May 4th, 2012
Today’s competitive environment requires employees to wear more than one hat. But when they start telling you, “That’s not my job,” keep your cool.
Take it as a warning sign: They may be burned out, or maybe they feel that their skills aren’t being utilized to the full potential, or your own management style may be alienating them. Look for these specific problems:
The job description is too detailed.
Excessive detail in a job description can imply that you don’t expect anything more from an employee. Revise your descriptions away from specific individual tasks to reflect a team-oriented focus, such as providing top customer service. A more open-ended job description can prompt employees to think more about the organization as a whole.
Managers don’t spur workers to go the extra mile.
Provide incentives for workers to go outside the boundaries of their jobs, but don’t stop there. Always thank employees for their extra work, and remember it during formal reviews. And don’t overload them. If you’re asking employees to take on extra duties, make a point of lowering some expectations in other areas of a job in order to ease the workload.
Whatever the cause, don’t ignore the attitude. Most employees will improve their attitudes if they’re able to talk it over with a boss. Such conversations also go a long way toward helping you adjust individual job performance expectations so workers feel free to contribute in ways they otherwise wouldn’t have.
May 3rd, 2012
Early to bed and early to rise, as Benjamin Franklin pointed out, can make you healthy, wealthy, and wise.
But the “early to rise” part is a problem for some people. But if you want to get a good start on the day, you can’t sleep until noon. Follow these tips to get up and get moving toward success first thing in the morning:
Give yourself a good reason.
Before you to go sleep, think about what you want to accomplish tomorrow. Pick something you’re passionate about to work on first. You’ll find it easier to get out of bed when you’ve got something exciting to look forward to.
Get enough sleep.
Maybe you can get by on four or five hours of sleep for a while, but over the long haul your body and brain will rebel. Even if you do pull yourself out of bed, your efforts won’t be worth much. Make a point of getting seven or eight hours’ worth of good sleep consistently.
Use a buddy system.
Enlist a friend to call you at a prearranged time, and alternate duties so you’re each responsible for waking the other. Or make a regular date to work out or just take a brisk walk. Getting up will be easier when you know other people are depending on you.
Don’t snooze.
Get up immediately when your alarm wakes up. If necessary, place your alarm across the room so you have to get up in order to shut it off. Drink a glass of cold water to get your system started right away.
Establish a routine.
Get up at the same time every day. Even if some mornings are more difficult to face than others, a consistent pattern will help your body wake itself up on time most days.
May 2nd, 2012
In Les Miserables, Inspector Javert is obsessed with the thief Jean Valjean, sent to prison for stealing a loaf of bread. Today’s thieves are a little more upscale, according to an article from the AdWeek website:
They’re more likely to steal filet mignon, making it the most likely choice of shoplifters in grocery stores and supermarkets, which have become the most popular sites for retail theft. Other top shoplifting targets include:
• Liquor. Expensive booze accounts for about 2.9 percent of stolen merchandise in North America.
• Electric tools. Power tools, electric toothbrushes, and other plug-in appliances are the third most preferred category of merchandise for shoplifters.
• Electronic gadgets. Thieves filch iPhones, video games, and laptops from stores. Apple products are a favorite.
• Razor blades. Replacement-blade packs can be expensive, especially for the Gillette Mach 4, making them attractive to shoplifters who can sell them cheaply online.
• Athletic shoes. Nikes and other big-name footwear have a wide appeal to shoplifters and their “customers.” In crowded stores, a shoplifter can easily replace his or her flip-flops with a pair of nice shoes and then race out the door.
May 1st, 2012
So, we’re at a party with many people, a few of which we knew, now many more of which we are acquainted and everyone is drinking tequila. It wasn’t a fiesta or anything, just a gathering and so I asked what was up with tequila.
These people all argued that liquor was a depressant and that tequila was an anti-depressant. So, their theory is that it’s ok to drink it in excess because it gave them energy and an up, whereas other liquor took them down.
I called a few the day after and was happy to confirm that the day after is just as bad with tequila as it is with anything else. The residual effect of any of these poisons is nasty. The effect on the body is nasty. The effect overall is nasty.
Up or down, folks, I’m finding this shit nasty.
April 30th, 2012
Preparation is the key to success, but how many of us are prepared to succeed at a moment’s notice? Sales consultant Eddie Mayen once asked a successful Hollywood agent who worked with lots of actors how he distinguished between a good performer and a truly great one.
The agent replied that every ambitious actor has one or two good monologues ready to perform for an agent or a director, but only a handful can really launch into action at a moment’s notice. Most of them need one or two minutes to “get into character” or otherwise get ready to audition. But those who can become another person without hesitation are the people who are likely to succeed in show business.
It’s the same in almost any industry. Are you ready to start selling to a customer, or work on your novel, or build a new machine, whenever you get an opportunity? If so, you’re already prepared—and ahead of the pack of other people who “just need a few minutes” to get ready.
April 27th, 2012
The boss was adamant that everyone in his office start work precisely at 9 a.m. His employees were scared of getting fired, so they took great pain to make sure they arrived on time.
One day Johnson didn’t show up until 10 a.m. He was bruised, bleeding, and his clothing was torn. The boss looked at him and said, “Johnson! What happened to you?”
“The elevator was out,” Johnson panted, “so I took the stairs. I was almost here at 8:58 when I tripped and fell down all the way down, all three flights. I was almost killed, but here I am!”
“And that took you a whole hour?”
April 26th, 2012
Telling employees that their work doesn’t meet standards isn’t enjoyable or easy, but letting them know how they’re slipping up—and how to improve—is integral to building a strong workforce.
Here are tips on how to broach the subject:
Don’t wait for an ideal time to tell the employee.
There is no best time to tell a worker about his or her professional shortcomings. There will always be a looming deadline or some issue or emergency that crops up. The professional thing to do is address the subject right away. The longer you wait, the harder it will be, and the worse the problem may get.
Craft your message.
Although you need to tell workers right away, don’t just blurt it out. Take a bit of time to prepare your message and ease into the subject.
Brace for the reaction.
Keep in mind that while you’ve known about the problem, the employee is hearing probably for the first time. Be prepared to handle the other person’s reaction, and acknowledge any negative feelings the person may be experiencing.
Offer ways to improve performance.
Assure employees that the problem isn’t the end of the world—or their job. Rather, it’s an opportunity to improve their work, so offer options on how to solve the problem, or get their feedback on the best way to get on the right track.
April 25th, 2012
The team-building exercises you hope will bring people together could actually be an obstacle to team harmony. Here are three ways mangers can sabotage their efforts to building teams:
You provide inappropriate exercises or activities.
That whitewater rafting trip designed to build trust among team members may sound great, but does it really fit your employees’ needs? Each team has its strengths and weaknesses. Unless you know what they are, you can waste time, money, and credibility on team-building activities that have no relevance to your group.
You expect a day of team-building to last forever.
Without a long-term strategy for team-building, a day’s retreat won’t have a long-term impact. At best, it only gives the team a short-term shot in the arm. At worst, the day brings up issues that can’t be resolved and will fester.
You don’t take an active role.
Team leaders and managers are probably the most influential people in the group. Unless you’re willing to roll up your own sleeves and set the tone by participating, too, the entire team’s progress is likely to stagnate. As a manager, you have to be willing to look at your own contributions to the team—negative and positive—and become a key player in the process of improvement.
April 24th, 2012
I think I figured it out. I’m drinking less, but still drinking too much. So, instead of full limits – I’m going for time. I stop at a certain time in the evening, at home. I stop at a certain time at an evening event or day event. I set up three different times.
It’s worked so far, but I do admit I powered it down one afternoon at a wedding.
They had a good selection of spirits, the weather was perfect, the people all pleasant, smiling. I have to tell you, it was worth a toast…..or six or seven.
