There are quite a few contenders for your least favourite phrase, while the use of “unprecedented” is, er, well you get the point.
Like you, I am adjusting to “new normal”, now we know there is no “exit strategy”, and that “living with Covid-19” is where we are heading. At least that is how it seems in the UK right now.
My NN is helping people learn thing online. (“Webinar” is not working as a word now either).
When my training commitments were rescheduled or moved online, I felt very apprehensive. The prospect of using Zoom to help people understand finance did not thrill me at first.
Having my mastermind friends and a great professional network helped enormously though, and I have now run a 3-hour finance training (we had a break!) for the EMEA part of a large US corporation this week.
You know – I really enjoyed it, and I think they did too. I could get used to this.
I still look back at my travel and meeting people in hotels, conference centres and offices and I feel good about having done that.
But I have been “here” before too. Once upon a time I was in banking: I liked that but when I became a training consultant and coach on my own, while I looked back on my banking days fondly, I got used to something else.
The past – it’s a nice place to visit but you would not want to live there.
Your Laptop Leadership – last week we looked at A for….
I use an ABC of First impressions to keep things simple, B is for Body Language/Behaviour.
Here are a few more tips to help avoid some of the things you will have noticed while on your recent online calls:
- Get aligned/framed. Doesn’t matter whether you sit or stand but get framed like a BBC News reader.
- Use your hands – like you usually do. Nothing to much, but they are a great emphasiser.
- Upright posture, best not to slouch over a laptop, head propped on hand, eyes at an angle.
- The above points count for nothing unless you LOOK AT THE CAMERA. This is 99% of the behaviour you need to exhibit when leading online, through a lens.
As I said last week, good leadership involves getting the basics right, not just talking the right language. It you cannot be seen – especially your eyes – and heard, your leadership credibility will not come across. It has further to travel these days.
We will look at C next week. If you are keen, call me.
Buzzwords of the Week – Operating Income
Definition – an accounting figure that measures the amount of profit realized from a business’s operations, after deducting operating expenses such as wages, depreciation, and cost of goods sold (e.g. raw materials, production labour, stock).
Alternate View – This side of the Atlantic it is mostly called Operating Profit, or even just Profit, and sometimes Profit Before Interest & Tax (PBIT), or even Earnings Before Interest & Tax (EBIT) A bit less trendy than its close relation EBITDA which excludes Depreciation & Amortization, allegedly because that makes it closer to everyday operations – but is handy because it is a bigger number. Don’t be fooled: if you have assets you have D&A, and you still have to pay the Interest & Tax….