FC Experts Blogs

Bloggers Directory

Keith Ferrazzi

April 16, 2008

Cocktail Party Connecting

You’ve got to be the one that steps up at a cocktail party or business event. Don’t stand in the corner drinking a glass of wine and thinking that the people talking together don’t want you to join them. Or what if you see someone alone? Do you think he doesn’t like people and doesn’t want to engage? No, he came to the party! He’s just afraid. We have all been there in that awkward position. Be the one to reach out and say, “Join us, what are you looking to do here, can I help you, what are you passionate about?”

Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 7:49 PM

January 30, 2008

Birthday Pinging

Everybody likes to be remembered on their birthdays and that's why they are a pinging staple. I have birthdays logged at the top of my Outlook schedule so I can call or email that day when I have a few moments. Birthdays are a great time to let people know that you care about their success. Here's an email I sent one of my best employees on his birthday:

Take a deep breath today and really ask what you want to feel like one year from now. What do you want to be doing, etc. Then, make a commitment to get there and tap into the resources who care about you like me and others in the office and outside and those you know. The point is let's make this year one when you breathe easier and spring out of bed in the am. to do what you do! Happy Birthday.

Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 1:35 PM

December 18, 2007

Office Gift-Giving

A friend passed along some funny statistics about holiday gift-giving:
• 20% of working Americans get stiffed by Secret Santa.
• 50% find office gifting expensive and time-consuming.
• A third of those who give gifts to co-workers have re-gifted (32%) or simply thrown out a gift from a co-worker (31%).
• One in five co-workers say they have received an inappropriate gift from a co-worker.
• More than half have received gifts that they didn’t like.

A great gift for anyone at the office is a copy of Never Eat Alone, my book in building relationships for career and life success. Another great idea is Giftscriptions, the magazine gift subscription in a box. Both are available on amazon.com. Happy holidays!

Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 5:10 PM

November 23, 2007

Office Secret Santas

At Ferrazzi Greenlight, someone asked whether we could do Secret Santas. It brought back memories of what I was like when I was in college. This serves as an example of what not to do with Secret Santas at the office.

Back at Yale, we did a Secret Santa and there were about six gifts leading up to holiday vacation. I remember getting my first gift and it was something like a big candy worm. I had no interest in it. I didn’t know the woman who I had on my gift-giving list, so I figured this was easy. I will just give her what I was given and re-gifted all the gifts through Secret Santa.
Turns out that I had drawn the name of the same person who was giving me gifts. I was totally busted. I thought it was funny. She did not find it amusing. She found me insensitive.

I promise to be more creative for my own staff this year.

Happy Holidays!

Sign up for my free, weekly e-mail tips at nevereatalone.com.

Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 3:57 PM