Thursday, August 23, 2007

An Organization's Most Important Person

Greetings from an extremly hot central Indiana. It's so hot here that the schools decided to let out early today.!!!!

This item was in a newsletter that I get from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I thought it to be pretty "right on" so I want to make sure I pass this along to you all.

Be well, stay cool and enjoy the rest of your summer (you northern hemisphere residents).

jeff

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Leadership and Change

Talking with the Receptionist, Pausing When You Speak and Other Secrets of Leadership SuccessSeveral years ago, while visiting a regional branch of Lee Hecht Harrison, a global career management services company, then-president Stephen Harrison was stopped short by "Ray," his COO. "You didn't greet the receptionist," said Ray, who went on to explain that "a receptionist is a corporate concierge. They will talk to more important people in a day -- suppliers, customers, even CEOs -- than you will talk to all year." Harrison, speaking at the recent 11th annual Wharton Leadership Conference, contends that small acts like this are part of what makes for an ethical corporate culture. He was joined at the conference by public speaking coach Richard Greene, author of Words that Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1792.cfm