I thought to myself, well, let’s open it up and see how bad it is. Inside was a letter which essentially said, “It’s not always bad news when you hear from us. Have a great birthday!” No summons, no nothing but a wish for me. It was clever and funny and completely surprising.  My view of the clerk of the court’s “brand” took a big upward turn.

It reminded me of a project that I once did for a CEO. He asked me to interview a dozen of his top customers. These top customers did not always do the same amount of business with him year in and year out and he was particularly interested in the kinds of “relationship activities” the customers would value and how this would affect the business flow.

Many of the customer executives said the same things to me in the interviews. They said that the annual conference and education the company provided were good. That going out to lunch now and then with their salesperson was fine. That knowing they could pick up the phone and reach the CEO personally was a good thing. But what would really set them apart, they said, would be if the salespeople called or came by now and then with absolutely no purpose but to say,”hello, how are you?” And with no attempt, no matter how subtle, to sell them something.

I don’t think many sales organizations factor this thinking into their productivity calculations. I have tried to put that feedback to work in my own consulting practice. I slip and backslide but I try.

This blog is generally about making work work for you.  The number one thing you can do to make work work for you is to find the work that fits you.  The number one thing that assures your sustained success is how you manage your relationships. Let the people who are crictical to your success or have been critical to your success in the past know you appreciate them – without asking them for something. It will surprise them because so few people do it.

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The skills that made you successful will not guarantee your success in the future.  Do you know what the critical skills are for tomorrow?  Can you transform?  Join us for the Transformational Woman and….

• Find out who will be the most valued talent in the near future
• Hear from industry leaders about what they see as the keys to successfully transforming  
• Explore your own change skills and what changes you can make now 

Kelly Kuhn, President, Government and Military Markets, CarlsonSato Travel, and iFIVE board member, will open the iFIVE “Transformational Woman” session on April 6th at the L’enfant Hotel in Washington, D.C., sharing her leadership experience.

Immediately following, iFIVE will present three industry leaders in a candid roundtable discussion of transformation in tradition-bound and sometimes rigidly hierarchical environments.

Panelists: Kelly Kuhn; Becky Rhodes, Deputy Associate Administrator, GSA Travel, Transportation and Asset Management; and Susan Gurley, Private Sector Officer, United States Agency for International Development.

Moderator: Vickie Singer, Co-founder, iFIVE.

Following the panel, iFIVE will lead a professional development program, exploring the four major change profiles and the implications for successful change. You will have the opportunity to identify your personal change profile and learn how to use your strengths to influence others to change.

Facilitator: Margaret Murphy, executive coach and Co-founder, iFIVE.

And, Martha Johnson, Administrator, GSA, will close the session by sharing her leadership vision for GSA.  This is an unprecedented opportunity to hear up-close from a key member of our president’s leadership team for positive change.

AnCon delegates: a separate registration and fee are required. 

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