Kick it into a higher gear...

·      There’s doing just what’s expected.

·      And then there’s always doing your best.

 

The difference between those two is that little extra. Think about your average day – how many ordinary versus extraordinary things do you accomplish. Were there opportunities to do a little extra with any that would have made them something to remember, to tell someone about? 

·      It’s fun when those opportunities arise and you do them automatically, without thinking. In the gaming business it can be something as basic as pushing in a slot stool when walking across the casino floor, or seeing someone who looks like they need something and inquiring before they ask. Be on the lookout for opportunities like these and highlight them for your coworkers. 

·      But some opportunities are longer term – like knowing what you need to be able to be your best and being responsible for inquiring about them. Technical or soft skills training. Volunteering your time for worthwhile things – for yourself or representing the company. Taking the lead in this is a little something extra.

Big or little, everything benefits when you give that little bit extra. Find opportunities to do some of that today.

 

James William “Jimmy” Johnson (born 1943): American sports analyst (Fox News) and former college (OSU, Miami) and professional (Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins) football coach.

Don't settle for the same old same old..

ad·ven·ture

/ədˈven(t)SHər/

noun

·       an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.

o   "Her recent adventures in Italy"

 

Work is often more of the same every day, and sometimes it may even be an adventure, but it should never be treated as routine. Once someone gets into a rut when doing their job, their behavior and demeanor often seems like they’re just going thru the motions. Co-workers and customers feel it and as a manager you’re responsible for correcting that. Meaning you must be engaged in the operations you’re responsible for, and the people working for you. When you see something like this, and you should, step in and turn it around. Discuss performance and expectations with the employee, listen to learn why they feel that way, ask what’s needed for them to get more engaged and be more engaging, and coach them so they discover how to be more positive and focused on doing their job well. Treating work like it’s just a routine often is lethal to customer satisfaction, co-worker perceptions, and overall performance. Managers can and must control that – talk to your employees regularly, ask for their input on how things are done, and take responsibility for making work interesting, challenging, fulfilling, and even adventurous. Then see how engaged they are in doing great things today.

 

Paulo Coelho de Souza (born 1947): Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. His 1988 novel The Alchemist was an international best-seller.

Get it going...

1.    How many things can you do (and do well) at the same time? 

2.   Are you an expert about each of the things you deal with daily?

3.   What do you do when you don’t know enough?

 

1.    Do one thing at a time – focus on it entirely and do it well.

2.   You can’t and aren’t supposed to know everything.

3. If you don’t have people and networks to refer to and rely upon, you’re missing out on being as good as you could and should be.

 

You’re paid to be effective. Meaning you’d better learn to organize your work and how you approach it. Meaning it’s bigger than you, so learn to work collaboratively. It often starts with being on the lookout for when you use ‘I’ – if you examine who really is attributable, you’ll most often discover it’s ‘We’. Wynn Resorts took this to the next level: employees were encouraged to think in terms of ‘We’ more than ‘I’. and that WE stood for Wynn Employees. A useful and purposeful (and fortunate) play on words. The whole point here is that, like two heads being better than one, ‘We’ multiplies the power (and effectiveness) of ‘I’. We should always look for ways to play well with others, collaborate, share ideas, learn, and realize the benefits of working together with others. When everyone gets it going, there’s almost nothing better than working with others – it’s exciting, challenging and rewarding. Be part of ‘We’ today.

 

Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel: this is the first time that any of the quotes I’ve uncovered and used in the past 3900+/- daily Arte of Motivation messages have an author with no discoverable history. I might have mistaken this for “anonymous”, but there are more that 180 quotes online attributable to this individual. If anyone knows more about him, please let me know (arte808@gmail.com). Bottom line: I’m attracted to the quote more than to whom it’s attributable.

Get fully engaged in your team's efforts...

·      9 times out of 10, success is a group effort.

·      Not many other things in life can compare to that.

 

My career has been a series of group efforts – whether coming up with new programs and processes or opening integrated resorts, it was always the same. It starts with a vision, includes lots of planning, always involves countless people participating in the development and launch, and nearly always has an emotional crescendo. We worked for 28 months on every casino project, starting with a few key team members that quickly grew as the timeline marched on. The first time for us was the opening of The Mirage, and we worked together as a team; one day I mentioned in a group meeting that there probably would not be a dry eye on opening day. The ribbon was cut at 5pm and as I looked around, it was obvious that success is best when it’s shared. We were comrades and the shared sense of accomplishment could be seen on everyone’s face. Proof positive that success is best when it's shared. The instant success of that property and its impact on Las Vegas and gaming in general was worn like a badge of honor for the nearly 6000 employees who were there at opening. As The Mirage prepares to close and transition into a new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, I reflect on all the great people who shared in that property’s 35 successful years. From 1989 to today.

 

Howard D. Schultz (born 1953): American businessman and author who was the chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks and owned the Seattle SuperSonics basketball.

Put your head together with others...

·      Didn’t your mother ever tell you:

o   That two heads are better than one.

 

Mothers are known for telling us kids the kinds of things that serve us well throughout our lives. Personally, and professionally. There’s a book with 100s of the thing’s mothers tell their kids; called (not surprisingly): “Momilies” (from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Momilies®-As-Mother-Used-Say/dp/0345492102). They’ll make you laugh. Like: two heads are better than one. Because many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up. Most of my crazy HRIS ideas got immeasurably better as my team and colleagues added their thoughts, many of which appropriately came from different perspectives. Do yourself a favor – if you have an idea, share it. Nurture it. Don’t be possessive of it. And watch it grow. For me, the best part of working is collaborating; there’s almost nothing better than working with others to make things happen today.

 

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809 – 1894): American physician, professor, lecturer, inventor, poet, polymath and, although he never practiced it, he received formal training in law.

Sometimes it's good to lean out over the edge...

·      We know the story of the apple falling and hitting him.

·      And how that led to the discovery of gravity.

·      And the invention of the telescope.

·      And predicting the tides.

·      And so much more.

·      He was a genius.

 

When you’re surrounded by smart people, they help elevate your level of thinking. I don’t think I would have dreamed up the HRIS systems I foresaw without seeing the level of their thought and work. Everything we did was leading (some say bleeding) edge and that drove us to think, plan, and implement things that our peers in other businesses didn’t think possible. Getting out on the edge like that is scary and full of anxious moments. Because others don’t often see what someone else envisions – that’s usually something very specific to their responsibilities. Everyone knew how hard it was keeping track of tens of thousands of applicants and all the paper that generated (and needed filing), or how that ran up against the problem of managing paper personnel files and forms. Once we converted one form and process, it became obvious that we had to do the same to them all. And that’s when I was lucky to be able to climb on the shoulders of the giants I worked with. Teamwork is the best way to work today.

 

Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726): English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author.

Play well with others...

·      Life is about achieving goals.

·      The work of that is best done 

·      As part of a team.

 

Self-made men usually have a large organization of people to run their business. Those men usually have a clearly defined mission and vision, and they usually have values that are an important part of the foundation of their workplace culture. With that vision, the people in their organizations create a plan and operate as a team; each team member with a clear definition of what their job entails and what’s expected. I was lucky to work in a company run by a self-made man: he of high expectations, low tolerance for B.S., and a drive that drove the rest of us to our own limits and beyond. I knew someone that worked for today’s quote-master: he says the same thing (the vision there was to win championships). People who work for self-made men realize that their goals (personal and organizational) are only achieved when they work as a team. Shared vision, shared goals, shared values, shared culture, shared respect. Work well with others on your team today.     

 

George Shinn (born 1941): American businessman. He is the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets.