Your immediate boss can then determine whether the memo should be forwarded … to whom it should be forwarded … when it should be … and how – casually, at lunch, say, or in a more formal discussion in private.
True, along the way, your authorship may become obscured, and the memo may disappear altogether.
But if it does go higher, the implication is your idea has the endorsement of each manager who passes it on.
In the process, it gains weight and momentum.
Activate the grapevine. One problem with this approach: the idea may be too sophisticated for some people to understand, much less pass on.
Grapevines are usually better transmitters of less specialized and more popular knowledge.
Cultivate an inside friend. Perhaps there is someone within the other department who could be influential in passing along your idea.
Unless there are effective, sanctioned communications channels across functional or departmental lines, it’s very difficult and frustrating for a manager in one department to have influence or make an impact on a manager in another department.
Head on, completely open approaches get blunted rather quickly.
A softer, more circumspect manner of communicating may be more in order, even though it takes longer.
Persistence, especially when it recognizes organizational realities, often pays off.
But it’s important to establish a favorable image in the minds of others.
For example, the unasked – or ignored – expert will find it easier to get his message across if he is known to be receptive to the thinking of others.
Sooner or later people will come to know who is on top of the needed information.
MAKE YOUR OWN BREAKS
Some people appear to have been born lucky. Friends go out of their way to help them … they usually get what they want … when things go wrong, they have a knack of making them work out right.
Upon analysis, however, it turns out that luck has very little to do with their good fortune. They are simply the people who have learned to make their own breaks. They don’t wait for things to happen, they make things happen.
How?
They know their long-term goals. They know precisely what they want to happen and, consequently, avoid aimless drifting.
They have a plan. Knowing what they want, they can turn their energies to creating a master strategy.
What’s needed? Money? People? Expertise? What … who … where is the best source for what is required? They think their plan through.
They examine their plan for bugs. Is it practical? Risky? based on wishful thinking? They don’t fall in love with an idea just because it’s theirs. They examine it objectively for flaws.
They aren’t above asking others for help. Toward that end, they recognize the critical importance of reciprocity – whenever possible, they go out of their way to do favors for others.
Consequently, when the occasion arises, they feel free to call on friends for aid and advice. And they get it – cheerfully.
Finally, they don’t rest on their laurels. The “break makers” are seldom complacent. Rather, with their goal achieved, they begin to chart the next one.
POINTERS ON OFFICE SAFETY
Although on-the-job accidents are most frequently associated with factory operations, they occur in offices, too. Some tips for reducing the hazards:
Upright filing cabinets should be secured to prevent tipping over. Bolt single cabinets to the floor or wall; where two or more cabinets are involved, bolt them together.
Loose floor coverings can cause falls. Make sure all carpeting and other floor coverings are tacked or glued down.
Razor blades should never be left loose in desk drawers. Put them in their own canisters.
Broken glass does not belong in wastebaskets. Instead, place it in a box or bag by itself and label clearly.
Desk and file drawers should not be left open. They can seriously injure people who walk or stumble into them.
Books, boxes and office equipment stacked precariously on top of filing cabinets can injure bystanders if they tumble off. Make the practice taboo.
ARE YOU AFRAID?
Managers, being human, are sometimes fearful of someone or something: their superior, their subordinates, their peers, making mistakes, failing. Think you’re immune?
Check yourself against this brief quiz:
* Are you reluctant to delegate because you fear the risks involved?
* Do you avoid contact with superiors because you’re awed by them?
* Do you anticipate failure before starting a project?
* Are you in the habit of underestimating your successes?
* Are you tense in some situations when you really shouldn’t be?
* Do you feel unworthy in the face of praise?
* Do you secretly fear losing your job?
* When you’re disorganized, is it really because you’re afraid to get going on some project?
If any of these strike a nerve, face your fear squarely and try to understand precisely what you’re afraid of, be it loss of face, a dressing down, exposure of your ignorance, whatever.
Then separate the rational from the irrational. Once you have your rational fears out in the open, you can start eliminating them by taking action.
For example, if you fear that one of your people may be letting you down on some job, make inquiries, see if you can help him or her.
In short, there is almost always something specific you can do to eliminate the cause of your fear.
And if, upon analysis, you find that there isn’t, then what’s the point in worrying over something that is beyond your control?
HOW TO “UNMAIL” A LETTER
Chances are you may only have to get a mailed letter back once or twice in your entire lifetime, but when you do – you’d probably give your right arm for the requisite know-how.
Save your arm! Here’s the lowdown on everything you need to know regarding how to “unmail” a letter.
Take fast action
Act quickly. Make certain you take along an addressed envelope that exactly duplicates the one you mailed, as well as suitable identification (e.g., your driver’s license).
Know your zones
Go to the post office in the same zone as the mailbox in which you dropped your letter if you’ve addressed it locally.
Head for the central post office in your city if you’ve addressed the letter for out-of-town.
Follow all instructions
At the post office fill out Withdrawal Form 1509.
Providing you’ve acted promptly and the letter hasn’t left the post office, your chances of retrieving a locally addressed letter on the spot are good.