your behavior, you must follow up relentlessly! If you don’t, all your hard work is just a flash in the pan, a “program of the month”, and another reason why people don’t trust that anything ever really changes.

I teach my clients to go back to all of their coworkers every month or two to ask them for comments and suggestions. For instance, one of my clients who had a problem sharing and including his peers in organizational happenings went to each colleague and said the following, “Last month I told you that I would try to get better at being more inclusive. You gave me some ideas and I would like to know if you think I have effectively put them into practice.” That question forced his colleagues to think, once again, about his efforts to change, to mentally gauge how he was progressing, and to keep focused on his continuous improvement.

If you do this every month, your colleagues eventually begin to accept that you are getting better, not because you say so, but because they see so and they are reminded that they are seeing you change every time you ask them to look at you! When I tell you, “I’m getting better,” I believe it. When I ask you, “Am I getting better?” and you say I am, then youbelieve it.

Follow-up is the last step of the Leadership Is a Contact Sport behavioral change process. You’ve walked through Ask, Listen, Think, Thank, Respond, Involve, Change – and now it’s time to follow-up. This is the longest part of the process of changing for the better. It can go on, and should go on, for 12 to 18 months. And, fittingly, with all this time spent on this last step, you will find that it is the difference maker in this whole process.

Follow-up is how you measure your progress.

Follow-up is how our efforts eventually get imprinted on our colleagues’ minds.

Follow-up is how we erase our coworkers’ skepticism that we can change.

Follow-up is how we acknowledge to ourselves and others that getting better is an ongoing process, not a temporary conversion.

More than anything, follow-up makes us change. It gives us the momentum, even the courage, to go beyond understanding what we need to do to change and actually doing what we need to do to change, because in engaging in the follow-up process, we arechanging!

Photo: Shutterstock

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6 Bad Habits Holding You Back From Success

You always imagined your career would be like a rocket ship shooting you straight to the stars, but instead you seem to be stuck in one place, already out of gas. Before you blame your company, your coworkers, or your boss, it's time to take a good look in the mirror. Your bad habits might be the culprit holding you back from the corner office you’ve always dreamed about.

We all have bad habits, but bringing your baggage along to the office can be the difference between soaring or stalling in your career. Below are six common workplace bad habits to break if you want to continue moving up the career ladder:

Being a Lone Wolf

Collaboration is the key to workplace success, but you prefer to work solo. While being able to work independently is a valuable commodity in any workplace, working alone shouldn’t be your only speed. If you are constantly ducking out of team projects or asking to tackle a task without any help, your coworkers will take notice.

While those around you put their heads together, brainstorm great ideas, and form connections, you’re being left in the dust. You need to show you can play well with others. After all, managers and those in charge need to be able to lead a team. Getting ahead in any office is one part skills and one part connections, and your lone wolf nature means you’re contracting your professional network instead of expanding.

Break the habit: Find a project you’re interested in and ask to be part of the team. Do your best to keep everyone involved and in the loop, and stretch those collaboration muscles. It’ll show managers and coworkers you’re more than just a lone wolf.

Saying Sorry

Are you apologizing too much in the office? According to recent statistics, the word sorry is uttered approximately 368 million times per day in the UK. Women in particular seem to have a tough time ditching the word sorry, and apologize far more frequently than men. Saying sorry about every little thing implies you are constantly making mistakes, and can undercut your position in the office and with managers.

Break the habit: You need to take ownership of your mistakes. It’s time to stop over-apologizing. (Click to tweet.) Reserve the word sorry for big mistakes and cut it out of your everyday vocabulary.

Taking on Every Project

Do you get excited by new projects? Do you like jumping in with both feet and finding new challenges? These are great attributes to any employee, but it’s time to learn your limits. If you say yes to every single project, you might soon find yourself unhappy, burnt out, and badly overworked.

Break the habit: The word “no” is a powerful thing. It doesn’t make you look like a slacker or weak to turn down a project you just don’t have time for. Be protective of your time and abilities, and know when one more task is just too many.

Being Negative

No one likes a Debbie Downer, and if you come into work with a raincloud over your head each morning, it’s not surprising you haven’t moved up in your company. Enthusiasm and passion are traits managers look for in superstar employees who get promotions and excel within the company. No one wants to promote someone who looks miserable to step into the office each day.

Break the habit: Sit yourself down and ask the hard questions you’ve been avoiding. If you hate your job, it might be time to look for another opportunity. Or maybe you feel stalled and want to learn something new, in which case you can talk to your manager or boss about opportunities to shadow in different departments or take professional development courses.Ask yourself what would make you wake up excited about your workday, and chase after your dreams. (Click to tweet.)

Doing Things the Way They’ve Always Been Done

Innovation is the lifeblood of any company, yet many workers just come into the office to punch their time cards and collect their paychecks. And this isn’t only on employees:according to a survey by Fierce, Inc., less than one-third of employees felt their company would change practices based on employee feedback. (Click to tweet.) Lack of innovation in companies, it turns out, is a two-way street.

Break the habit: Sit down with your boss and ask for an open-door policy for employee feedback and ideas. Once a month, try to submit an idea for how your company can improve and grow. Not all of your suggestions will be implemented, but you’ll make yourself stand out as someone with big ideas who really cares about the company’s future.

Being Disorganized

Every year, Americans spend on average nine million hours looking for things they’ve misplaced. (Click to tweet.) Imagine how much of your work life is being frittered away every time you misplace a report under a pile of desktop debris. People walking past your cluttered workspace are judging you for your organizational chaos.

Break the habit: The next time you have a slow day, spend it organizing your office. Set up a plan to stay more organized and stick to it. Keep in mind, the hardest part of being organized is initially cleaning up the clutter and putting things in their places. Once the hard work of cleaning up is done, it should be a breeze to keep your workspace in good shape.

Your bad habits don’t have to hold you back from career success. If you tackle these habits head-on, you might just find yourself moving on up the ladder.

What do you think? What are the worst work habits you’ve noticed? Share in the comments!

Image Courtesy of Bigstock

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Facebook just TRAMPLED over the privacy of Billions

Facebook Messenger the Social Media giant's New Technology not only kills your Productivity but shows HORRIBLE Leadership & Management in their Marketing & Advertising department, and could damage your Career. So lets put Facebook under the magnifying glass.

Less then six weeks after Facebook was all over the news for running borderline illegal experiments on its users ( Read this article from the Wall Street Journal if you were unaware) Facebook decided to invade and trample all over the privacy of over a BILLION of its users this time.

If you use Facebook to message much (which I don’t) I am sure you have gotten quite a few of those annoying invites to download Facebook messenger from friends over the past few months. Facebook Messenger has always been voluntary to download as with the Facebook app, you could message your friends just fine. Last week everything changed when Facebook made Facebook Messenger a mandatory app, if you want to send Facebook Messages from your phone. Facebook has gone way too far with this one. Facebook Messenger not only takes up space on your screen, but also on your phone, and space on your hard drive, while greedily sucking valuable computing power away from other applications that are actually relevant to what you do. However the worst thing about Facebook Messenger is that you give away all control over your phone to Facebook, a company that has been getting a little too cozy with the government.(Read the article above)

Now, if you are like most people who have downloaded Facebook Messenger you probably didn’t bother to read the Terms of Service of using Facebook Messenger so I will clue you in to what you just allowed Facebook to do with your phone.

Allows the app to change the state of network connectivity - This allows Facebook to alter your cell and/or internet connection and can also allow the app to alter settings on your phone!!

Allows the app to send SMS messages.- This could result in charges to your phone bill as well as allowing Facebook to send texts and make it appear they came from you! Malicious apps could also exploit this to text on your behalf!

Allows the app to call phone numbers without your confirmation. - This would allow the app to call people using your phone or phone number without your permission, this could also result in hefty charges on your phone bill! Malicious apps could exploit this by making calls without your knowledge!

Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera.- This would allow the app to turn on your camera anytime without your knowledge or your consent. Facebook (or whoever Facebook allows to use there systems backdoors) could easily spy on you!!!

Allows the app to record audio with microphone.- This would allow the app to record audio from your microphone WITHOUT your permission!!!

Allows the app to read personal profile information stored on your device- Say Goodbye to any anonymity you thought you might have had, Facebook COULD also use this information to target you with more advertisements, as if there were not enough of those on Facebook already.

Allows the app to read you phone's call log, including data about incoming and outgoing calls.- This allows the app to know who you called, who called you, how long the call lasted, etc.

Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. - This allows the app to know your phone number, device IDs, whether you are on the phone currently, and the number you are currently talking to.

Allows the app to read data about your contacts stored on your phone- The app could not only get all your contacts stored in your phone but also know how often you call them, and how often you email them.

Wow Thanks Facebook! This much access to the phones of Billions of people sounds like a law enforcement (or intelligence agency) officers wet dream.

Facebook users are rightfully pissed off about the change last week mandating you download this USELESS app if you want to message people thru Facebook on their phone and they don’t even know the degree they are allowing Facebook to intrude on their privacy. Here is a screenshot from my phone showing the amount of 1-5 Star Reviews. which its hard to find a positive review on the app store about Facebook Messenger.

I have since deleted Facebook Messenger from my phone and refuse to use it, I barely use Facebook anyways I am on my Linkedin a lot more and keep the facebook just for family and to watch for pictures of family members so no big loss there as I don't message much. I don’t see Facebook keeping this app mandatory for long but you need to remember all the power Facebook is trying to grab up, and also how much info they like to keep on you. Ask yourself a couple of questions: Who do they share all this information with?

Do they allow the government access to this data?

Could you be prosecuted for text messages you sent to someone (on your phone not even on Facebook) because Facebook now has access to them and you agreed to their terms of service and they decided to turn them over to the government?

I guarantee Facebook's reply will be to refer to there Privacy Policy on how they share their information which is vague and as many people probably read that as read their Facebook Messenger Terms of Service. The Thing is they can change that Privacy Policy at any time and then their users just check a box and agree to Facebook's new Privacy Policy allowing them to share the info with whoever they want, and not just your information every email address and cell phone number in your phone could potentially be sold to companies that generate leads.

Facebook does not like letting users delete their account, for instance, if you delete your Facebook profile they do not allow you the option to export all your photos easily, you must do them one at a time. Also I feel the urge to inform you that they do not delete any of the info about your account and you are always just one login away from reactivating Facebook. I know many people who tried to delete there Facebook account and ended up going back. Sounds sort of like a drug relapse to me. Facebook is just sending the message: yea you’ll be back were waiting on you, you can’t kick Facebook.

So what do you do?

Personally a while back I turned to using Cyber Dust a messenger app that allows you to send photos and texts to your friends BUT the app encrypts them as they fly thru the air, and deletes them after the recipient has read them, Or after 24 hours (only if unread) whichever occurs first.

This adds a new layer of security that users are not quite familiar with at this point but need to start using. You can send texts and (as long as the person doesn't screenshot them) never have to worry about them coming back months/ years later to bite you in the behind. Also what seems like something normal to say now, could in the future be taken out of context and used against you. Note - If someone screenshots the picture you get an instant notification AND your name never appears on the screenshot just the text not your username.

Some people like to use snapchat which is a fun app to use but I do not trust their security and you can only send one line of text. The only feature I like about Snapchat that Cyber Dust does not yet have is a video feature. However they do have a video feature coming.

Cyber Dust was created because they wanted to ensure that users privacy is safeguarded from everyone, even the government, which it seems like Facebook just likes to intrude on your privacy in every single way possible, and then share all your information with others (Big Brother?). Below are the ratings in the app store of Cyber Dust and Snapchat. Cyber Dust has 5 stars and Snapchat has 3.5 Stars. Cyberdust is on the left and Snapchat on the right.

Cyberdust is also the only place I know of that you can send a message to Mark Cuban and get him to sometimes personally reply to you!

I have spoken to Mark Cuban and a number of other famous people a few times on Cyber Dust yet have no way to prove it because of the way that Cyberdust makes the messages disappear after reading.

If you want to speak with Mark Cuban Feel free to add him his cyber Dust user name is Blogmaverick and make sure to add me mine is ccritser. Please understand that he is busy and most likely can't take the time to text with you all day long ;)

I reached out to Ryan Ozonian President of Cyber Dust about getting a few questions answered for this piece and ended up getting an email reply from Mark Cuban personally answering my questions. Here are my questions and Mark Cubans answers.

Q 1 - How do you protect your users privacy from everyone including the government.

A 1 - We don't save any messages on servers or the user's device. So it's pretty easy.

Q 2 - If a government agency issued you a subpoena for a users previous cyberdust messages would you be able to give a messenging log of that users account?

A 2 - No. We don't have any meta data. Nor do we have server logs turned on.
There is nothing to turn over there.

The only possibility would be messages that have been undelivered for up to 24 hours. Which are very few.

We wouldn't be able to just deliver them, and if we lost power the messages would be lost as well.

Q 3 - What was your purpose for creating Cyber Dust

A 3 - I was tired of people and the government keeping or getting access to personal or business messages and applying their own context.

I had to sit in a trial and listen to the SEC invent context that was straight out of a fantasy adventure. It was wrong. I wanted to do something about it.

Plus, If you look through Twitter profiles you see saved and posted texts that the senders never had any intention of making public.

That's wrong. Cyber Dust is my response

Q 4 - How do you protect your users privacy

A 4 - We are a private communications platform. Our goal is not to have the most advanced privacy algorithms. We will leave that to others...

The biggest privacy risk 99% of people in this country face Is from family, friends and business associates taking seemingly innocent texts, tweets and posts and placing them places where people can add their own context, like in a tweet, or forwarding them to people that don't have the best intentions.

Any of us can take the simplest text and add verbiage that makes you look bad

People need to remember that once you hit send on a text, you no longer own the text, the recipient does. But you are still responsible for the contents and whatever context is added

I'm particularly concerned for our kids. I trust my daughter. I don't know or trust all the boys she will message. If they wanted to embarrass her, even a simple text that said "Hi" could be posted in a manner that could impact my daughters future.

Thanks Mark for answering my questions!

I emailed Facebook at Press@fb.com but received no reply, Oh well.

So heres what you must do.

1. Delete Facebook Messenger if you haven't already.

2. Download Cyber Dust, it's FREE.

3. Like, share, and comment on this long-form post so everyone can see it. Hit the tweet this button.

4. Add me ( ccritser ) and tell me what you thought of the article. If you want to say thanks to Mark Cuban ( Blogmaverick ) add him and thank him for safeguarding your privacy from all those who wish to invade it electronically.

5. If you want to add a little more security to your phone (which I highly recommend) get a good VPN (Virtual Private Network). Personally I use -> Hide My Ass Pro VPN <- Use that link and you can save almost half off plus it helps me out a little bit if you sign up thru that link. You must purchase it online but they have a free VPN app for your phone with purchase of the computer VPN. Its not that expensive like $6.55 a month to 11.52 a month depending on if you get a year or monthly. Read up on VPN's you will see it is something everyone should have and it also protects your computer and phone from hackers.

6. Email Facebook and tell them how disgusted you are that they want to invade your privacy, Ask them why you can't still message with the regular Facebook app, it seemed to be working perfectly fine to me. Our phones hold our entire lives nowadays and they want all that information FOR WHAT? Ask them why they need to place calls and texts from your phone WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION! Why do they need to be able to RECORD audio AND video WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION! I don't know about you, but Mark Zuckerberg I want an answer. Feel free to email it to me at ccritser@gmail.com, I am not holding my breath. Ask Facebook how often they share there data with the government. Facebook is trampling over its users right to privacy and its not even illegal, mentioned, or questioned because you clicked "Accept" to there OUTRAGEOUS Terms of Service (Which I would recommend every read what you actually agree to when downloading these apps)

I will be writing quite a few articles coming up and publishing them here on Linkedin. The articles will be on: Linkedin tips to help build your network, and also a series on bitcoin, so follow me here on linkedin and also on twitter @ccritser to make sure you are able to read them.

Mark Zuckerberg, I think you probably are a decent guy, but I base that not knowing you, but knowing you are a member of The Giving Pledge and donate to a number of charities. I hope you won't exclude the amazing charities listed on my Linkedin Profile Unfortunately your company just donated the privacy of all its users, and that I cannot stand for. I would like to see your email response to me but like I said I am not holding my breath. I guess this means you won’t be accepting my friend request on Facebook, hopefully my Facebook doesn’t get miraculously deleted ;). If so I know all the data is stored on Facebook's servers and I can log in at anytime and restore it.

I am including the following disclaimer in case Facebook trys to threaten me with a lawsuit or Cease and Desist order. The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Conduit Connections LLC. Facebook could try to possibly sue me but I would welcome that so we can drag Facebook and these HORRENDOUS terms of service out into the spotlight and show over a Billion people that Facebook now completely controls your phone.

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