Pierpont Communications, Inc.

1. Be Careful

2. Be Realistic

3. Be Enthusiastic

4. Be Persistent

5. Be Committed

Attending a recent real estate industry association meeting reminded me of the many reasons business people should get involved in industry groups – not just as attendees at the occasional luncheon, but as active members.

The first big question is how to choose an organization to join. Assuming a significant motivating factor is your desire to get new customers, look for organizations where most of the members are not people who do exactly what you do, but rather are in businesses that could eventually buy your product or service. Example: If your company provides engineering services, find an organization whose members may purchase engineering services, such as land developers, government transportation agencies, utilities or general contractors. Become a member of the organization and then be sure to take the next critical step – getting involved in committees or task forces where you can work side by side with other members.

Some of the major benefits of this networking strategy include:

Face Time: Getting active in a committee of five, 10 or 20 people allows you to get to know your fellow committee members fairly well. Attend the group’s meetings or conference calls as often as you can and you’ll build relationships. Even better: Work your way up to chairing a committee, which gives you a platform for staying in front of the committee’s members.

Opportunities to Impress: Most industry organizations have plenty of work to do and badly need volunteers to take on projects. This is your opportunity to make a great impression! Organizing a special event, editing a newsletter, managing the group’s money or calling on prospective members, are among many possible tasks. Each of these presents great opportunities for you to impress the group with your smarts, work ethic and establish your credibility.

Staying Current: Gathering with other professionals with a common interest through a trade organization is a great way to stay up- to- date on issues that might impact your business. The real estate group I belong to, for example, tracks a number of bills being considered by the Texas Legislature and does a great job of keeping its members informed about how these bills could affect them. By the time these bills make it on the news, the group’s members are already aware and prepared.

So the question now isn’t if you’re going to join an organization. Instead, it is how you’re going to join and make the most of it.

I just finished reading Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton’s newest book, “The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization.” This is a “must-read” for anyone who wants to work within a system or a team to build a high-performance organization.

In “The Orange Revolution,” Gostick and Elton share data collected from more than 350,000 surveys to identify the characteristics and rules that govern great teams. All told, they identify six core traits that were consistently found at companies with breakthrough teams:

- Big dreams and ambitious goals;
- Belief in each other;
- Belief in what the team can accomplish together;
- Calculated risks while closely measuring results;
- Perseverance despite problems or conflicts; and
- A "charming habit of telling stories" exemplifying what they are trying to achieve.

Published in September 2010, the essence of this book is that successful teams must feel “engaged,” which Gostick and Elton describe as being “invested in their work and their team.” They cite multiple examples and present elaborate details, such as the story of Medical City Dallas Hospital. This North Texas healthcare facility dropped to a 36 percent vacancy rate before management – with the help of a top-flight team called “The Patient Promise Posse” – resuscitated the hospital’s patient satisfaction ratings and other metrics.

“The Orange Revolution” is so named because orange frequently has been a color associated with change – stimulating the emotions and even the appetite. It’s the color of change between the heat of summer and the cool of winter. Orange was even the color adopted by Ukrainian protesters in late 2004 and early 2005.

My favorite topic is about the commitment to do just 1 percent more than others to make a difference. A striking analogy is how water won’t boil at 211 degrees, but a one degree adjustment to 212 degrees changes everything. It’s the difference between a winner and a first runner-up. Then, there’s the design of open communication on the team. It’s more than passing ideas around the table; it’s allowing freedom for conflict without causing offense.

Another good section is about appreciation. It goes beyond the household “atta boy” or “atta girl” by stressing genuine and consistent recognition – team members cheering the strengths of another team member, the leader cheering individuals’ accomplishments and teams praising the leader. Creating a culture of gratitude is a great motivator and gets powerful results.

This book is a quick read and a practical reference tool. I suspect that you’ll get at least three ideas that will make an amazing impact on your teams. The authors invite you to visit http://carrots.com/orange for free white papers, videos and other tools that will help you and your teams excel. Enjoy becoming a part of “The Orange Revolution.”

In PR, there are two types of communication – the kind that's used to persuade a public, and then the kind that is used to negotiate with a public. Which one is better? Well, that depends on how long you want your audience to stick around.

Companies that communicate in order to convince a public to buy their products, share their beliefs or get out of a crisis tend to use scientific persuasion communications, also known as asymmetric communication. This method incorporates a significant amount of research and public feedback to find out what the company has to say or do to persuade their audiences. In short, these companies invest in a communications plan only to generate return for themselves, not their publics. It’s short term. With this asymmetrical method, your company’s audience will sooner or later realize – and quickly lose interest. After all, why would they be interested in a company that’s not really interested in them?

Companies looking for a long-term relationship with their audiences use symmetric public relations, a method that negotiates with one’s customers and prospects to obtain a mutual understanding. While research and public feedback are also used in this method, the purpose is not to persuade one’s audience but instead to find out what changes are needed to form a relationship that benefits both the company and its audience. It’s more like a real life relationship. Your customers and prospects will feel heard and appreciated when they see that they are taken into consideration in your company’s decisions and actions.

Audiences that are negotiated with instead of persuaded are the ones that stick around. So…how are you communicating with your public?