Thursday, October 31, 2024

Leave a good legacy...


Everything we do, or don’t do, sticks to us in some way. We can be happy, helpful, and positive, or curmudgeonly, standoffish, and negative. The choice is ours. As easy as it is to just reflect what’s around us, it’s better to have values, discipline, and a focus to guide our reactions to those things. This is especially true for leaders – they need to be positive and upbeat all the time, inspiring others with their honesty, respect, clarity, optimism, and can-do attitude. If they’re full of doom and gloom, it’s hard to expect much more from those they’re leading. Because they set the tone that others follow. Part of it is being prepared – getting enough rest, exercising their bodies and minds, having a plan and a focused perspective. Part of it is being aware, recognizing the interests and needs of others. And part of it is caring – treating others the way you want to be treated. Be straight with your peeps – straight answers, saying what you mean and meaning what you say, following through, and keeping your promises. Doing these things regularly or apologizing when you don’t. Add all this up – it equals being a caring human. That’s what we should be. Because what we do today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all of our tomorrows. Starting today.

 

Alexandra Stoddard (born 1941): American author, interior designer, and lifestyle writer.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Make the most of every moment...


If there are no unimportant days (see yesterday’s message), then there certainly are no ordinary moments. Every moment counts. If you treat each one as an opportunity to do your best, then you set the stage for excellence. That’s what I told the 180 hiring managers at Wynn when we opened: they interviewed 55,000 applicants in 5 weeks – that’s an average of 3 interviews every minute, and each one counted. I told them: ask good questions.; listen carefully to the answers; pay attention to the body language; focus; there are no unimportant decisions in each of those moments. That was then, this is now: you may not be interviewing hundreds of applicants, but every one of your professional decisions matters – don’t treat any of them as ordinary. They affect others, they’re a reflection of you, they’re your responsibility. It’s what every coach tells every player in any game – go out there and do your best, every time. Do that and you or your team have a chance. Mistakes may happen – learn from them and apply that to your overall knowledge and competence. And adjust accordingly. That’s what it takes to be your best every moment of every day. That’s the key to excellence today.

 

Dan Millman (born 1946): American author and lecturer in the personal development field.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Make every day a good day to be your best...


Cal Ripkin, Jr., a shortstop and third baseman for baseball’s Baltimore Orioles, holds the record for most consecutive games played: 2,632 consecutive games, a streak compiled over more than 16 years. When that happened, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal called and asked me if any of our employees had a similar record – I told her about Irene Greene, a cocktail waitress who had perfect attendance at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas for 43 years; that’s 53,750 consecutive daily shifts. I like telling this story because good attendance is what managers want from their employees; to feel the importance of being there for their colleagues and customers every day. The best employees understand this and have good attendance, but it’s the employees who don’t that create a ripple effect in scheduling that’s very challenging. Poor attendance is usually the single greatest cause of active disciplines and involuntary separations, especially in the hospitality business. I think the best antidote for that is management making employees feel needed and appreciated – we instituted an award of an extra day off with pay for employees who had perfect attendance for 6 consecutive months. While we weren’t sure if that would be a good enough incentive, we were pleasantly surprised when nearly 70% of our employees earned it. Don’t just hope that good attendance happens – put your money where your mouth is. Do what it takes to show your employees that there’s no such thing as an unimportant day today.

 

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (1887 – 1943): American drama critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio personality.

Learn more about this eccentric fellow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Woollcott

Monday, October 28, 2024

Remember that perfection is the enemy of progress...


ex·cel·lence

/ˈeksələns/

noun

the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.

 

Perfection is a good example of a ‘big, hairy, audacious objective – something to strive for in the overall scheme of things. Something off in the future. But don’t try to make perfection the way you conduct yourself every day – in that scenario, perfection is the enemy of progress. And progress is what we are responsible for every day. So, if you’re looking to set the bar high, try for excellence in everything you do. Because perfection has to do with the end product – winning the World Series is a good example. But excellence has to do with the process – getting a hit every time you’re at bat is something you can focus on. As a leader, don’t frustrate your team with challenges to be perfect – just encourage them to do their best at whatever they do. You can manage that, People can train for that, and leaders can coach to that. And everyone can practice on those basics. With every opening I worked on, that was what we preached – keep your head down, work hard, be prepared, flexible, and resilient. Learn from your mistakes – that’s not something you’d talk about if you only focused on perfection. Because mistakes happen, things change, people are people. That’s where flexibility and resilience come into play. And when your people do that, be sure to recognize how they are approaching excellence. Try to be excellent in everything you do; that’s how to build the foundation for perfection today.

 

Gerald Wesley “Jerry” Moran (born 1954): American politician and former lawyer who is the senior United States senator from Kansas, a seat he has held since 2011.

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Give simple, straight-forward, and timely feedback...


Don’t get me started on performance evaluations – it’s been my experience that most people don’t like giving or getting them. 

·      Not that they aren’t important, because it’s good to get feedback. The key is to make them timely and objective, something the annual programs miss – unless supervisors keep good notes, it’s hard to remember what happened on any given day.  It’s probably better to give that feedback every day, complete with compliments or coaching, contemporaneously pointing to what just happened. 

·      Not that they aren’t helpful, because that kind of feedback helps improve competence and confidence. The key is to make them meaningful – focusing on how someone has improved rather than micro-managing what they just did. Nobody likes criticism (and that’s how most of these reviews are perceived) unless it’s constructive.

Listen to yourself, put yourself in your employee’s shoes, and imagine how you’d feel if the roles were reversed. Be specific – give clear examples of what’s expected. Be thoughtful – consider all that’s going on. Be positive – let them know the distance they’ve traveled from the point where they started. Your objective should be to help them be as good as they can be. And. The best way to do that is to give simple and straightforward feedback today.

 

Henry Ward Beecher (1813 – 1887): American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery and his emphasis on God's love.G

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Promote tolerance and teamwork...

It’s hard to imagine a politician being responsible for this quote, let alone anyone who listens to politicians. Especially since nearly everyone is raised to be kind, get along, and help others. Parents teach that, religions teach that, and schools teach that. But after that, just about the only place that tries to reinforce that are workplaces. And to some extent, elementary schools, sports teams, the military, choirs, orchestras, and hobby clubs.  As an HR professional, I often wonder why that is – it’s hard to enforce these kinds of personal traits when everywhere else our employees look is filled with polarization, animosity, and contempt. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to make a political statement here, only that the values we strive to instill in our workplaces tend to run counter to what people (our employees) see in the rest of the world we all live in. And yet, we do a pretty good job of promoting tolerance and teamwork during the time that people are at work, getting them to their natural personas and habits at the door and becoming employees who must work together (and get along with each other) to get things done. Part of something bigger than themselves. With stated values and objectives. And performance and behavior management goal. Catching people doing things right. Coaching them to achieve their ambitions. Parenting, teaching, and managing are difficult professions – but that’s where the concepts of choosing forgiveness rather than division, and teamwork over ambition are promoted and reinforced. Let’s all strive to do a little more of that in our personal lives today.

 

Jean-François Copé (born 1964): French academic, author, and politician.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Support your colleagues...


It’s hard to think of anyone accomplishing something completely on their own. Individual contributors come close, but even they are assisted in many ways. Whenever I accomplished a groundbreaking project (of which I’ve had my share), it was always as part of a team. I was creative enough to provide the vision, but my talented colleagues did much of the heavy lifting: computer projects have lots of coding, quality control, user testing, and more. That assistance, like passes from teammates, sometimes gets overlooked by others – that’s why giving credit where credit is due is so important. Even creating a vision is often the result of brainstorming, ideas thrown around in that process benefit from team thinking and teamwork. Be curious about opportunities for process and product improvement – those are most often apparent to those on the front lines. When you think of these kinds of things, talk about it, have others challenge and review your thinking, and don’t be afraid to collaborate. Design specifications, six-sigma protocols, testing, double checking, and soft launches control the development, and rollouts involve a whole team. All of whom deserve their names on the trophy, just like the one the Golden Knights won last year. Give a shout out to the ones who make your goals possible today.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Mary Abigail “Amy” Wambach (born 1980): American retired soccer player, coach, 6x winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Let your voice be heard...


I’m spending this week with a Canadian company’s top team, helping them identify and build consensus around several strategic options. The key to this engagement is everyone’s active participation in these discussions. Everyone’s voice matters. No exceptions. These leaders are great at their respective roles but asked for help developing a framework and methodology for problem solving. Where individual ideas are discussed and vetted against the thinking of the whole group. In these kinds of discussions, silence isn’t golden; it’s deadly. The best decision-making outcomes are achieved through robust, open, and honest collaboration. Because, as my mother often reminded me, two heads are better than one. Effective leaders must know how to facilitate meetings and discussions to get everyone actively participating – closely monitoring the discussions, listening, asking follow-up questions, and finding agreement. It requires being interested, actively engaged, and aware enough to keep the discussion on track towards a resolution. It’s as much like teamwork as the kind needed to win games and championships. We teach a set of proven rules and plays meant to keep everyone on the same page as they work through the problem-solving and decision-making processes. To a winning conclusion. Be the kind of leader that’s a beacon of collaboration and help your colleagues find consensus today.

 

Mark Sanborn: American author (The Fred Factor), professional speaker, and entrepreneur. 

Monday, October 21, 2024

Get along to get ahead...


It’s hard to write a policy for an employee handbook that says employees must work well with their colleagues. You can hire all the right people, manage them right, and treat everyone with respect, but disagreements happen. When they do, the best leaders know how to assess the situation, relieve the tension, allow all involved to be heard, and let them all participate in and be responsible for the resolution. No winners or losers; just people working together.  And succeeding together. Then, those leaders cycle back and recognize each employee’s commitment to working tighter. So, back to the challenge – what to say to employees about working well with their colleagues. Tell them this: they can disagree, but they must never be disagreeable. Listen to everyone. Keep an open mind. Let everyone have their say. But when decisions are made, rally round and get the job done. That’s the way teams win. And team players are the ones who get promoted. The point being – the behaviors you want are the ones you recognize and reward. The bottom line: get along to get ahead today.

 

Lido “Lee” Iacocca (1924 – 2019): American automobile executive best known for the development of the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars and the Chrysler Caravan.   

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Understand your leadership purpose...


in·spire

/inˈspī(ə)r/

verb

1.

fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

"his passion for romantic literature inspired him to begin writing"

 

People often talk about their leadership style, but I think it’s more important to talk about one’s leadership purpose. My purpose in leading people was to inspire them – whether about a placement or program, my job was to give them the information to engage and excite them. We shouldn’t assume that others will feel the same way we do about things – our own engagement and excitement should be an example that they’ll want to follow. I used this technique in the 80s to get college graduates interested in the gaming industry – their parents, professors, and even they themselves were hesitant to consider this career choice back then and by inspiring them to take that chance we opened a whole new world of opportunities for hospitality school graduates. Same with opening the Mirage – we used inspirational advertising and recruiting techniques to get applicants excited about joining the Mirage (and our subsequent new properties) – it’s never easy enticing someone to leave a secure job for a big new property, but our hiring managers inspired these job seekers to take a chance on us. As leaders, we must inspire applicants and employees, or our company team will expire. Show your excitement if you want to excite your peeps today.

 

Orrin Woodward (born 1970): American manufacturing and product engineer, author, entrepreneur, consultant, public speaker, and international leadership influencer.

Thursday, October 17, 2024

Don't lose sight of what's really important...


Only in Las Vegas could the Atomic Museum exist and flourish (https://www.atomicmuseum.vegas). Educators and Department of Energy professionals developed and operate this unique history museum; a Smithsonian affiliate, it tells the story of America's Nuclear Weapons Testing Program. The Nevada Test Site, located just north of Las Vegas, is where the bulk of America’s nuclear testing occurred between 1948 and 1996, ending with the signing of a global test ban Treaty; its history and experience spawned this museum. I attended a gala last evening where this was all on display, replete with stories of the people involved at the test site and this museum. Whatever we think of the nuclear industry, we must never lose sight that it’s about the people involved. And that’s not unlike Las Vegas’ gaming industry – the buildings that house these casinos are only as good as the people who work in them. At the heart of every business are the people responsible for its operations, marketing, and customer and public relations. And every organization is, above all, social; it is people. It behooves us all to remember that, realizing that managing an organization is ultimately about managing its people. As a professional, never forget to treat your people with the respect they deserve, to support them in all of the ways needed for their development and success, and to be aware of and respond to their hopes and interests. Or, in other words, to treat your people the way you want to be treated today.

 

Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005): Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to foundations of modern management theory, the development of management education, and the concepts known as management by objectives.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Live, prepare, reflect, and learn...


For me, there are two tough parts to any day. You might think those would be associated with something difficult at work, but you’d be wrong – like many professionals, I knew my business and was prepared to be good at it. 

·      The first tough part is in the morning when I’m brushing my teeth – standing in front of the mirror looking back at the person looking at me. Thinking: am I ready and prepared to face whatever comes my way? That’s where knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitude come into play – and trusting that those attributes are sharply tuned and focused on the road ahead. One can never be too prepared, so a continuing commitment to learning, listening, adjusting, and adapting is necessary to being ready to meet the day’s challenges. 

·      And the second comes late at night while staring at the ceiling and rehashing all that happened in the previous however many hours since looking in that mirror. Going back over the things that were said or not said, done or not done. Were they right; was I right? Hindsight, like any debriefing is worthwhile, not to second guess but rather to reflect and learn. One can never be too aware of things past, present, and future. Do a quick nightly scan: affirm, learn, and prepare for the next go round. 

Realizing and accepting that this is the world you’ve made for yourself; now live in it wisely and well. Take stock at the beginning and ending of every day to make sure you’re the best you can be. Live in your world that way today.

 

Nina Simone (1933 – 2003): American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

don't let your emotions run wild...


e·mo·tion

/əˈmōSH(ə)n/

noun

plural noun: emotions

1.     a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. 

a.     "she was attempting to control her emotions"

2.     instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.

              a.   "responses have to be based on historical insight, not simply on emotion" 


I feel like starting today’s message by saying “I resemble this quote”. Full disclosure: I’m an emotional leader, using that to engage and inspire people. While I like that style, I understand that it might not be as effective as I need it to be, and I realize that sublimating my emotions to the work at hand might be more comfortable for those I’m leading. Like any leader’s style – it must be explained so people understand where it’s coming from, and the leader should always be aware of how their words, actions, and style(s) affect those they lead. And it should go without saying that one leadership style does not fit all situations, thus the need to vary them according to the situation and circumstances at hand. In that case, an emotional approach should always be used only after careful analysis and clear communications. That said, a leader’s commitments and objectives should be clearly explained to the people/group they’re leading; once that is accomplished and everyone is on the same page, being engaged, passionate, or otherwise emotional will probably be more acceptable, effective, and successful. Bottom line: make sure you don’t allow your emotions to diminish your effectiveness today.

 

Bruce Koslow (born ????): Every now and then I find a quote by someone who I can’t identify. This may be the 2nd or 3rd time in 15 years – sorry about that, but I still like the quote.

Monday, October 14, 2024

Listen to your Mother...


Hiring managers should ask applicants about their values and where they got them. Most will say they got them from their parents – that’s not uncommon, since much of what we learn growing up comes from them. Years ago I found a book called “Momilies – As My Mother Used to Say” (https://www.amazon.com/Momilies®-As-Mother-Used-Say/dp/0345492102) - many of these are applicable at work. Things like “stand up straight”, “comb your hair”, and “tuck in your shirt” – how about those for your attendance policies? Things like “I’m only doing this for your own good” – how managers should feel about their employees. So, I like today’s quote – Ginsburg’s mother giving her advice about how to be an effective professional: think for herself and use common sense. Truth be told, much of what most employees believe comes from their mothers as they help shape their children’s values and thinking. Ask candidates about their values, what they believe, and where those came from – if they tell you they learned them at home, that’s a great topic for future discussion. Because mothers know best. Don’t be embarrassed to inject some Momilies into your culture and management policies – they will resonate with your employees today.

 

Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933 – 2020): American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Hire for attitude and train for skills...


Recruitment is all about finding the right person for the job. Many hiring managers think that means looking only at the candidate’s experience – that’s certainly easy to see. But unless they have the right attitude, that experience may not be enough.  I realize that screening for the attitudes you want can be difficult, but it’s easier than you might imagine. Just ask your candidates what they might bring to the job – if you see excitement in their eyes, hear commitment it in their voice, and feel intensity it in their body language, you’ll know they have a passion for what they do. They’ll have optimism, grit, flexibility, resilience, and common sense – the stuff you want in your employees.  If you then train them how to do the job you expect, you’ll have a professional that will have the skills and attitude to exceed your expectations. Hiring for attitude and training for skills is a great formula for getting the right people and setting them up for success.  It may not be the easiest way to put a great team together, but the time you spend coaching them is better spent than trying to erase old habits. And it starts with a good attitude. Learn how to spot the attitudes you want to hire today.

 

Thomas Alva Edison (1847 – 1931): American inventor and businessman.

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Revel in your parental pride...


There is no pride like a parent’s pride. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer and I suspect she was disappointed when I became a business executive instead. At least that’s how she appeared until I became a VP of HR at a big fancy gaming company – after that, she never failed to tell employees she’d meet there “I’m Arte Nathan’s mother”. Food servers, valet parking attendants, slot attendants, whoever. At first, I didn’t think that was appropriate, but then I understood that you don’t have to be famous, you just have to make your mother and father proud of you. And then I was thrilled that she felt that way. During my career there, this was validated many times over: I often met the parents of our Employee of the Year winners, and the pride on their faces was obvious and glowing. And when I’d see an employee showing their parents where they worked, I’d greet them by name; they were so proud that a company executive knew their child by name. I catch myself feeling the same way when seeing my daughter’s and granddaughters’ successes – there’s no better pride than that. Next time you see someone with their parents, tell them how much you appreciate and respect their child. That’s one of the best ways to make a parent’s day today.

 

Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born 1949): American actress who has received 21 Academy Award nominations, winning three, and 34 Golden Globe Award nominations, winning eight.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Make up your own mind...


cha·me·le·on

/kəˈmēlyən/

noun

1.     a small slow-moving Old-World lizard with a prehensile tail, long extensible tongue, protruding eyes that rotate independently, and a highly developed ability to change color.

2.     a person who changes their opinions or behavior according to the situation

 

Whoever, whatever, whenever, and wherever you are, stand tall and be proud of yourself. Sometimes things will go awry, or you’ll make a mistake, or suffer any of the other countless unplanned things that happen, but shake them off, learn from them, and move on with a commitment not to do any of those again. That’s called resilience. You may get interrupted but rolling with those punches is all in a day’s work (or life).  That’s called flexibility. And things can get tough but being determined and persistent is what it takes to get through the day. That’s called grit. Those are all part of life – long or short, and you can be proud of dealing with them effectively. Because living a short life as a proud person is more worthwhile than living a whole century as a chameleon. Our values should be guideposts for our lives; our opinions may vary but they should never conflict with our values; and our behaviors should always reflect a deep and abiding respect and concern for others – supporting, not contradicting, those values. Period. Not to bend with the times or wind. Knowing that what we do and say always reflect who and what we are. Take time setting your values and then spend your time living them today.

 

Eraldo Banovac (born 1955): Croatian educator, politician, scientific researcher, and author; he served as Commissioner of the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency from 2005-2009.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Work your butt off...


After 5 months in the rural Adirondack Mountains, I landed back in Las Vegas on Monday night. Early Tuesday I started attending G2E, the annual gaming industry conference and expo. In attendance were professionals from all over the world, many of whom I know from my 25+ years as a casino executive. As I observed the crown and talked to attendees, today’s quote jumped out at me. In attendance were people who knew, understood, and lived by the code that the key to success is that there is no key – be humble, hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room. I’ve seen the proof of this in so many industry luminaries and colleagues, people who chase excellence every day, continually raising the bar to maintain that high level of performance. That certainly was our ethic at Wynn – if something was worth doing, it was (and still is) worth doing with the commitment to being your best. I think that’s the most challenging and fulfilling way to work – leaving nothing left undone. In big things and small. Not because somebody’s pushing you, but because that’s just the way you are. That’s the key to success today.

 

Dwayne Johnson (born 1972) also known by his ring name the Rock, is an American actor, professional wrestler, and businessman. 

Learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_Johnson

No matter what, it's all good...

T omorrow morning when you look in the mirror, think back to all the days of your career. However long you’ve been working, there are sure t...