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The Power of Words: This ONE Word Could Change Your Entire Outlook

2017 Inspiration from the desk of Mya Olson, Renodis Project Manager

Have you sat down to write an introduction letter to a potential client and pored over each word because the letter didn’t sound just right? Then you tweaked one word and it changed the entire feeling of the letter so it was just what you wanted — just what you had planned in your mind. One word, changed the entire feeling of the letter. The power of words is amazing.

Novelist KJ Kilton once said,

“Words have power. Their power doesn’t merely emanate from the meaning they carry, but also hidden truth they leave behind in what is left unsaid.”

You hit send on that introduction letter, receive the call that the customer wants to meet, fast forward 6 months and this once potential client is a new customer.  Now, on a semi regular basis you’re sending correspondence and hopefully with as much thoughtfulness as that first letter. This correspondence and these commitments to our clients, are sometimes all customers have to go on when they think of us.

It’s equally important that we do what we say. That when the customer (both external and internal) think of our correspondence they can rely on the message that’s delivered. If you want your customer to take you at your word, then give them the reason to do just that, make your words count.

Have I said yet, that the power of words is amazing? They give another person the opportunity to trust you, to like you, to identify with you. They give you the ability to build upon your partnership. But the power of your words has just as much influence on your personal thoughts and inner dialog as it does on the people you interact with.

Recently I was talking with a friend about our happiest moments in life. I was surprised to find out that their moment was the moment they wake up every day. They are excited at the prospect of all the good that will come from the day. Wow, that’s awesome – to wake up excited about the good that will come from each day. It got me to thinking, what words could I change to keep me excited about my day, to get me out of bed thinking positively about the prospect of my day. I realized it starts by changing one word…

By changing the word “have” to “get”, my entire outlook changes. I “get” to get out of bed; not only do I have a bed to get out of, but I am awake, and that means I am alive! I “get” to go into work; that means I have a job to go to! I “get” to draft correspondence, whether it be PM documentation, letters to end users, or stereo instructions. I “get” to use my knowledge and my words to help my customers. That feeling of giving help leads to feelings of usefulness, of stewardship, and all of this from changing one word.

George Orwell wrote in his novel, 1984,

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

The words we use are powerful. It is up to us to make them positive, useful and necessary.

As I continue in this new year, I will be thinking more about the words I write and the words I speak. After all, the words I use can leave a lasting impact on who they are spoken to, or merely thought, either good or bad. They can make or break an introduction, strengthen or harm a relationship, accelerate or kill my career but most importantly words have the power to change my outlook about every day that I “get” to wake up.

With over 18 years of telecom experience, Mya Olson has been a part of several world class organizations and filled multiple different roles. These roles include: Major Account Executive with one of the nation’s largest telecom providers and, IT Manager for a multi-national chain managing new business implementation from conception to test and turn up. At Renodis she brings her industry knowledge and experience together to serve her clients as Project Manager. In addition to Operations Director in the Olson household, where her 3 girls share the responsibility of CEO and her Farming husband is CFO, Mya enjoys teaching Yoga to her small community in rural South Dakota. If you have questions or comments related to this post, please contact her at molson@renodis.com.

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3 Strategic Reasons Why You Should Use Managed Services for Communications

Communications (historically referred to as telecommunications) is a term that has taken a new spin as it now refers to converged voice and data networks as well as mobility. For IT leaders, it is a layer of IT that is critical to the business, much like keeping the lights on, but very difficult and time consuming to manage. Not to mention, expensive.

Many IT leaders are using a managed services approach for different areas of IT. Strategic IT leaders use third party providers for various commodity-based work including help desk support, collocation/hosting, data center, and network support. Communications is another area of IT that is considered commodity-based. Why should you use a managed services approach to communications? Here are three strategic reasons why.

Strategic Reason #1: Don’t be an empire builder!

Yes, you need internal resources to manage certain aspects of IT. But building an IT team to focus on commodity based, tactical areas of the business is a waste of talent and money. Many leaders redeploy highly skilled network staff on critical competencies (engaging with business leaders, learning about solving business challenges, business architecture, security, and customers).

Managed services for communications eliminates the need to use highly skilled and expensive staff to manage a tactical layer of IT. And the best managed service firms leverage built-for-purpose systems to manage their cost of services, systems that a normal IT shop can’t hope to fund. That means those firms can run your environment with a solid ROI back to you.

Strategic Reason #2: Managing communications is not strategic

Communications is a necessary aspect of your business, critical to daily function. However, the daily management of voice networks, data networks, and mobility is not a core part of your business. Do you really want highly skilled network engineers and administrators negotiating with carriers, handling repair issues and network outages, managing vendor relationships, handling basic Move / Add / Change / Disconnect work, procuring voice and data network services, taking mobility repair calls, and looking at invoices every month? The answer should be NO.

Strategic Reason #3: So many other great things to focus on…cloud, security, app dev

The truth is — IT organizations are ridiculously busy and have far too many important initiatives to focus on. Today’s top CIOs focus on identifying how enterprise technology can enhance the business from a strategic perspective. Technology brings exciting changes to the IT world. The emergence of cloud, IoT, mobility, applications, and security challenges far outweigh managing tactical and commodity based work like communications.

By working with business leaders and customers to identify their challenges and provide technology solutions, CIOs are now taking an active part in moving their business forward – often in ways they have never have been able to do before!

Ryan Carter specializes in working with thought-leading, strategically-targeted IT executives to help them achieve an increased focus on business-impacting technology, business transformation, reduced operating costs, and IT productivity. Ryan provides thought leadership and various areas of expertise for Communications Managed Services including telecommunications expense management, mobility managed services, technology road-mapping, network design, business continuity, vendor management, and user support.

For more information on driving IT performance and improving business outcomes, or if you have any comments or questions related to this post, please contact him at rcarter@renodis.com.

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