"DON'T BE A DORK AT WORK" By Rod C. Estrera - 25 July 2014

Don’t Be A Dork At Work

By Rod C. Estrera

"DORK" – Pronunciation: (US) /dɔːɹk/ or (UK) /dɔːk/.  Noun: Dork (Plural: Dorks)

Definitions:*

(obsolete, vulgar, slang) A penis. [from the 20th Century]

(pejorative, slang) A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends.  Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence. [from the 20th Century]

Narrowly used to indicate someone inept or out of touch, broadly used to mean simply “silly, foolish”; compare doofus, twit.

Despite its rather vulgar origins and implications, the word “Dork” is now part of our modern vernacular, even at our places of work, especially when used to refer to a colleague, be it a peer, a subordinate or even a superior, who fits the definition above, but may not necessarily be a total moron, imbecile or idiot.

That word, and the whole topic in general, actually arose during a recent informal gathering of friends and associates.  A number of those present were complaining, or even griping, about their officemates whom they described as not being absolutely stupid, but just mostly out-of-touch with reality, generating irrelevant and unproductive output, statements and decisions.

Our animated discussions on these grievances necessitated an appropriate description or adjective.  Hence, the word “Dork” sprang up.  However, some of those present were not entirely sure what the word actually meant, thus resulting in another spirited debate.  The definition stated above was culled from a quick online research following that gathering and ultimately shared with those present, who unanimously agreed on the choice of that word.

Maybe I should have just let it go at that, and be as satisfied as the others in finding the right word and using it unsparingly whenever the need arose to refer to someone befitting that noun and/or adjective.  But now, the obsessive-compulsive streak in me wanted to put even more meaning to the word by putting together a basic list of traits and/or characteristics of a “Dork” in a work environment. 

After a backyard research effort via a quick survey among some of my friends and associates, who will remain anonymous for now (lest they jeopardize their careers), the following are 10 items, any or more of which constitute highly-irritating and annoying “Dorky” behavior that we all, as much as possible, should not emulate at work.  Interestingly, most of these items are more relevant and applicable to leaders, managers and executives:

1. Being in a constant state of denial regarding serious long-term or recurring problems, hoping that these would just eventually disappear someday;
2. Lacking or having no ability to be proactive, along with minimal planning skills, tending to simply be reactive towards one’s circumstances or the turn of events;
3. Obsession with irrelevant minutiae or topics during meetings, especially when there are other crucial items that need to be immediately tackled;
4. Fixation with one’s gadgets or devices during meetings, totally shutting-out those present;
5. Having no sense of urgency, especially during highly-critical conditions or in a crisis;
6. Poor time management skills, especially when being extremely late to meetings that he or she particularly organized or called for;
7. Poor meeting management skills, specifically the ability to hold a meeting within a reasonable time frame, often digressing too much from the agenda, or not even having a properly-prepared agenda in the first place;
8. Often takes perverse pleasure in intrigues, gossip and office politics, even if he or she is not the primary source or an active promoter of such;
9. Is usually unable to rationally justify one’s actions and/or decisions;
10. Childish or bratty behavior as a means to help ensure getting what one wants.

There are certainly many more traits, but the above are the Top 10 that I gathered which I believe can and do severely affect the growth, productivity and sustainable viability of any team, organization or society, especially if any of these characteristics are manifested by those in positions of leadership or authority.

Therefore, if you want to get ahead in your job and in your career, do yourself a real favor and don’t be a Dork at Work.

####

* Selected Relevant Sources:

1.  Wordorigins.org, Dave Wilton, June 11, 2006.

2.  Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

3.  Lawrence Poston, “Some Problems in the Study of Campus Slang,” American Speech 39, No. 2 (May 1964)

4.  Historical Dictionary of American Slang, v. 1, A-G, Edited by Jonathan Lighter (New York: Random House, 1994).

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 008 - 04 October 2013 - THE C.C.P. FORMULA FOR CAREER SUCCESS IN COMMUNICATION - Part 2

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 008 – 04 October 2013

The C.C.P. Formula For Career Success In Communication – Part 2

HOPE ALL CONTINUES TO BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Welcome back again! This is now the eighth issue of my ongoing Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to sixth issues (01, 04, 09, 15 & 22 July, 15 August and 12 September) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks once more to the readers and followers who continue to send valuable feedback and suggestions, either on this Blog or through comments on social media. While I have been striving to do this at least every two weeks or, even better, weekly, I again regret the long gap, which is, thankfully, at three weeks this time, instead of the nearly one-month gap last time.  Hope this has been worth the wait.

In our last issue (Issue No. 7), we discussed the another easy-to-remember acronym I personally created – “C.C.P.” – which is what I continuously and strongly espouse and advocate among my college students and seminar participants if they want to secure a worthwhile job or get ahead in their careers, more so for those in the various Core Communication fields. I continue to teach three sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms.  We previously tackled the Primary or First Set, which is composed of:

COMMUNICATION SKILLS, CRITICAL THINKING and PASSION.

This time around we discuss the Second Set of “C.C.P.” – as follows:

C – CREATIVE ABILITY – You might think that you need to be “artistic” like the creative directors of an advertising agency.  On the contrary, this refers to one’s ability to “THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX” – certainly an over-used term, but still an in-demand ability.  If Critical Thinking refers to analytical ability, thinking outside-the-box requires us to go beyond the trite, tried-and-tested conventions that lock us inside our comfort zones. Whether we like it or not, change will continue to be a universal constant. Our audience, especially if they are today’s young and dynamic consumers, are always on the lookout for something new, as proven by the ever-shortening product life-cycle of electronic products, particularly mobile devices and/or personal gadgets. “Creative” thus is not exclusive to being able to come up with nice, sleek designs, but, more importantly, to anticipate and come up with product solutions even before your audience needs and wants it. This is best exemplified by the late Steve Jobs of Apple. More than being a technological genius, his greater asset was his market vision and savvy. In the same way, we Communication Professionals need to constantly defy conventions in the way we communicate to effectively stand out and reach and connect with our audiences. This ability is greatly needed when using Social Media which continues to get more and more crowded and cluttered.

C – COLLABORATIVE ATTITUDE – Sadly, we presently live in a “Me First” world that foments a self-centered attitude among today’s youth. Hence, many of us in the academe, including college professors in Communication, continue to place a heavy premium in Group or Team exercises throughout the semester, and not just in the Finals. In the real corporate world, if you cannot be a Team Player, you’d have major problems getting things done. However, this should still not get in the way of our “getting ahead” and being successful individually in our respective careers. What hiring managers look for are people who can excel both individually and collectively. Tying this to the Creative Ability above, I can personally attest that many of great ideas that I had been part of over the years were results of Team Effort. In today’s highly competitive work environment, liking each other within a team can often be a challenge. Hence, maturity and a healthy positive work attitude are crucial in achieving Team Success.

P – PERSUASIVENESS – As Communicators, it is rather obvious that we are constantly advocating something to our audiences, whether these are PR stakeholders or consumer markets. While there may be some basically similarities to the skills and abilities of Sales Professionals, the persuasive ability in Communicators is closer to those found in Leadership Skills. A critical example of this is in Negotiating. Salespeople negotiate deals to quickly move a product or service by promoting its features and benefits (ONLY) in exchange for payment. Hence, selling is often referred to us a “Push” strategy. When negotiating, Communication Professionals, especially those in PR, strive to achieve mutual understanding through two-way interaction. For those in the Advertising field, effective Persuasion comes in the ability to develop highly-convincing material that ”Pulls” prospects toward a company, product or service, with a minimum or absence of “hard-sell.” Bottom-line for us Communicators is that, before we even attempt to persuade our audience/s, we must sincerely respect them, especially their intelligence.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue. We will conclude this mini-series by taking up the third and remaining “C.C.P.” acronym. Again, I do hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a fun and restful weekend ahead! 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 007 - 12 September 2013 - THE C.C.P. FORMULA FOR CAREER SUCCESS IN COMMUNICATION

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 007 – 12 September 2013

The C.C.P. Formula For Career Success In Communication

HOPE ALL CONTINUES TO BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Welcome back again! This is now the seventh issue of my ongoing Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to sixth issues (01, 04, 09, 15 & 22 July and 15 August) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks once more to the readers and followers who continue to send valuable feedback and suggestions, either on this Blog or through comments on social media. I again deeply regret the nearly one-month gap this time since my last issue. Indeed, the interval between issues continues to get longer. I will endeavor to rectify this. However, things continue to be highly-toxic at my regular day job. Like I stated last time, I will do what I can to someday discuss the work challenges we have been facing these last few months, since these fall within the PR/Communication sphere.

In our last issue (Issue No. 6), we discussed the “A.C.E. Principle” (or rather “A.A. – C.C. – E. Principle”) in Communication Planning. To recap, this stands for:

AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE, CONVICTION, CONVERSION and ENDEARMENT.

This time we take a look at another easy-to-remember acronym I have personally created – “C.C.P.” – which is what I continuously and strongly espouse and advocate among my college students and seminar participants if they want to secure a worthwhile job or get ahead in their careers, more so for those in the various Core Communication fields.  To be quite honest, I teach three sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms, but for now, let us just focus on the Primary or First Set, as follows:

C – COMMUNICATION SKILLS – This is rather obvious, since we are in Communication. However, when we refer to this aspect, we emphasize “Superior and value-added written, verbal and technical skills.” Let’s face it, given today’s highly-competitive job market, the expectations are high when hiring managers look for qualified candidates among the hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of applicants lining up for every single open job position. Companies and bosses today look for Communication Practitioners – even for Entry-Level posts – who are “multi-skilled” and who excel in each skill, including but not limited to: speechwriting, business correspondence writing/editing (memos/letters), media/press relations and materials, audio-visual/multi-media production (including video, photography and presentation and public speaking skills), writing/editorial for publications (i.e., newsletters, annual reports, brochures), corporate social responsibility (CSR) experience, reputation management, employee/internal communication campaigns for HR support, and now online communication (including web site content) and social media.

C – CRITICAL THINKING – Sadly, many students taking Communication courses often neglect to hone and harness this key ability and just focus mainly on the tools of the trade, that is, the communication skills listed above. Certainly, mastery of our core skills is a must, but these should not be the only weapons in our arsenal. Company bosses now look for Communication staff (again, at all job levels) who can quickly “think on their feet” and be able to deeply analyze any given situation or problem in today’s crisis-filled corporate world and provide almost immediate viable recommendations and solutions. Thus, applicants/prospects get shocked during job interviews when they are sometimes presented with difficult and even bizarre or off-the-wall problems for them to analyze and solve on-the-spot, or else! Responding nervously with a lame “But they didn’t teach that in college!” will most likely result in the interviewer looking toward his or her door and yelling “Next!”

P – PASSION – It sometimes pains me, both professionally and personally, when I experience firsthand Communication students and PR and Advertising folks making pitches and presentations in the most lackluster and boring way possible. It’s like they’re saying, “How I wish I weren’t here!” Accept it and face it! We are in the business of reaching out, persuading and convincing. If we don’t look and sound like we love what we are doing, how do we expect others, especially our audience to buy into whatever it is we are advocating? On the other hand, Passion does not mean exaggeration or over-acting. It is equally irritating to see and hear the same industry folks act like they ought to be performing in a farce on a Broadway stage (unless you are pitching a new stage play) with their over-enunciated delivery. Please, let’s keep things balanced by learning how to properly manage our over-all “package” by using the appropriate energy level, voice intonation/inflection, body language, posture and, yes, even our attire and wardrobe. What we want to project is that: WE LOVE AND RESPECT OUR CRAFT and we want our audience and public to appreciate it too.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue, hopefully much sooner than the overly long wait this time around. We will look take up the other two sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms. Again, I do hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a great and productive week and a fun and restful weekend ahead!