This Week in the World
Speaking Strong Results in Criminal Exoneration
Heroes can be found in all places. This week I heard
an inspiring interview from a heroic ex-convict who was exonerated of rape
and murder charges through DNA testing – after serving 25 years in
prison.
Jerry Miller is walking free today thanks in part to
his own persistence. While behind bars, he wrote scores of letters to the
Innocence Project - an advocacy group in New York that uses DNA evidence
to help exonerate innocent prisoners. Miller's letters got their
attention, and they got the DNA test that changed his life.
Jerry Miller described his sanity strategies in a
powerful interview for Bill Moyer’s Journal. He says, “I
realized that, (being angry) was a waste of time. It was gonna be a tough
time, I got myself together and tried to figure out what I had to do. I
had to maintain myself. I had to grow. I had to mature, you know, so I
read. And I kept reading.”
And writing. He gave up proclaiming his innocence to
those who couldn’t hear it or wouldn’t hear it or
couldn’t do anything about it. But he persisted in seeking support
where it could do some good.
Listening to Jerry Miller, I felt I was listening to
greatness. It’s an inspiration to know someone can endure such
hardship with so much grace and balance. He also inspires me to "maintain
myself," "grow" and "mature" so I don't hold myself
back.
To post a comment in my blog, click here, scroll down to comments, click and post.
PowerPhrase of the Week
I Want to Hear From You
I spoke at one of the more enlightened companies
I’ve visited last week. The Senior VP told her managers,
- I want to hear from you. If there’s a
problem, I want to hear from you. If you need help, I want to hear from
you. If I don’t hear from you, what do I need you for?
Many managers and executives send subtle and
not-so-subtle messages that they don’t want to hear from their
employees. Not this one.
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Be your own advocate. PowerPhrases: The Perfect
Words to Say it Right and Get the Results You Want tells you how.
Poison Phrase of the Week
Not-So-Subtle Walls
Linda is a night duty nurse. When she was hired, her
manager told her, “My night staff is pretty self-sufficient. They
take care of things themselves.”
Linda later found out why. When she brought a
problem to her manager, her manager said,
- I have a policy that my people not bring me
problems unless they are willing to head up a committee to implement
solutions.
Vince Lombardi is known for suggesting that people
bring possible solutions when they bring problems, but requiring that
overworked employees not mention problems unless they’re willing to
head an initiative to solve them is an effective way to shut people up
– which may have been the intention.
Learn more about word choice in How to Use
PowerPhrases.
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Ask Meryl
How to Claim Credit
I completed a project on my own except for a few
minutes of begrudging help from a manager. The CFO asked the manager if I
had help organizing the project, and the manager said she helped me. How
can I get the credit I deserve?
Meryl Responds
I’ll offer my suggestions, but I’d like
you to benefit from the input of my readers before you pick a plan of
action. (Or inaction.) So check the blog from the link below.
I suspect the CFO knows it was almost entirely your
initiative. This manager may have stolen some thunder, but chances are
good the CFO sees through her claims. I would not contradict her, but I
would document what you did and give it to whomever is responsible for
your next performance review.
I once created a slide show for the Mayor’s
office that was shown on TV. Drew, a woman I never me before, transported
my production to the TV station and credited herself with being the
producer. When the graphics people asked me what my role was for the
credits, I said I wrote the script, took the slides, recorded the
soundtrack and put it all together. I never said anything to anyone about
Drew, yet I could tell everyone knew what was going on, although . You
could do something similar.
You also can say something to the manager if you
think it will serve you to do so. You can say,
- (Name), I heard that you told the CFO that you
helped me organize the event. Do you think that’s an accurate claim?
Because I worked very hard on this, and I’d like full credit for my
role.
Chances are good she will hesitate to claim your
credit again if she realizes you’re going to call her on it.
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Reader Success Story
Standing Up to the Office Bully
For years I have worked with a lady who some
(including me)
have described as a "bully". One particular behavior which
she does is to pass a critical remark about me - or
someone
else that she assumedly doesn't like - in front of
others. This
is embarrassing.
It has literally been on my mind for - I believe -
years to do
something about that behavior. Yesterday I acted.
Yesterday morning, that particular behavior happened
"out of the blue" again. After this happened, I worked on
a job elsewhere for over an hour, dwelling on the
incident
- which in some ways seemed "minor" and
"insignificant"
("it always does") - but I thought that it might be
part of a
"plot" to discredit me in front of a "new" staff member.
I
said to myself that I would respond to the incident
before
going to lunch. And circumstances were such that I
could
and did respond.
The conversation was close to the following words:
Me: "You know when you sometimes tell me about
things I do wrong
- such as what you said about [earlier today] ., can
you do so privately,
or quietly?"
Her: "Yes."
[There was no tone of voice that suggested anything
other than her willing
agreement.]
Me: "Because I sometimes feel embarrassed when
others are around."
[That was a brief explanation that I offered after
her "Yes", just before walking away
- not that it seemed to be necessary.]
That success story was followed by a second success
story today - same lady.
I noticed "internal office" mail that was not fully
addressed by this lady. The mail had been placed in the correct mail
trays for distribution . but if - for example - the mailman dropped the
mail then he would have a problem in sorting out what goes
where. The problem could easily be solved by the
lady marking the correct destination
on the envelope. One felt - rightly or wrong - that
"laziness" was the only explanation
for the envelope not being so marked. [I believe
that all mail anywhere ideally needs
the sender and the recipient to be clearly indicated
- for "efficiency".]
This afternoon I approached the lady:
Me: [With a sample envelope in hand] "These need to
be marked [pointing out the
names of possible recipients]."
Her: "But they're in the trays."
Me: "But with the mailman - if they are dropped
."
Her: "Oh, OK."
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