Put in the time...

As February moves to the rear-view mirror, we can reflect on a month of sports: the Super Bowl and the Olympics to name a few. We cheer, shout out encouragement, and feel the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat along with our favorite athletes. But what we don’t feel is the amount of work required to stay at the top of any sport. 

 

·      Starting at a young age.

·      Lots of preparation and travel.

·      Giving up so many of life pleasures.

·      Never really growing up like other friends.

·      Lots of hard work and preparation behind the scenes.

 

There’s always a lot of competition at the top from everyone else working tirelessly and wanting to be at the top. And whether you’re a professional athlete or a professional in business, it always takes hard work to be successful. We don’t often think of successful executives the way we do our favorite athletes, but endless and exhaustive hard work is what it takes to get to the top of anything. Nothing good comes easy. If you want to reach the top in your chosen field, commit to the sacrifice, hard work, practice, and mental preparation that others rarely see. That’s what makes personal or team success so special. If that’s what you want, put in the time today.

 

Althea Neale Gibson (1927 – 2003): American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis.

Have fun at work: it will do wonders for your company's culture...

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.” Willy Wonka

 

If you want your employees to do special things, then treat them special. I’m not saying you’d want them to sing and dream, but you just might want them to feel like singing and dreaming. This is the kind of thinking that can get your employees engaged, and that often leads to wonderful things. Imagine:

 

·      Employees smiling and laughing,

o   While getting their work done effectively. 

·      Employees seeking to improve operations

o   While creating wonderful moments for your customers.

·      And employees having super satisfaction and high morale,

o   While increasing productivity, performance, and profitability.

 

That’s the kind of culture you should aim for; not by rules and memos and standard practices but by a results-focused team that is aligned in their drive towards excellence. And it starts with you (and your managers) encouraging employees to have fun, coaching them to lighten up, and mentoring them to practice a new kind of professionalism. Catch them doing things right and let them tell their stories to others; don’t be so serious and business-like all the time and let them smile with you; and practice random acts of fun and let them know it’s okay to do the same. I realize it’s called work for a reason, but it doesn’t have to be a grind. This starts with you: let your hair down, let others know you care about the work environment, and let them feel like singing and dancing. Put some fun in your culture today.

 

Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. He is the eccentric owner of the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

Give it your best shot...

I often hear HR people say they want a “seat at the table”, meaning they want to participate in their company’s strategic discussions. In my experience, those seats go to those that earn them. Earn, as in (1) exhibiting the skills to perform at that level and (2) the drive to exhibit them where and whenever possible. As I learned early in my career, those seats don’t get offered to someone waiting for an invitation. They’re earned by those who:

 

·      Are curious, open, and flexible

·      Actively seek out coaches and mentors

·      Make it their business to learn their business

·      Continually update their knowledge, skills, and abilities

·      Make themselves available to be involved in company projects

 

Though today’s author is a comedienne, her successful career attests to her serious interest and willingness to take full advantage of the opportunities that came her way. Not that she did that recklessly, she just make up her mind not to be intimidated by big and bold opportunities. Sometimes people are not ready when big breaks like that are presented, but when that happens do, they work extra-long and hard to learn what they need to do to be successful. I’m speaking from experience here – this is exactly how I got asked to join the pre-opening Mirage team. I may not have been ready, but I was willing to put in the extra effort. If you see a door like that in your career – walk on through and give it your very best shot. That’s how to find your seat at the table today.

 

Joan Rivers (1933 – 2014): American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and television host: considered a pioneer of women in comedy by many critics.

Start with the end in mind...

It’s easy to be an individual contributor – all you need to do is be ready, willing, and able to do what’s asked. But as a professional working with others, roles and responsibilities can get blurred: you’re both doing and leading. And as a leader, you must be effective at making those that work for you effective at their jobs. Think about that:

 

·      Your primary responsibility is to be effective

·      Meaning achieving the objectives of any situation

·      And assuring those that work for you are effective too

·      Meaning achieving the output requirements of their jobs 

·      And keeping everyone focused on the results that are intended

 

Think of it this way: effectiveness is the basis of planning and measuring performance. Inputs are the activities one does to perform their job; outputs are the results that are achieved. A leader’s role is to make sure their employees know how to do their jobs; but more importantly, it’s to assure that expected results are achieved. That means being clear with your employees about their individual goals, those of your department, and the bigger goals of the company – and all being aligned. If you’re just pushing down orders to do this and not that, you miss the opportunity to reach down and pull everyone up to achieving all of those results. It’s all part of becoming a more result-focused manager today.

 

Booker T. Washington (1856 – 1915): American educator, author, orator, and Presidential advisor.

Keep a positive mindset...

What do race car drivers and business leaders have in common? They are both professionals and each can have bad moments at work. Admittedly, a race car driver’s bad moments can be much worse (and even fatal), but a manager can also feel badly after a work-related difficult conversation. Confrontations with employees and customers (and sometimes a boss) can leave anyone feeling out of sorts, making it important to learn how to handle difficult conversations. Start with the mindset that they don’t have to be difficult.

 

·      Never make it personal

·      Have a plan but not a script

·      Remember that words matter

·      Non-verbal actions matter also

·      Use emotional intelligence skills

·      Listen to the other person’s perspective

·      Give something back so everyone saves face 

 

Unlike racing, this is not about who wins. Business leaders must approach difficult conversations with a goal to achieve a win-win outcome: it’s not about who’s right or wrong… it’s about finding a way to move forward. But like I said, these don’t have to be difficult: it’s always best if you have built a trusting relationship with your employees. While you never want to let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones, you can start by creating a culture where professionalism and respect limit the number of bad ones.  That’s a good place to start today. 

 

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1951 – 2001): American professional NASCAR driver and team owner. 

Follow the Golden Rule...

Today’s workplace is full of diversity and that’s a good thing. But some managers think this makes it more difficult to manage, needing to meet the varied expectations of such a diverse group. While that may be true in certain situations, for the most part I think there’s just one kind of folks in that diverse mix. Folks. And most folks respond to the same basic principles:

 

·      Treat people fairly

·      Listen to their concerns

·      Recognize them as individuals

·      Show everyone trust and respect

·      Treat each the way you want to be treated.

 

Diversity today broadly includes sex, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, mental illness or ability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, sex characteristics, religion, creed, or individual political opinions. While that might seem like a lot of differences to accommodate, the reality is that everyone just wants to be listened to and treated fairly and respectfully. Research has found that a diverse workforce is more likely to understand your customers' needs and come up with ideas to fulfill them; it can also increase employee morale and instill a desire to be more effective and work more efficiently. Interestingly, they all know, understand, and appreciate the Golden Rule and the importance of treating others the way they want to be treated. That being the case, make it the rule you follow with all of your folks today.

 

Harper Lee (1926 – 2016): American novelist best known for her Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In 2007, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

Keep your cool when things go wrong...

We all have bad days – what matters is how you respond to them. Most of the normal things that go wrong are usually between aggravating and embarrassing – if that’s the worst of it, it’s relatively easy to pick yourself up and get beyond it. Here’s an example of one of my bad days:

 

·      The day the Mirage employment office opened

·      We promoted that event and expected lots to show up

·      I bought 20 dozen donuts, thinking that would be enough. 

·      When I got there at 6am there were 5000 people waiting in line!

·      We bought water and snacks and passed them out to all the people.

 

On my way there that morning I was excited – that quickly turned to shock, dismay, and embarrassment when I saw that line. I’d worked for nearly two years planning for that day and in that instant, it appeared like I was totally unprepared. First thing: we marshalled our forces, talked to everyone in that line, apologized for not being fully prepared for it, got names and addresses from everyone, and scheduled all of them for an interview appointment within the next 30 days. I hired the first two people in line – a mother and daughter; they’d been there all night and the mother went on to be a future Employee of the Year. Later that night, we debriefed, documented the lessons learned. That’s when we discovered the sun shining behind that day’s clouds. And we never make that mistake again. Look for the sunshine in your work today.

 

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (1931 – 2021): South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. 

Trust that people can and will act responsibly...

It’s official: 2021 set a new record for US gaming revenue. That is quite an accomplishment, considering that the previous year was filled with Covid-related uncertainties. There’s a lot to be proud of in this achievement, but to me, the real gratification comes from doing what it took to make that rebound happen. That speaks volumes about the resilience of people (business leaders and customers) seeking a responsible return to normalcy. There’s a message in there for businesses big and small. 

 

·      People like to go out.

·      Safe practices are appreciated.

·      People can take care of themselves.

·      It’s hard to keep people down for long.

·      Resilience, like optimism, is its own reward.

 

The casinos put their marketing dollars into visible safety efforts and people responded appreciatively. The industry pretty much let customers regulate themselves while creating safety practices that protected customers and employees, many of whom continued to mask up. Even with restrictions on conventions and other crowded events, people enjoyed being able to have a night out. All across America, casinos proudly offered up opportunities for people to feel like they had regained a little control in a world turned upside down. The moral of this story: the best of times can be had by carefully and responsibly rebounding from the worst of times. That’s worth remembering today.

 

James Dean (1931 – 1955): American actor remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement

Balance being proud of yourself and proud of your team...

We all think we’re special… for some that’s real, and others it’s aspirational. Whichever the case, it’s a good reason to apply the Golden Rule to everyone you meet. Because, if we truly are the center of our own universe, and everyone else is too, navigating through the relationships we encounter each day is very important. Making it wise to:

 

·      Think before speaking.

·      Listen more than we speak.

·      Acknowledge all that we don’t know.

·      Treat others the way we want to be treated.

·      Seek to understand before trying to be understood.

 

As leaders, we want those that work for us to be competent and confident. Competent to do what’s expected and knowledgeable about what’s needed to be effective. Confident enough to know what they know and use that to do all that’s expected and more. We want (and need) them to challenge the status quo in ways that make themselves and those around them better, to work with others to do the same; for everyone to proudly be at the center of their own universe while working effectively with everyone else. All the while, nurturing an environment that acknowledges what we each bring to one another and truly understands that we’re all in this together. Listen carefully to the voices around you today.

 

Pema Chödrön (born 1936): American Tibetan Buddhist. She is an ordained nun, former acharya of Shambhala Buddhism and disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.