Does Your Staff Have Your Back?

This goes a little extreme . . . but there are some good takeaways from this article on getting employee buy-in.

Does Your Staff Have Your Back?
Tara Weiss, from Forbes.com

In a time when employers complain about high staff turnover, here is the story of extreme devotion to the boss: Tamera Luzzatto, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief of staff for more than seven years, recently learned she had a brain tumor and needed surgery. Luzzatto scheduled the operation for Wednesday, the day after the last presidential primary, so her absence would be less disruptive than if she did it during campaign season.

Talk about employee loyalty.

A call and e-mail for comment went unanswered by the senator's office. Politico.com reports that Luzzatto's surgery was successful.

Luzzatto's story shows Clinton knows how to inspire dedication among her staffers. Employers should take a cue from her playbook--in coming years, staff loyalty will be more important than ever. While job growth is currently slow, it will likely expand in coming years as baby boomers retire. Their retirement will create significant gaps in the workforce because they are more numerous than younger generations. If an employee isn't happy, switching companies won't be hard.

The first step for employers is making employees feel like their individual role is directly connected to the company's goals. Employees want to feel like they have a sense of purpose.

At the household products manufacturer Procter & Gamble, customer researchers live with consumers for several days to see exactly how their daily life works. They return to P&G with videos and a chronological map of what the consumers did throughout the day. The purpose: to show P&G employees what consumers need to make their lives easier and how their existing products are already doing that.

"It's bringing the customer experience into the organization," says Mark Royal, a senior consultant at Hay Group Insight, a global management consultancy firm.

Not every company can send employees to live with clients. Another way to achieve that goal is to create a personal impact map that illustrates how employees' roles directly influence the organization's bottom line.

Royal illustrates this with the greeter role at a retail store. Customer service is an important part of sales growth and contributing factors include customer wait time, employee accessibility and customer acknowledgment. If the customer can't find anyone to answer a question, chances are he'll leave the store without making a purchase.

But if a salesperson greets the customer when he gets within about five feet of him, the likelihood that he'll purchase something increases. "Mapping out that relationship shows employees that greeting customers isn't just something a manager randomly makes them do," says Royal. "Instead, it's something important to do and it connects with the broader goals of the organization."

From there, bosses should show their staff they care about them as individuals. Take into account their personalities and interests and use those things to figure out how to properly manage them. "Bosses shouldn't engage in the one-size-fits-all type of management," says Karyl Innis, founder and owner of the Innis Co., a career management firm based in Dallas .

When Allison Durant went into labor with her first child, she refused to put aside the project she was working on. Durant, a corporate recruiter with Intercontinental Hotels Group in Atlanta, found an ideal candidate for a corporate communications position and didn't want to lose her to a competitor; she knew the candidate was interviewing with other companies.

So when her husband tried to take her to the hospital, she begged him to bring her briefcase along. He was skeptical but ultimately brought it. After the baby arrived on a Saturday morning, Durant convinced her husband to hand-deliver the details of the offer letter to a colleague to finish up the deal.

Some people might wonder why Durant was so concerned with work during the birth of her first child. Her reply: She wants to do right by the company that has been so good to her. "Work-life balance is taken seriously here," says Durant, who has been with Intercontinental Hotel Groups for more than 10 years. "Management treats employees like people instead of numbers."

Another factor: Foster communication from the highest levels of the organization to all employees, says Alexandra Levit, author of Success for Hire: Simple Strategies to Find and Keep Outstanding Employees, which will be out in August. That's exactly what John Bliss, CEO of Bliss PR in Manhattan, does. Even though his company is privately held, the firm's financials are open to all employees. He discusses the finances publicly at an annual company meeting--the only thing not public are employees' salaries.

"It gives the staff members a better idea of how they have helped the company," says Bliss. "If the financials of the company are not a mystery, they'll have more trust."

He also uses a merit-based reward system instead of basing salary and bonuses on longevity with the firm. "Giving them a stake in the game breeds loyalty," he says. Additionally, employees who don't perform well are fired. "If you don't [fire them], the people who do perform will develop a sense of resentment."

The same goes for clients. If a client mistreats an employee, Bliss doesn't hesitate to give him the boot, which he has done twice.

The final element is offering employees training and opportunities for growth. Some firms offer rotations that enable people to try different departments and positions for several months. And when jobs open, current employees should be given the first opportunity to apply for them.

After implementing all of this, don't expect anyone to rearrange his emergency surgery, but you'll likely get better work out of your staff

Joke of the weekend X

Since went whale watching, my oldest came up with a joke.
Why did the whale cross the road?
To get to the other tide!

okay, I told him I would post it . . . here it go . . .

For thirty years, Johnson had arrived at work at 9A.M. on the dot. He had never missed a day and was never late.

Consequently, when on one particular day 9 A.M. passed without Johnson’s arrival, it caused a sensation. All work ceased, and the boss himself, looking at his watch and muttering, came out into the corridor.

Finally, precisely at ten, Johnson showed up, clothes dusty and torn, his face scratched and bruised, his glasses bent. He limped painfully to the time clock, punched in, and said, aware that all eyes were upon him, “I tripped and rolled down two flights of stairs in the subway. Nearly killed myself.”

And the boss said, “And to roll down two flights of stairs took you a whole hour?”

Standing up for what is Right

Over my career, I have had to stand up to "pressure" from above to make a particular decision that senior management wanted . . . yes, I did not play politics. It would have been easy, just do what you are asked and then senior management will like you. Well, I guess I chose the path of least resistance. In some cases, you can disagree but senior management still ends up making the decision for you.

One example that I had was that someone made a mistake, and I was told to fire that person immediately. Of oourse, not all the facts were out yet, but still I was told fire that person . . . (by the way, mistakes will be made by everyone especially if you are a growth unit because innovation means sometimes making mistakes, remember Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb, he did not get it on the first attempt). I stood up for the person in a heated argument, going so far that I was "on the plank" as well. However, you should always go by what is right, no matter what the consequences, how do you look at anyone else in the eye if you just follow what senior management wants? Where is the respect you earn? It is easy to earn respect for making decisions that are popular and what everyone agrees. It is real respect when as a leader you do what you feel and think is the right thing to do even when faced with being in the minority.

Leadership is not a popularity contest, but instead focused on what is right for the business in the long run.

As a leader, Sometimes you have to put yourself on the line when the right decision is in the minority.

When Results go Bad!

When Results go Bad!

It is interesting to watch different leaders and their reactions when the financial results don’t go as they had planned. Those with financial backgrounds usually have a knee jerk reaction and start a severe cost management process. The old adage that you can manage cost but not manage revenue is key to their leadership talent (i.e., you have control over expenses and not revenue).

In some cases, this might be appropriate because there is a fundamental change to the revenue stream and the expenses need to be in line with the projected revenue. However, many times, the “baby gets thrown out with the bath water” because these cost management controls are also applied to areas of the business that has more revenue opportunity (it’s a growing business). To obtain those revenue opportunities, this business needs to be fueled with investments, either people or other resources. Consequently, the leader(s) are causing their own demise because they are not fueling future revenue growth where opportunity exists. Instead, all business units are treated the same way . . . Watch Expenses!

With a public firm, the focus seems to be on the monthly results, or more importantly the quarterly results . . . this short term focus is frustrating to many because it does not always align with doing what is best for the long term interest of the firm nor what is best interest of the clients.

It is those leaders that can balance those short term needs with a longer term vision that are most successful. Short term cost management is not a long term vision (you will never be successful in just managing expenses). Therefore, as a leader with no thoughts on future vision, you are left with all of you know, which is try to manage costs in a time period where results are not what you planned. Consequently, only one thing will happen, that leader will no longer be in their position as it is a question of just when? However, in the meantime, shareholder value is destroyed and opportunities are lost.

Be a Leader with a long term vision!

Passion or Perfection

A colleague that I have worked with for almost 15 years sent me an article that I thought was worth posting. I believe we both believe that being passionate about the impact of our work is much important that what we are actually doing . . . are you passionate about what you are doing? or trying to do what you are doing perfectly?

Forget Perfect: Is the Quest for Perfection Ruining Your Business?
by Lisa Earle McLeod
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-earle-mcleod/forget-perfect-is-the-que_b_109023.html

As a CEO, manager or business owner it's tempting to think that it's your job to make things run perfectly. After all, isn't setting standards of excellence one of the hallmarks of success?

Well, sort of.

The traditional thinking goes like this: A leader's job is to set high expectations, hold their team accountable and make sure they have the tools they need to get the job done. It's a pretty simple formula, and after 20 years as a business consultant I can promise you that it works.

But after being inside hundreds of organizations, I've noticed something more. There's a subtle yet distinct emotional difference between good organizations and great ones. And it goes much deeper than clearly-written performance expectations or perfect project management.

In good organizations people know WHAT to do; in great organizations they're excited about WHY.

You can lock your management team in a hotel for an entire weekend plowing through flow charts, spreadsheets and data. But, until people understand the direct impact that their job has on other real live human beings, you'll never get anything more than "meets expectations."

Here's why:

The WHAT of management is about aligning people against measurable business outcomes. And much like a home where mom monitors the kids' chore chart on the fridge, if it's done consistently, you'll get pretty good results.

Sure, it's better than working for a psycho jerk. But at the end of the day, how many times can you make the toilet sparkle or turn out a zero-defect product before you start to feel like you're just going through the motions?

However, great leaders -- the kind people are willing to follow to the ends of the earth -- go beyond the WHAT and help people understand the WHY. They tap into the deep desire that we all have to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

Make no mistake, excellent leaders expect the best and they put systems in place to ensure that they get it. But flawless execution is the means; it's not the end.

Rather than simply telling their team what perfect performance should look like, they go further, and they paint a picture of how their work impacts others.

It's about igniting the feelings behind the facts and it's a concept that applies to any business, no matter the size or structure.

For example, my husband owns a mid-size manufacturing company that makes signs -- neon signs, pole signs, movie theater signs, stadium signs, car dealer signs and the channel letters you see in strip malls.

Two key measurements in the sign business are zero defects and quick turnaround time. After months of improving the company's systems and streamlining its operation, they were finally beating industry averages. Yet it was a struggle to maintain. It was like mom with the chore chart all over again; if he didn't constantly remind and reinforce, the performance dipped.

But then we heard the story about the spa ladies and it changed everything.

It was a Christmas gathering of businesswomen and two ladies stood up to announce that their long-anticipated dream of owning a day spa was finally coming true. Choking back tears they described their big moment. "We stood there as the crane lifted our sign into place, and we just looked at each other and cried. After five years, we had actually done it!" Their dream had become a reality, and nothing symbolized it more than their sign.

Well, you can probably guess what happened next. My husband no longer runs a "sign company"; he runs an organization that "helps make people's dreams come true."

Yes, it seemed hokey at first, and telling the blue-collar, ball-cap-wearing, snuff-carrying sign guys that they were a dream factory was a bit intimidating. But when a production crew gets misty-eyed as their boss describes the Rita's Frozen Custard installation -- complete with her cheering family on the lawn -- you know you've tapped into something much bigger than meeting your quota.

Performance expectations and production measurements may be the WHAT; but the personal impact your work has on others is the WHY and true leadership is about connecting the WHAT with the WHY.

Increased sales, improved turn-around times and lower costs are perfectly lovely performance measurements. But they become positively inspiring when you know what a difference they make in other people's lives.

Every business has its touch points. Trust me, if we found them in the sign business they exist in yours; and it's the job of the leader to call them out.

It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish, be it billions of dollars in profits or simply a clean house, trying to make people adhere to your version of perfection never works over the long haul. They may go along -- especially if you're the one signing their paycheck or doling out their allowance -- but, unless they possess some unique internal drive, they're not going to do much beyond checking off the tasks you've assigned.

But if you can serve up performance expectations in the context of how they positively impact others, you'll be amazed at how hard people are willing to work.

Real leadership isn't about trying to make people do things perfectly. It's about helping your team have personal impact on others.

So forget perfect, make it personal, and watch your people

Are you an Innovator?

Innovation is key to the success of an organization. Here is an article by the Clayton Christensen, the writer of the Innovator's Dilemna. The summary takeaway for me on the article is that allocating resources (time) is important, things just dont happen just because you would like to innovate, you must place dedicated resources on innovating.


Are You An Innovator?
Clayton Christensen

Innovation has once again become a hot topic in the executive suite. That's because of a growing recognition that operational effectiveness alone can't deliver the results today's shareholders demand. A 2005 survey by the Boston Consulting Group, for example, found that 90% of executives believed that their company's growth and success requires true innovation.

Unfortunately, my research suggests that is easier said than done.

The problem isn't bad management, as I explained in The Innovator's Dilemma. In fact, many companies get into trouble precisely because they follow the principles of good management. They listen to their best customers, innovate to meet those customers' needs, charge higher prices, report record profits and miss a transformational change innocently incubating at the fringes of their respective markets.

My subsequent research, summarized in The Innovator's Solution and Seeing What's Next, and field work with my consulting company, Innosight, has convinced me that companies can address key elements of this dilemma.

The first step to recovery is almost always admitting that there might be a problem. Therefore, I suggest that any executive who is seeking to assess their company's innovation capabilities ask the following three questions:

1. Do I have a balanced portfolio with different types of growth strategies?

Most investors know the value of balancing their financial portfolios across different classes of assets, like stocks and bonds. But it is amazing how many companies forget this principle when building their "innovation portfolios."

When many companies actually sift through such portfolios, they discover that the overwhelming majority of their efforts focus on what we call "sustaining" improvements. These are better products that a company hopes to sell for higher prices to current customers. Think about Procter & Gamble (nyse: PG - news - people ) creating a version of its Tide laundry detergent with a new scent.

If existing products or services are not yet good enough, sustaining approaches typically promise attractive returns. Sustaining strategies are the bread and butter of most established firms. A balanced portfolio, however, augments those strategies with different approaches to branch away from the core business.

My research suggests the best way to succeed in these new markets is to take a "disruptive" approach. Proctor and Gamble, for example, has created the "clean small spills" market with its Swiffer brand, and the home-based teeth whitening market with WhiteStrips. Generally, disruptive innovations are simple, convenient, affordable solutions that make it easy for individuals to "do it themselves."

Remember, the goal is to create a portfolio that balances core-sustaining investments with those intended to create new growth businesses.

2. Have I allocated resources to achieve a balanced innovation portfolio?

Just saying you have a balanced portfolio isn't sufficient. You need to allocate resources appropriately to create different types of innovation. Executives often think it's strategy that determines how they should allocate resources. But it's the other way around: It's how a company allocates resources that should determine strategy.

To innovate, a company must master the resource allocation process. Doing that requires investment in multiple strategies. Companies that simply pour all their resources into a single pot often find that they are investing in the status quo. While close-to-the-core, sustaining initiatives are less risky, they also provide lower returns. What's worse, such initiatives may actually crowd out the development of truly innovative products and services that could provide greater returns in the long run.

There's good news for cost-conscious companies just starting their innovation journey. Early on, the biggest investment that companies need to make is time, not dollars. Don't spend too much on a new venture too soon, otherwise you risk locking into a failed strategy before you really know the right approach. The best advice is to "invest a little to learn a lot."

3. Do I have a distinct screening and shaping process for different types of opportunities?

Processes, by their very nature, are designed to be inflexible. A process that is good at doing one thing is almost always bad at doing something else. Many companies have adopted stage-gate processes that impose rigorous discipline on their innovation efforts. New proposals must meet certain financial metrics--such as net present value or return on investment--before they're given the green light. This effectively streamlines the development and commercialization of sustaining innovations.

Financial metrics are ill-suited, however, for disruptive projects that charter unknown territory. Instead, companies should develop a checklist of qualitative measures to which a new product should conform.

Start by looking at previous innovation efforts and assess what worked and what failed. Successful disruptive solutions, for example, might be simpler, do-it-at-home versions of a previously complex product. Often they have low overhead costs and high asset utilization, which allows companies to offer low prices or serve small markets. And in many cases, the pattern you identify can point the way to high-potential opportunities more reliably than financial metrics.

By asking these three questions above, executives can begin to get a sense as to whether or not their organizations are properly positioned for growth. Taking action against identified weaknesses can help companies create capabilities that make the pursuit of growth more predicable and repeatable.

Vacation

I am on vacation this week. We are spending time in Boston, MA (USA) and on the Maine coast (Acadia National Park).

Some will ask I am still blogging while on vacation . . . well, it is a habit/hobby of mine. I get to put some thoughts that are on my mind and place them down on "paper" (then I dont have to think about them for awhile).

Which brings to the point of leadership and vacation. (this will actually be like the pot calling the kettle black, because in the past I was not a good example). I want to talk about balance. It is important that the leader have a good balance between work and life. One way to do that is make sure you take time away from work by taking a non-work vacation. Everyone needs a break, especially to recharge the batteries. You cannot continue to go 24/7 otherwise you will be burnt out and then you are no good to anyone.

So, leaders, take a well-deserved vacation and really take time away. One other element is that others will look at the leaders and see "well, if they work during vacation, guess that means we have to as well". This is not setting a good example.

Have a break today (or whenever you go on vacation). Happy Holidays!

Joke of the Weekend IXb

A mathematician, an accountant and an economist apply for the same job.
The interviewer calls in the mathematician and asks "What do two plus two equal?" The mathematician replies "Four." The interviewer asks "Four, exactly?" The mathematician looks at the interviewer incredulously and says "Yes, four, exactly."

Then the interviewer calls in the accountant and asks the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The accountant says "On average, four - give or take ten percent, but on average, four."

Then the interviewer calls in the economist and poses the same question "What do two plus two equal?" The economist gets up, locks the door, closes the shade, sits down next to the interviewer and says "What do you want it to equal?"

Joke of the Weekend IX

10 Rules For Getting Guaranteed Promotion Without Any Hard Work


1. Never walk without a document in your hands

People with documents in their hand look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they’re heading for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they’re heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use computers to look busy

Any time you use a computer, it looks like “work” to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren’t exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they’re not bad either. When you get caught by your boss - and you *will* get caught — your best defense is to claim you’re teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training dollars.

3. Messy desk

Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your cubicle, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

4. Voice Mail

Never answers your phone if you have voice mail. People don’t call you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That’s no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they’re not there - it looks like you’re hardworking and conscientious even though you’re being a devious weasel.

5. Looking Impatient and Annoyed

According to George Costanza, one should also always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Leave the Office Late

Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss’ room on your way out. Send important emails at unearthly hours

(e.g. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.

7. Creative Sighing for Effect

Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.

8. Stacking Strategy

It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).

9. Build Vocabulary

Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don’t have to understand what you say, but you sure sound impressive.

10. MOST IMPORTANT!!!:

DON’T forward this to your boss by mistake!!!

Why People Leave?

I came across two articles about major causes of turnover. While there is good turnover, bad turnover (people that you want to keep) can be prevented mostly due to leadership and management. In my opinion, increased bad turnover is the biggest reason an organization or unit will not be as successful as planned. Yes, maybe that is simple, but many times leadership and management do not understand this and think the "staff" is replaceable. However, the knowledge, experience, relationships that those leaving staff have is a huge impact. People can walk out the door, assets like cars, planes, etc. can not just leave. Consequently, leaders need to focus on people, otherwise, you might be standing alone! There is a disconnect between management and employees are why staff leave . . . management constantly cites pay, whereas, employees cite management issues, interesting.

Article One

Leigh Branham, formerly of Saratoga Institute provides “Seven Hidden Reasons Why People Leave”.

According to Branham, here are the seven reasons why people leave organizations most often:

1. The Reality of the Job Isn’t What Was Expected - In short, the job was oversold based on the reality. Employees start with great enthusiasm but the work environment and the employer failed to deliver.

2. Hiring Took Place in a Hurry - Failing to hire for fit in the organization rather just needing to fill a position. (Note: In a recent local HR forum, HR managers stated that in over 60% of hiring situations, they were pressured by managers simply to fill a position and were forced to “skip steps” in the appropriate hiring process).

3. Lack of Coaching & Feedback – Departing employees reported little to no feedback. Employees want feedback both positive and instructive.

4. Career Advancement & Growth – In this tight labor market, most employees are acutely interested in what the company is going to do for them. Only 44% of companies are giving the correct expectation for advancement (according to Branham). He states that approximately 75% of employees in organizations are looking for a job, 30% actively and 45% passively.

5. Lack of Recognition & Feeling Devalued – Employees feel like efforts go unnoticed. Was a good job done? Did anybody notice and did anybody care? Many people state they are frustrated because pay is not linked to performance.

6. Lack of Work/Life Balance – Employees feel the culture is a one-way street. Take, take, take but no give when it comes to work / life balance. There is also inadequate attention to employing well-rounded individuals.

7. Loss of Trust and Confidence in Senior Leaders – Once an issue with leadership creates mistrust, it is difficult to win back.

HR experts consistently estimate that the cost of turnover for a two-year, performing employee, can be between 1.5 to 3 times annual salary.

Article Two

Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs
By Marcia Zidle

1. Management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people, resulting in longer days and weekend work. This turns into a morale killer not only for the person but for the team.

2. Management doesn't allow the rank and file to make decisions about their work. Therefore, employees see their job as only a job rather than developing enthusiasm and pride of ownership.

3. Management constantly reorganizes, shuffles people around and changes direction constantly. Therefore, employees don’t know what’s going on, what the priorities are and what they should be doing.

4. Management doesn't take the time to clarify their decisions. For example, it rejects work after it was completed, damaging the morale and esteem of those who prepared it.

5. Management alienates staff by promoting someone who lacks training and /or the necessary experience to supervise. This leads to employees to feel management shows favoritism and so why do a good job?

6. Management promotes departments to compete against each other while at the same time preaching teamwork and cooperation. Therefore, employees become cynical and only put effort in what they see management wants not what they say.

7. Management throws a temper tantrum, points fingers and assigns blame when things go wrong. Therefore, employees don’t want to be at the other end of the barrage of negativity.

Can you all see any of these at your organization? These can be prevented, it is in You!

I Hate Internal Meetings

I was talking to an old colleague (not that he was old, but someone who we worked together, well, as I think about it, he is old . . . LOL, I am sure I will get a comment if he is a reader of this blog). The topic of our discussion turned to internal meetings and how much he hated them (which we agreed). Now, I am not saying that all internal meetings are bad, but good ones are an exception to the rule.

Some thoughts on internal meetings.

1. Does it make sense to have the meeting? Don't have a meeting if there's a more cost-effective way to achieve your objective. Do a quick calculation of a past internal meeting and see the costs and the value achieved, was the return on the investment in time and costs worthwhile?

2. Supply participants with an agenda days before the meeting. In addition, have each participant required to something before the meeting to establish that this meeting is serious and expects something from everyone, and not "just show up".

3. Establish ground rules for do's and dont's meeting behaviors. Manage the meeting and the process, by keeping to the agenda and timing.

4. End all meetings with a review of action steps and results. Continue to go back to that list to ensure items are on target to ensure the ROI continues.

5. Ask everyone for input on what could have been improved in the meeting for next time

You still might not like internal meetings, but maybe they will be more productive and bearable!

Workplace Porn

No, it is not what you think, sorry to disappoint you. This is an interesting article. I have two daughters in Universities and they can go to certain websites and see ratings on professors and assess who they should take or not (when I was going to school, you had to ask around). Well, now there is a new website where employees rate leaders . . . I teach statistics and give speeches so I am use to being rated by the attendees (not always the best thing when you get the feedback but I have found it always helpful). However, there are many leaders out there that are not use to being rated . . . so you might ask yourself, would you operate differently if you knew you were going to be rated by staff . . . I hope not, that should not matter, you should be a good leader (especially if reading this blog, LOL). What will people say about YOU?

Workplace Porn
Quentin Hardy,

Jerry Yang, your stock is in trouble.

This time, it's not (necessarily) the value of Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ), where Yang is chief executive, that is cause for concern, but the way Yang's staff feels about him, at least according to reports from start-up Glassdoor.com.

The new Web site, based in Sausalito, Calif., aims to uncover salaries, work conditions ­and workplace attitudes of employees at some of America's biggest companies by collecting contributions from current employees. The company officially launched its beta site Tuesday night.

Based on relatively modest-size samples (ranging from 32 to 129 reviews apiece), Glassdoor.com reports that Yang has an overall approval rating of 59%, compared with 69% for Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) chief (and one time Yahoo! suitor) Steve Ballmer and 86% for Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) chief Eric Schmidt.

Among the other tech companies with more than 10 contributions to date, Cisco Systems (nasdaq: CSCO - news - people ) chief John Chambers leads with a 93% approval rating.

For what its worth, Yang beats IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ) boss Sam Palmisano, who has a 57% approval rating based on 36 reviews.

Overall, company satisfaction is highest at Cisco (with a "very satisfied," or 4.4 out of five points), lowest at Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) (which ranked a "neutral" score of 3.1).

Of course, 36 reviews out of IBM's work force of 380,000 hardly make this a scientific survey. Also, most of those reviews are pretty superficial: "All in all a great place to work for with endless opportunities …" according to an accounting analyst in Somers, N.Y.

But Glassdoor is just testing the waters. So far its site has some 3,300 reviews and salary reports on more than 250 companies in industries as diverse as banking and media. It has focused, at least for now, on reports about Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google and Cisco.

Typically, other sites that offer salary data base their information on survey data. For instance, Salary.com (nasdaq: SLRY - news - people ) works with data sets compiled by other organizations that have collected data reported by employers rather than employees.

Glassdoor was founded by people previously involved in travel site Expedia (nasdaq: EXPE - news - people ) and home-values site Zillow; thus its creators are accustomed to turning to consumers for information. The site goal: to become a gathering place for anyone who wonders if they are underpaid, overworked, unloved or even luckier than the next working stiff.

Glassdoor's founders expect people will use the site when job hunting, negotiating a salary or just benchmarking how their career trajectories compare with others'.

The salary information is examined by editors before posting to avoid average-distorting spoofs. The site is counting on the law of large numbers to make its data valuable: If it can get enough contributions, the distortions will even out. The company hopes to gain revenue from advertising, particularly from job-hunting Web sites like Monster.com.

So far, Glasshouse is reporting some eye-popping salary variations among the companies. Software engineers at Yahoo! make anywhere from $70,000 a year to $150,000. Account managers at Cisco earn anywhere from $65,000 to $220,000. With bonus, the average software engineer's salary at Yahoo! is $118,000, compared with $113,000 at Google and $105,000 at Microsoft.

Employee comments offer pros and cons of working there, as well as advice to management. Even with the relatively small number of submissions, it is possible to get the flavor of a company. Microsoft comes across as a really big bureaucracy with tons of money and geeks. Google is filled with brainy elites who think of themselves that way and is characterized by an uncoordinated management style. Yahoo! seems like a fun place, even if its executives are running scared and consumed with Google envy. Cisco is demanding and technically challenging with too many meetings and a culture of cheapness.

Expecting Top Performance

Someone once said "Not Failure, but low aim, is crime". The simple idea is that setting low expectations is worse than setting high expectations and not succeeding. Let me ask you a question, have you ever attempted something (could be work, personal or a sport, etc.) and you go in thinking you are not going to do well . . . and guess what you . . . you accomplish just that! I am a big believer in positive thinking, but more importantly, I am a big believer in setting high standards and expectations.

One takeaway I had earlier in my career was having a conversation with a respected leader who said "dont think about incrementally growing the business but think about doubling and tripling the business". I use this thought every day, because bottom line, you think and act differently when you are planning to double or triple your business versus growing incrementally. You will try things that might not work, but you will also try new and innovative things that will work! The latter is the reward for thinking BIG and setting higher expectations.

Be sure and involve your team in setting standards that are achievable, but also require them to stretch their knowledge and skills. Remember that regardless of what you say, it is the performance you are willing to accept that becomes your true standard.

There is a difference between expectations and commitment. You may commit to a lower level as this is an obligation, but you can surely expect to achieve more!

The competition is out there and they might be setting higher expectations.

For you leaders, make sure you walk the talk -- earn the right to hold others to high standards by meeting them yourself! Are you setting high expectations?

Networking

One of my largest learning over the past year is the importance of networking. It does not take that much time and the benefits are extremely positive. To be honest, I was not sure where or how to start networking, but after talking to a career coach, it made perfect sense. Networking could be old friends, old colleagues, professional associations, competitors, suppliers, vendors, and even clients/prospects.

When you network, you find out: different opinions about the marketplace, possible new clients, trends, new opportunities (both for your unit and you personally). Don't just "network" with your current colleagues as that limits your "marketplace". It's a big world out there with many opportunities; but you will not find them if you just sit back and wait for those to come to you. It is time for you to make an investment in yourself and network with others, the larger your network, the more successful you will be . . .

My strategy was to talk or write to one person each week. The person would be someone that I had spoken to in over a year. As most, this would 30 minutes each week, which is a small amount of time. Join LinkedIn or another one of the social networking capabilities, as networking has never been easier! I am on LinkedIn.

Take time to network, it will be worthwhile!

Joke of the Weekend VIIIb

Tips for managers and leaders


Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 4:00 and then bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing.

If it's really a "rush job," run in and interrupt me every ten minutes to inquire how it's going. That helps.

Always leave without telling anyone where you're going. It gives me a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.

If my arms are full of papers, boxes, books, or supplies, don't open the door for me. I need to learn how to function as a paraplegic and opening doors is good training.

If you give me more than one job to do, don't tell me which is the priority. Let me guess.

Do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do.

If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret.

Leaks like that could cost me a promotion.

If you don't like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be popular in conversation.

If you have special instructions for a job, don't write them down. In fact, save them until the job is almost done.

Never introduce me to the people you're with.

When you refer to them later, my shrewd deductions will identify them.

Be nice to me only when the job I'm doing for you could really change your life.

Tell me all your little problems. No one else has any and it's nice to know someone is less fortunate.

Joke of the Weekend VIII

The boss


This guy is selling three parrots. Another guy who wants to buy a parrot approaches him and asks, "How much are your parrots?"

The salesman answers, "The first one is $1,000."

"What does he know?"

"He knows 10,000 words and 500 sentences and is able to solve mathematical expressions."

"How about the second one?"

"The second parrot costs $5,000."

"What does he know?"

"He knows 100,000 words and 10,000 sentences, is able to solve mathematical expressions, and create computer programs."

"Then what is the price for the third one?, the buyer is wondering."

"This one costs $20,000."

"Really?!, wonders the exciting buyer. What does he know?"

"This one knows absolutely nothing, but the two others always call him 'THEIR BOSS.'"

Treating People with Dignity and Respect

I have seen it in the past. I know I will see it again in the future. Companies wonder why they cannot attract people or why there is higher turnover in their organization, but the leader never looks at themselves and says, "maybe I am the issue" versus "it's everyone else's issues".

In my opinion, one of the key attributes for a long-term successful organization is how they treat people on departure, whether that departure is voluntary resignation, retirement, or even involuntary (poor performance, downsizing, or just plain dont like someone). When you treat departing people "cheaply" or without respect for past performance, it will come back and haunt you, maybe not tomorrow or next week but it will, trust me. You see these departing people could become an intense competitor, or become a senior person at an organization that you want to do business with, or a "not so good" reference when attracting people.

I admit it, I have seen some poor performing people receive some nice packages upon departure . . . and I wondered how come they are giving that person such a nice package when I am still working very hard and performing well and not getting much in return. Well, I saw first hand that those people became a large client or helped attract people to the organization. I learned. You must treat people well on departure as the ROI will be positive.

Now, I have seen one recent organization who does not treat people that way, instead, they view people as just a fungible resource, i.e., just a number that can be easily replaced. Hmmmm. So, they let people go cheaply and without respect, not assessing the long term value that the person brought to the table . . . (you may want to constantly look over your shoulder if you are in an organization like this, because one small slip up or the need to spend time with a ill child and miss a deadline or a meeting, then see you later . . . why would anyone want to work for an organization like that, i.e., you never know when you might be fired?). So, tell me, if you decided to leave or if you made a mistake, how would your organization treat you?

There is nothing stronger than the desire to overcome being wronged. The will to win cannot be beat!

I hope as a leader that you look yourself in the mirror when a person will be leaving, and know that you are treating them with dignity and respect and depart as friends and not as enemies.

Airports

While I know this is US-centric, but all leaders need to travel and came across this ranking of Airports and thought it was interesting . . .

Forbes.com
Table: America's Most Time-Draining Airports
Rebecca Ruiz

The first column is the final ranking (100 being the "worse"), then the airport, then in order
Final Rank Airport Security-
related delays rank Late-aircraft-
related delays rank National Aviation System-
related delays rank Cancellation-
related delay rank Carrier-
related delay rank Weather-
related delay rank Percentage of flights arrive on time rank Percentage of flights depart on time rank

100 Chicago, Ill.: O'Hare 96 100 100 100 99 97 92 95
99 Newark, N.J.: Newark Liberty International 86 94 99 96 78 90 99 100
98 New York, N.Y.: Kennedy International 84 90 96 92 88 91 97 83
97 New York, N.Y.: La Guardia 52 81 97 97 82 92 99 96
96 Dallas/Ft.Worth, Texas: Dallas/Ft. Worth International 88 99 95 99 98 99 59 52
95 San Francisco, Calif.: San Francisco International 90 89 94 85 91 81 86 65
94 Boston, Mass.: Logan International 77 87 90 94 87 93 86 65
93 Philadelphia, Penn.: Philadelphia International 74 82 93 83 79 88 92 83
92 Atlanta, Ga.: Hartsfield-Jackson 94 98 98 98 100 100 46 34
91 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.: Minneapolis St. Paul International 89 86 91 91 93 94 52 19
90 Denver, Colo.: Denver International 97 97 89 93 97 96 33 12
89 Detroit, Mich.: Detroit Metro Wayne County 87 92 87 95 96 95 46 12
88 Seattle, Wash.: Seattle/Tacoma International 95 84 81 73 84 69 67 52
87 Charlotte, N.C.: Charlotte Douglas International 83 85 84 84 86 78 67 34
86 Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles International 99 96 88 90 95 87 33 12
85 Washington, D.C.: Dulles International 58 83 80 87 81 76 59 59
84 Phoenix, Ariz.: Sky Harbor International 100 91 86 89 94 84 17 12
83 Las Vegas, Nev.: Mc Carran International 92 95 85 80 92 80 25 19
82 Miami, Fla.: Miami International 73 71 75 63 77 74 67 59
81 Washington, D.C.: Washington National 57 72 82 88 75 83 59 42
80 Houston, Texas: Houston Intercontinental 93 93 92 82 89 89 12 7
79 Orlando, Fla.: Orlando International 85 88 83 71 83 79 33 19
78 Raleigh/Durham, N.C.: Raleigh Durham 51 74 71 76 73 77 52 59
77 Pittsburgh, Penn.: Pittsburgh International 56 62 68 70 67 66 67 75
76 Cincinnati, Ohio: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International 71 54 78 86 90 98 25 19
75 Baltimore, Md.: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall 76 79 79 79 74 82 17 34
74 Salt Lake City, Utah: Salt Lake International 98 80 70 78 85 86 7 9
73 Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: Fort Lauderdale International 75 73 76 56 71 67 52 42
72 Columbus, Ohio: Columbus International 47 57 62 62 64 68 67 83
71 St. Louis, Mo.: Lambert International 70 70 67 74 68 65 41 52
70 Cleveland, Ohio: Hopkins International 69 78 73 77 70 75 41 19
69 Nashville, Tenn.: Nashville Metropolitan 72 69 64 64 66 70 41 52
68 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Midway 82 77 77 75 60 85 17 19
67 Memphis, Tenn.: Memphis International 79 67 74 81 80 71 25 9
66 Tampa, Fla.: Tampa International 68 76 72 54 72 72 33 34
65 San Diego, Calif.: San Diego International Lindbergh Field 80 75 69 69 76 58 17 19
64 Buffalo, N.Y.: Niagara International 42 48 48 51 48 62 77 83
63 Indianapolis, Ind.: Indianapolis International 50 58 65 65 62 55 52 42
62 Milwaukee, Wis.: General Mitchell Field 31 30 58 60 59 57 86 65
61 San Antonio, Texas: San Antonio International 66 56 54 55 56 63 41 42
60 Rochester, N.Y.: Rochester Monroe County 22 41 41 49 38 47 92 98
59 Austin, Texas: Austin - Bergstrom International 41 60 59 59 63 61 33 42
58 Houston, Texas: William P Hobby 55 66 61 66 42 59 25 42
57 Anchorage, Alaska: Anchorage International 91 38 38 32 29 10 86 91
56 San Juan, Puerto Rico: Luis Munoz Marin International 61 31 57 17 55 52 77 59
55 Omaha, Neb.: Eppley Airfield 34 43 46 46 51 54 67 65
54 Providence, R.I.: Theodore Francis Green 45 42 45 50 41 45 59 75
53 Tulsa, Okla.: Tulsa International 39 44 37 53 43 51 59 75
52 Portland, Ore.: Portland International 78 63 63 40 65 40 33 19
51 Kansas City, Mo.: Kansas City International 64 65 66 68 69 64 1 1
50 Oklahoma City, Okla.: Will Rogers World 27 46 39 52 46 53 59 75
49 Richmond, Va: Richmond International Aqirport 23 39 43 36 39 49 77 83
48 Hartford, Conn.: Bradley International 19 49 49 58 50 48 52 59
47 Jacksonville, Fla.: Jacksonville International 37 51 53 30 53 60 46 52
46 Dallas, Texas: Dallas Love Field 53 64 56 72 20 73 17 19
45 Oakland, Calif.: Metropolitan Oakland International 81 68 52 67 57 27 7 12
44 Sacramento, Calif.: Sacramento International 67 61 44 42 61 24 17 34
43 Little Rock, Ark.: Adams Field 15 29 26 29 28 50 77 93
42 Greensboro/High Point, N.C.: Greensboro High Point Winst 18 16 25 44 27 56 77 83
41 Des Moines, Iowa: Des Moines Muncipal 3 25 33 48 36 46 77 75
40 West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, Fla.: Palm Beach International 33 47 60 22 40 34 52 52
39 Norfolk, Va: Norfolk International 16 28 35 35 35 44 67 75
38 Santa Ana, Calif.: John Wayne International 65 50 50 61 52 26 12 11
37 San Jose, Calif.: San Jose International 59 59 47 57 54 30 7 12
36 Grand Rapids, Mich.: Gerald R. Ford International 20 22 32 37 25 37 77 75
35 Manchester, N.H.: Boston Regional 44 36 36 33 26 33 52 65
34 New Orleans, La.: Louis Armstrong International 40 52 51 21 49 39 33 34
33 Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse Hancock International 14 18 34 20 23 19 92 93
32 Wichita, Kan.: Mid-Continent 12 23 19 47 17 31 77 83
31 Madison, Wis.: Truax Field 9 20 20 41 24 21 91 83
30 Albany, N.Y.: Albany County 25 26 29 19 16 25 77 91
29 Charleston, S.C.: Charleston International 29 17 24 38 22 41 67 65
28 Albuquerque, N.M.: Albuquerque International 54 55 40 18 47 38 17 34
27 Portland, Maine: Portland International Jetport 11 9 14 25 9 22 96 99
26 Louisville, Ky.: Standiford Field 35 27 31 27 30 29 41 59
25 White Plains, N.Y.: Westchester County 4 11 42 45 8 17 86 65
24 Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.: Greenville/Spartanburg Airport 17 12 15 43 19 28 67 75
23 Birmingham, Ala: Birmingham Municipal 38 34 28 24 32 42 33 42
22 Ft. Myers, Fla.: Southwest Florida International Airport 30 32 55 14 37 35 46 19
21 Ontario/San Bernardino, Calif.: La/Ontario International 60 53 23 34 45 16 7 19
20 Savannah, Ga.: Savannah / Hilton Head International 13 13 18 26 18 36 67 65
19 Knoxville, Tenn: Mcghee Tyson 10 15 21 23 15 43 59 65
18 Myrtle Beach, S.C.: Myrtle Beach International Airport 8 4 11 7 12 13 97 96
17 Tucson, Ariz.: Tucson International 48 33 30 15 44 32 25 19
16 Burbank, Calif.: Burbank Bob Hope 63 45 17 39 31 15 12 19
15 Honolulu, Hawaii: Honolulu International 62 40 27 31 58 9 5 4
14 Colorado Springs, Colo.: Peterson Field 46 24 8 16 33 20 46 42
13 Dayton, Ohio: James M Cox/Dayton International 2 19 22 28 13 23 46 52
12 El Paso, Texas: El Paso International 36 37 13 12 14 18 25 42
11 Reno, Nev.: Reno International 49 35 12 10 34 11 12 34
10 Pensacola, Fla.: Pensacola Regional 1 8 10 13 6 14 59 65
9 Boise, Idaho: Boise Air Terminal 32 21 5 5 21 8 25 19
8 Islip, N.Y.: Long Island-Macarthur 28 10 9 9 4 12 12 42
7 Spokane, Wash: Spokane International 43 14 7 4 10 6 17 19
6 Long Beach, Calif.: Long Beach Daugherty Field 24 7 16 8 7 5 7 7
5 Kahului, Hawaii: Kahului Airport 26 6 4 11 11 4 5 4
4 Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.: Sarasota Bradenton 6 5 6 2 2 7 25 12
3 Kona, Hawaii: Keahole 21 3 3 6 5 2 4 4
2 Lihue, Hawaii: Lihue Airport 5 2 2 3 3 3 3 3
1 Hilo, Hawaii: General Lyman 7 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

Where is Innovation located?

As I have said many times in the past, most people are focused on continous improvement (making what they currently do better, faster, higher quality, more value). In the past, this was fine and organizations were successful in this approach. However, competitors can now enter markets faster and cheaper. Instead of continous improvement, you need continous innovation to truly be successful. This means that you need to reinvent the way you do things (dont get caught up in the innovator's dilemna, because you might have a nice business now, but tomorrow, someone will sneak up on you). Therefore, you need to be always ahead of the game.

Now, the funny thing about innovation is that it is not a person, a place, or a thing. It is just like reading, writing, and arithmetic! It's everywhere and nowhere. Most people I talk to do not get the concept. If you put someone in charge of innovation, all of sudden, this one person is suppose to deliver innovation on all product lines . . . that is not how innovation happens. Again, it is not a place, it is EVERYONE's role to be innovators because each of us knows something or talks to clients about what ultimately is needed in the marketplace. A person responsible for innovation is not the person doing innovation but is facilitating the innovation processes throughout the organization and making sure obstacles are eliminated in achieving innovation.

So, when someone ask where is innovation located? Look at mirror!

Can you Hear me Now?

How many times a week do you say this phrase when talking on the mobile phone?

Well, many of you are blackberry fanatics (or iPhone, etc.), thought I would be a little different and show something that is "outside of the box" thinking (you will understand the pun of the quotation shortly).

Found this on the Inc.com blog

It looks like Verizon is going to have to revamp its popular, "Can you hear me now?" ad campaign. We've grown accustomed to the ubiquitous signal-strength tester crawling the nooks and crannies of our urban and rural landscape asking what has truly become the question of our age. His job is about to get a lot tougher.
According to the Mainichi Daily News, Ishinokoe, a gravestone manufacturer in Mainichi, Japan, is installing a QR code inside grave markers that can be accessed by cell phone. The feature can be added to existing gravestones for 200,000 yen. Those visiting the gravesite are able to access images, photos, and video of the departed. According to the company president, they can also, "view a greeting from the chief mourner at the funeral and browse through the guest book." In the spirit of true interactivity, they will have the option of adding their own personal entries via cell phone.

Is it me, or has this company just recalibrated the requisite lengths I must now go in order to create a little distance between myself and the crackberry jungle? From this day forward, I can no longer anticipate escaping the crushing demands of the inbox even in the great beyond. I guess the definition of perpetual care will have to be expanded to include unlimited voice, text, and Web browsing.

P.S. All kidding aside, I think this idea is going to be huge. I predict that within a few years we will barely remember grave markers that did not visually memorialize a person's life and provide visitors the opportunity to add to a perpetually growing tribute. The main concern will be how to secure the site from digital vandals. In the end the security challenge will probably just provide an additional service revenue stream for site maintenance. And the beat goes on.

Now, as you go through your work, are their interesting repurposing ideas that might be a new business? Think about it. I have said this over and over again. Continuous improvement is fine, but if you want to be successfuly and the market leader, you must have continual innovation! This is key.

Friends or just Work Colleagues

I was once told by supervisor that I was too friendly with the people who reported to me and for me to be the "boss", I should not "hang out" with direct or indirect reports. Well, I soon left that organization.

We spend a considerable amount of time with people we work with . . . as a leader I want to know the people more than just as work colleagues (someone just to tell what to do). I want to know the families, what they like to do for fun, what are their ambitions, and I just want to break bread with them in conversations about the world and life . . . Someone might say, would the leader who spends time with colleagues be able to know the difference between work and friendship . . . if you are a good leader who do . . . it is important to me to know the people who work with me (or as I saw in another posting, who I work for) because we all work very hard and trying to accomplish the same result at work . . . plus, when things are not going too well for some reason, knowing more about each other will help everyone succeed.

My family and I went to a wedding of an old colleague this past weekend. It was a beautiful wedding and there were lots of other old colleagues in attendence. It was great catching up . . . I knew many of their spouses/partners and some I just met for the first time . . . but you know what, I was no longer their leader, that part ended a few months ago, I was just a friend . . . and I value that . . . we as a team accomplished alot but more importantly I watched these "friends" grow up, get married, have children and advance their career . . . if i was just a leader, I would have missed out on sharing my life with a lot of wonderful people! I wished the time never ended and wish I was able to talk to more of the colleagues than I was able to . . . but for those leaders who are just all business . . . you are missing out of being a leader with a bunch of friends!

it was great seeing many of the readers of the blog and received many positives comments (like they would actually say something horrible, well, one sort of did, as he said, there was not anything really deep in my blog . . . agreed, this was never met to be a piece of literary work but share my thoughts on leadership based upon my many years as being a leader in three different organization . . .

Be Leader, Make a Friend!

Joke of the Weekend VII

Real meaning of business phrases

1.”We will do it” means “You will do it”

2.”You have done a great job” means “More work to be given to you”

3.”We are working on it” means “We have not yet started working on the
same”

4.”Tomorrow first thing in the morning” means “Its not getting done
“At least not tomorrow!”

5.”After discussion we will decide-I am very open to views” means “I have already decided, I will tell you what to do”

6.”There was a slight miscommunication” means “We had actually lied”

7.”Lets call a meeting and discuss” means “I have no time now, will
talk later”

8.”We can always do it” means “We actually cannot do the same on time”

9.”We are on the right track but there needs to be a slight extension of the deadline” means “The project is screwed up, we cannot deliver on time.”

10.”We had slight differences of opinion “means “We had actually fought”

11.”Make a list of the work that you do and let’s see how I can help you” means “Anyway you have to find a way out no help from me”

12.”You should have told me earlier” means “Well even if you told me earlier that would have made hardly any difference!”

13.”We need to find out the real reason” means “Well I will tell you where your fault is”

14.”Well Family is important; your leave is always granted. Just ensure that the work is not affected,” means, “Well you know…”

15.”We are a team,” means, “I am not the only one to be blamed”

16.”That’s actually a good question” means “I do not know anything about it”

17.”All the Best” means “You are in trouble

How you Learn?

I have been on the WorldatWork Association (www.worldatwork.org) faculty teaching the statistics course for almost 17 years (do you believe it, still cannot believe I am that old, but was the youngest instructor at the organization). One of the excellent takeaways I have is that people learn differently, and there are two choices, either the "student" adapts to the instructor's teaching techniques, or the instructor provides different ways of teaching complex subject matter in different ways to adapt to the various ways students learn. I have always tried the second approach, and must tell you it is not easy . . . it is one instructor to many students and each student might learn differently.

one of the reason that I post this subject is that recently we had one of our sons tested (he has been struggling in school, he started in a French school in Geneva and was through into one of the best school districts in the USA (Westlake HS was rated 52nd of all schools in the USA). The results of the "testing" was to find out that my son was a visual learner . . that is the way he is . . . I would say I am also a visual learner. So, one conclusion is that the instructor was not a visual teacher, thereby, one reason for the struggle.

I just wanted to share these stories for the leaders out there . . . when you are teaching, training, mentoring . . . people will learn best if you adapt to their way of learning versus teaching, etc. only the way you feel comfortable . . . the end result is that you want to pass on information to someone else . . . so it takes two to accomplish this . . . a sender and a receiver . . . both need to be on the same frequency for the signal to be sent and received . . . so remember when you are in a situation and someone might not be "getting it", try a different way, visually, through examples, etc.

Know your audience, and your point will get across . . .

Now, go teach what you know, someone out there was to learn from you! Pass it Along!

Influencing and Authority

Margaret Thatcher said "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

Maybe people have asked me, now that I am an individual contributor and need to get things done through influencing has been difficult for me versus "being the global leader" and telling people to do things. Well, as the "global leader", I rarely told people what to do, I wanted them to do it because it was the right thing to do for the business. So, to be honest, it has not been difficult transition in that way. I believe if you prove your case, people will do the right thing whether you are their boss or "just" an individual contributor.

some further thoughts on this . . .

You should adopt a mind-set that your employees dont work for you, but you work for them . . . I said this many times . . . you are supporting them to get the things done that make the businesses successful (whether eliminating obstalces, supporting them in senior management meetings, shielding them from the politics).

Avoid "my way or the highway" thinking and behaviors. I have heard some leaders say, "you either get on the train or stay at the station, but the train is leaving", not is probably not the best way to motivate people and get their 100% engagement! Oh, the highway comment, remember that competitors might just be looking for some good hitchhikers!!

. . . and just remember that with authority comes the responsibility to use it wisely, sparingly and to the benefit of your ENTIRE team. The organization can give a leadership title, but only YOU can earn it . . .

Be young, have fun! I am attending a long time colleague's wedding this weekend, and am really looking forward to seeing many of my past "people who I use to worked for"!

Earning Employee Love

This is an article posted on May 21, 2008 by Michael Alter on Inc.com. He is right on . . .as leaders, we need to remember that little things are viewed very positively by employees. Yes, it is not the same as cash, but does show appreciation and isn't that what we want to demonstrate as leaders! Our staff work extremely hard . . . what do you do as a leader to appreciate your staff. I think I have almost done every one of these items . . .

What's your approach to attracting top talent and keeping your employees? Sure, you could just pay them a bundle and buy their loyalty. But, sometimes, it's better to think outside the box and focus on other ways to compensate your employees that don't involve simply offering a higher salary and bumping up your payroll bill. In my last article, I discussed the idea that compensation is more than just cash.

I mentioned one perk we offer at SurePayroll -- company-paid trips abroad for long-serving employees -- and promised to follow up with a laundry list of non-cash compensation ideas that you might consider using at your business.
So, without further adieu, here are 20 perks that just might make your employees love working for you.

Free Food and Drinks. Having free sodas in the fridge and free snacks on the break room counter are tried and true techniques. Keep the snacks healthy and you'll win a few extra points for being concerned about employee wellness.
Movie Afternoons. All work and no play makes for a dull workforce. Fire up the conference room projector every Thursday at 2:00 PM and show a movie. Don't forget the popcorn!
Great Parties. Companies that party together stay together. Take time out to celebrate and do it in style.
Ownership. Give employees a piece of the equity pie and everybody's interests are suddenly aligned.
Dinner for Two. Don't forget to pamper spouses and partners too. Treat employees to a night out with their loved ones and you'll earn twice the love.
The Game Lounge. Foosball, billiards, air hockey, your favorite game console, or even something as low tech as Checkers or Monopoly -- let the games begin!
Beer. One reader wrote me that he has a keg tapped in his office every Friday afternoon and that employees love it. I'll drink to that!
Office Ambiance. Dingy walls and cramped quarters don't do much for employee love. On the other hand, employees love to work in an office that is stylishly designed with ample room and great furniture.
Tickets to the Big Game. Surprise your employees with an outing to the local ballgame.
Call In the Ice Cream Truck. When the ice cream truck pulls up in front of your business and gives your employees free ice cream, you’re sure to earn a few employee loyalty points.
Proximity to Public Transportation. Location, location, location! Most folks will trade salary for a shorter, easier commute. If you have a convenient location, you can count on a broader selection of employees.
Flu Shots for Everyone. I wasn't so sure about this one, but after two years of providing flu shots, I’m sure our winters are more productive with happier, healthier employees.
The Latte Machine. Throw out the cheap coffee maker and invest in a high-end coffee heaven maker.
Surprise Holidays. Everybody loves a day off, especially if it's not on the holiday schedule. Want to put smiles on the employees' faces? Announce a day off out of the blue.
Learn, Baby, Learn. For many people, it's not just what they earn, it's what they learn. Invest in employee training and you'll soon have a more loyal, not to mention more skilled, workforce.
Friends. People who don't have friends at work are more likely to quit. Those who have friends are more engaged at work. So do something that encourages friendships…start an office book club, for example.
Casual Dress Codes. If I had a dollar for every employee that's quit a job because the dress code was too formal, I'd be a rich man indeed. At SurePayroll, we are very carefree when it comes to dress codes and our employees appreciate that very much.
Positive Words and Opportunity to Succeed. Studies show that workers who receive regular praise and are given an opportunity to do what they do best every day are more loyal and more productive workers. As if we needed a study to realize that!
Free Parking and Transportation Reimbursement. Instead of raising salaries, offer to pay for parking or train passes instead. It's a small gesture but employees will appreciate it. And it's tax deductible.
Bring in the Masseuse. Last but not least, when the going gets tough, the tough get a massage. Make your office stress-free by bring in a masseuse once a month — or during your busier, more stressful times.

Sure, all of these things cost money, but it's a pittance compared to salary costs.
The idea is to invest in things that make your workplace so attractive that you win employees' hearts, so they see working in your business as more than just a way to earn more money.

There's a reason large corporations spend millions of dollars on non-cash sales and employee incentive programs. It's because cash will always be directed toward necessities, while other perks are remembered and appreciated -- they evoke an emotional response instead of merely a logical, financial one.
The bottom line? High salaries are an expensive burden to bear. You need to be competitive but you can manage your salary costs through other creative forms of compensation.

You'll always do better by compensating employees with a highly enjoyable, fun atmosphere filled with small perks that don't cost too much money.

It's all about being Customer Driven

Henry Ford said "It's not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It's the customer who pays the wages."

In other words, everything starts with the customer. If your client ever stop needing you, so will your organization! The best examples to teach customer driven behaviors is through explaining situations where poor service had an impact on the client and your organization.

When you are customer driven, you dont focus on what YOU think the client wants, but deliver what the client actually wants rather than what you think they ought to have. If you're not sure what they want, ask! I have heard many say, well, the customers dont know what they want . . . however, they want something as an end results and it is up to YOU, the leader to figure out and translate that desired end result into a series of deliverables that achieve that result.

In the past, I have gotten criticized for "making it look easy", whether because of "an easy" targeted budget, etc. However, I have found it is much easier to underpromise and overdeliver than the opposite . . . the same is with clients. Build partnerships with your clients by underpromising, over-delivering, and following-up to ensure they are satisfied. Solicit their input on how your products and services can be improved, they are the ones who are actually using them to reach an objective. This all sounds so simple, but the fact is . . . many dont follow these simple steps, Do you?

Why I Run

As many of the readers of this blog know, I am a runner. I run at least five times a week. I am an average runner and run between 20 and 25 miles a week (unless training for a marathon). While finishing four marathons (Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Prague, and Copenhagen), I still enjoy running.

I get asked why run? Is this for health, weight control?

When I think about I run for many reasons, but all of them for me . . . running is a great sport because you run against yourself.

1. It provides patience. When a crisis or major decision needs to be made, I try to go for a run, at is settles the mind and helps think through the best approach to take, i.e., It prevents me from making hasty and unnecessary mistakes.

2. It is something that I do for me . . . so often as a leader, your role is to help others succeed . . . I find running is something that I can do for myself and it is my time (no cell, blackberry, PC, office)

3. Running provides me humility, i.e., I dont take myself to serious. There will always be a faster runner, someone who can go longer, someone in better shape, etc. Also, when I have a bad day running, it resets my clock. Running teaches me that, even after I stumble, you can get back up and start running again.


I definitely have my good days and bad days running but either way, I know tomorrow is another day. For those saying, I could never be a runner or finish a marathon, well, that is what I said . . . I remember leaving the hosptial after surgery in 2003, I could barely walk 100 steps. I had never ran more than 3 miles at a time. My first "run" was a walk of 100 steps . . . starting slow but began to go longer distances . . . until I ran a mile, then two, then three, then five, etc. until I finished a marathon (six months after major surgery), and I have not stopped since . . . if you would like to run, the biggest hurdle is that first step, the rest is "all downhill". Enjoy Life, live it to the fullest!